No sham about band’s line-up for Leamington gig

The band found success in the later part of the 1970s with the singles Angels With Dirty Faces, If the Kids Are United and Hurry Up Harry.

They also performed in the 1980 film D.O.A and appeared on Top of the Pops several times.

The band eventually started to move away from punk rock, to embrace a sound heavily influenced by classic British rock bands such as Mott the Hoople, The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Faces.

In 2006, listeners to Christian O’Connell’s Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio voted overwhelmingly for the band to record a song to support the England national football team in the 2006 World Cup.

Released under Sham 69 and The Special Assembly, with O’Connell and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, the song was based on Hurry Up Harry with the lyrics “We’re going down the pub” changed to “We’re going to win the cup”.

The resulting single, Hurry Up England, reached number ten in the UK singles chart, becoming the band’s first such hit in 26 years.

After the band split in 2007, In 2011 Jimmy Pursey and Dave Parsons were reunited, and the original 1977 line-up was reformed for a gig in Brixton. Following on from the success of this the original Sham 69 has continued to perform to packed audiences.

Sometimes part of the line-up may change due to other commitments but founder members Pursey and Parsons are always present.

The gig takes place on Thursday September 13 and tickets cost £16.

Call 311311 or visit www.leamingtonassembly.com