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European anarchist band Chumbawamba hopes to expand upon previous success

Most Americans were first introduced to the European pop stars Chumbawamba in 1997, when the band released their album Tubthumper.

One song in particular, "Tubthumping," soon became an anthem for both pop and alternative radio listeners world-wide with the lines, "I get knocked down/but I get up again/you're never going to keep me down."

But what may be lost between the catchy beats and the seemingly unforgettable lyrics is the actual message that has defined Chumbawamba music for nearly 18 years - their belief in communal peace throughout society and the freedom to act in any manner desired.

In other words, anarchy.

Still, for the band members of Chumbawamba, anarchy takes on a much different meaning than what is defined in popular culture.

"For lots of people, anarchism conjures up quite negative and violent images," said singer and trumpeter Jude Abbott. "For us, it's actually about organizing yourselves without authority, and that's the way Chumbawamba works, basically."

She said the band has built a strong musical footing in this belief, as well as strong personal relationships.

"Well, I think that's what kind of binds us in a way," she said. "We're eclectic, and we don't believe in having leaders with great control over us. We work collectively, and everyone makes decisions on equal basis."

Abbott said the band's music is intended to grip the conscience of its listeners. Although the band has become very popular in the music scene, she said the members of Chumbawamba derive their music from their principles and beliefs, rather than an attempt to gain fame and fortune.

"It's not like we're thinking, 'oh my gosh, we need to write something heavy and political,'" Abbott said. "For us, it's just that we all have things to write about that kind of concern us, and they would concern us even if we weren't in the pop band."

Still, Abbott admitted their popularity has given them a chance to touch their audience in a way most other bands cannot.

"We like this fantastic opportunity that being in a pop group presents to us, you know, in that you can kind of say something with what you're writing about in your songs," she said. "You just don't have to write about your cow, or your girlfriend, or your boyfriend or whatever - you can actually kind of say what you want and people listen."

On WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), their forth studio album just released last month, Abbott said Chumbawamba wanted to continue to create the band's definitive music but without falling to a rut of predictability.

"We didn't want to make something that sounded exactly like the last (album), you know," she said. "We don't like to keep doing the same thing. I think it would be very easy having had the success to kind of play safe and try to reproduce - that's not what we're about, we're not a career pop band."

Abbott said their latest album speaks to audience on a number of levels.

"With Chumbawamba, one of the things that often strikes people about Chumbawamba is the kind of contrast between the sound of the music which is very poppy and quite sweet and full of harmonies," she said. "Then, you realize that the lyrics actually are not what you would normally expect with that sort of music.

"Also interesting, in more general terms, what you see is what you get, you are presented with a reality of like, 'look, this is how it is, and this is how it has to be,' and it isn't like that at all for those who have other stuff going on," she added.

Abbot also said the American music audience, which just recently embraced the band with Tubthumper, still does not realize the longevity of the band - which has added an interesting difference between American and European audiences.

"Certainly for us, one of the differences between European and American audiences is that in Europe, we have had following, you know, a kind of large hold and for longer in Europe," she said. "So one of the things we've noticed in the States is there are more kids in the audience than we'd normally play for in the European audiences, for example. And a lot were quite young kids - they're with their mums and dads occasionally."

Abbot also said the American music scene is much more fickle than that in Europe. She said that in the U.S., bands seem to depend heavily on radio play and ticket sales, while European audiences allow bands more freedom to create and change their own styles.

"It's interesting because lots of (American) people kind of think its been a climb up, and now, we've finally hit the summit with Tubthumper, whereas, really, I think Chumbawamba has always done what it wants to do and kind of gone along and some point along its journey this thing happened, this thing called Tubthumper," she said.

Regardless of how the audiences receive Chumbawamba, Abbott said the band will continue to have fun making music while attempting to raise the level of consciousness for those listening.

"(We perform) largely to enjoy it, you know what I mean? To have a good time doing what we're doing is of paramount importance for us in Chumbawamba because if we didn't enjoy what we're doing, we'd stop," she said.