IT’S fair to say that this came as something of a surprise. Not the fact that Chumbawamba, with a proud history of banner-carrying for the Left, should record an album of songs championing the cause of the poor, the oppressed and the working man (all too often the three amounting to the one), but the manner in which they should go about it.

Over the album’s 13 songs, the predominant instrument is the unaccompanied human voice. Occasionally an acoustic guitar can be heard. Even more rare occasions the sound of a time-keeping drum can be heard. And, on “Poverty knock”, the voices sing out to the accompaniment of the steady clatter of an old mill loom.

The very fact that this album not only keeps alive these, in some instances, ancient songs, but also introduces them to young ears, makes this a worthy (in all the best possible ways) collection. The fact that it does so in such a lively, vibrant and downright enjoyable way is a huge feather in the Chumba cap. Honest, they sing their socks off.

An immediate, though not entirely accurate, comparison would be the work of The Flying Pickets at their Leftist bestest. But, whereas the Pickets leavened their political message with a capella versions of contemporary pop hits, Chumbawamba on this album do exactly – and only – what it says on the tin.

Over the 600-year time line, we are taken from “The cutty wren”, written at the time of the Peasants’ Revolt in the 14th century, to “Coal not dole”, one of the rallying calls of the Miners’ Strike of the late 20th century. En route we stop off at various points in history, including the Colliers’ March, the Luddite Rebellion, the Repeal of the Corn Laws and the Idris fizzy drink factory strike of 1910.

The accompanying booklet contains in illuminating note for each song, detailing its background and the event about which it was written. As the booklet’s introduction says, these songs are not concerned with the history we were taught at school, all kings, queens, noblemen and tales of derring-do. No, these songs relay the stories of real men and women who worked – or fought for the right to work – their life through for rich industrialists while being paid a pittance for the privilege or of those who stood up to governments determined to see them brought to their knees.

The songs themselves may be old but their message is as pertinent to the 21st century as it ever was. Maybe a copy of “English Rebel Songs” should be placed on each delegate’s seat at this year’s Labour Party Conference.

Fred Hall

www.chumba.com