Sham 69 (GB)
From Surrey
Popularity
Sham 69 has one upcoming show in the Netherlands: on December 20, 2026 at Little Devil, Tilburg.
About
Also known as: SHAM69
Sham 69 turned street level punk into proper chart hits. Five singles cracked the UK Top 20, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry", and the band landed a spot on Top of the Pops. They formed in Hersham, Surrey in 1975, and the name came from half faded graffiti about a local football club's 1969 title. Seeing the Sex Pistols live in early 1976 pushed them toward punk. They skipped the art school angle that shaped a lot of their peers and instead brought football chant backing vocals and a populist streak, which drew a big and sometimes troublesome skinhead crowd. Their first single, "I Don't Wanna", was produced by John Cale and led to a deal with Polydor. Over time the sound drifted toward Mott the Hoople, The Who and the Stones. The original lineup split in 1980, but Jimmy Pursey and Dave Parsons revived the band in 1987, and Sham 69 has kept playing gigs through many lineup changes.
