Punk icons Sham 69 headline The Box in Crewe

Feb 9 2011 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

PIONEERS of British punk Sham 69 will bring back the halcyon days of anarchy and attitude to The Box in Pedley Street, Crewe on Saturday.

The iconic band were a huge musical and lyrical influence on the Oi! and street-punk genres of the 70s.

The band allegedly derived their name from a piece of football-related graffiti that singer Jimmy Pursey had seen on a wall that originally said Hersham 69 – the ‘Her’ part being faded out.

Their concerts were plagued by violence and the band ceased live performances after a 1978 concert at Middlesex Polytechnic was broken up by National Front-supporting white power skinheads fighting and rushing the stage.

Sham 69 broke up after their fourth album and Pursey moved in a heavy metal direction after working with the remaining members of the Sex Pistols for a short time, under the name Sham Pistols. The frontman resurrected Sham 69 in 1987 with a different line-up.

Pursey left the band in 2007 to be replaced by Tim V, a Cockney ‘growler’ and since then the band has released a new album, played a string of festivals and toured half the globe.

Doors open at 8pm and advance tickets are £10, to book visit www.theboxcrewe.co.uk