A LEADING British music band have slammed the far-right Spanish political party Vox over the use of one of the group’s most popular songs for a promotional campaign video.
Members of Chumbawamba, an eight-piece collective formed in 1982 in the north of England, lashed out after their hit single ‘Tubthumping’ was used as the soundtrack for a social media post railing against immigration.
The song, famed for its chorus of ‘I get knocked down/But I get up again/You’re never gonna keep me down’, accompanied a post with pictures of Vox leader Santiago Abascal visiting the north-eastern town of Caspe in the run-up to this weekend’s crunch regional election in Aragon.
“Great welcome yesterday in Caspe…for a street press conference. The locals are sick of the migratory invasion. And we stand with them,” the caption read.
Chumbawamba, who disbanded in 2012 after 30 years and are well-known for espousing left-leaning political views, have since criticised the move and requested that Vox stop using the song.
In a statement, the band said: “When we wrote Tubthumping it was an anthem for the underdog, for those fighting power.
“It sickens us that Spain’s far-right Vox party would use the song to promote their small-minded, hate-fuelled agenda.
“We have asked Facebook to take down the video from its platform and we demand that Vox never use our song – a song of hope and community – again.”
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Alice Nutter, a former Chumbawamba member, described Abascal’s post as ‘vile and racist’, adding that the band were ‘much more in tune’ with the Spanish government’s recent decision to legalise over half a million undocumented migrants.
They follow in the footsteps of dozens of musical acts who have complained about their music being used by divisive political figures.
Artists such as Neil Young, the White Stripes and the Foo Fighters have all objected to President Trump using their songs at his rallies in recent years.
‘Tubthumping’ reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in 1997 and was nominated for Best British Single at the Brit Awards the following year.
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