Sham 69

Formed in 1975 in Hersham, Surrey, Sham 69 is part of the first wave of British punk, with a more direct, popular and sing-along approach than many contemporaries, at the intersection of punk rock and what later became known as Oi!. Led by Jimmy Pursey, with Dave Parsons, Dave Tregunna and several drummers over the years, Sham 69 emerged in the late 1970s with tracks like "Borstal Breakout", "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry", and released a first series of notable albums: Tell Us the Truth and That’s Life in 1978, followed by The Adventures of the Hersham Boys in 1979. Their sound mixes punk urgency, collective choruses inspired by football terraces and lyrics rooted in working-class and urban daily life. After The Game in 1980, Sham 69 split before resuming activity in 1987 around Pursey and Parsons, producing new recordings such as Volunteer (1988) and Information Libre (1991). Since then the band has experienced several personnel changes and a complex line-up history, while the original formation—Jimmy Pursey, Dave Parsons and Dave Tregunna—reunited in the 2010s to keep Sham 69's repertoire alive on stage.