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December 1997 Hard to believe that you can sell out Irving Plaza the same night that Radiohead plays in town, based on the abundant success of just one big song. But what a song it is, and much to the surprise of the new-comers out there, who have only discovered Chumbawamba this year due to their much deserved and rabid success of “Tubthumping,” their collection of other songs is impressive. Despite over 15 years of crafting finely orchestrated, politically charged and anarchist-tinged pop-rock anthems, without so much as a glimpse from the mainstream media, Chumbawamba is now the sonic equivalent of The Full Monty: the little band that could, whose frantic and rousing live show is as fun as the music they play. Like the album Tubthumper itself, their show is a refreshing melange of skillfully blended diverse elements, running the gamut from Prodigy-caliber rampant electronic percussion and KMFDM inspired, biting guitar riffs, to delicate English ditties, like the poignant acappella, anti-Fascist, “The Day the Nazi Died.” Opening with two of their older staples, “Give the Anarchist a Cigarette,” and “I Can’t Hear You,” it was quickly apparent that the band was trying to maintain a delicate balance between their established followers, and the other half of the audience like me, who have only been exposed to the Leeds, England band due to their first domestic release. Even though a majority of the mid-teen audience didn’t recognize either track, lead singer Danbert Nobacon quickly seized their attention, dancing around like a specter, holding a portable worklight on the otherwise pitch-black stage. With the light eerily glimmering off his shaved head, he thrashed around the stage like a frenzied primate in his well-tailored black, devil’s pitchfork suit; it was just one of any number of costume changes and spirited antics that would be featured in the show. As with their attire, Chumbawamba seamlessly changed complex arrangements, and lead singers for every track. As spectacular as the band was, by far percussionist, Alice Nutter stole the show every time she took center stage, handling lead vocals. From donning boxing gloves and frantically shadow boxing during “Bad Dog,” to being decked out in a red nun’s habit, and suggestively voguing while chugging alcohol and smoking for “Big Mouth Strikes Again,” Nutter kept the audience riveted, especially the disgruntled parents who were dragged there by pre-teen fans. With her buzz-cut purple hair, and warm, charismatic smile, Nutter could have won them over with less, but became more outrageous with each one of her songs. During “Ugh! Your Ugly Houses!” she gyrated in a tight one-piece dress that got tugged up about as far as it could go for the predominantly PG-13 crowd. Later, lampooning the ridculousness of other meteoric-rising pop bands, she enthusiastically sang a verse from the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.” 
Wisely comprising half of their hour-and-45-minute set with Tubthumper material, Chumbawamba kept the title track for the big-show stopping finale, slowly building the tension with every song like a well-written movie. “Drip Drip Drip,” “Amnesia,” and “The Big Issue” were all polished to perfection, mixing the superiorly well-crafted 80’s New Wave pop with some 90’s attitude and electronic production. Although two of the album’s heavier tracks, “Outsider,” and the shout-along anthem, “I Want More!” had a frenzied but exceptionally polite dance pit going -- showing promise that they may not turn into a one-hit wonder -- it was “Tubthumping” that everyone came to hear. But despite its bombastic, flawless execution, and the overwhelming audience response, “Tub,” while climactic, did feel a bit insufficient, after all, being only one song, and following the sheer number of spectacular songs that pr
eceded it. Chumbawmba must have sensed it too; they returned for two encores, with lead singer Dunstan Bruce and guitarist Boff encouraging an audience sing along, and Nobacon making a mockery of Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind ’97.” Like the rest of their tongue-in-cheek repertoire, it was meant as shocking social commentary, and entertainment -- succeeding on both accounts.
Also employing a politically tinged set, Liverpool’s Manbreak opened the show with their animated Rap-Alterna-Pop hybrid. Falling somewhere between Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine, and The Cult, dual lead vocalists Swindelli and Blonde traded off verses as the band adroitly segued between their hip-hop and heavier, guitar-driven material. Like Chumbawamba, when Manbreak decided to hide their political agenda in a more commercially orientated crowd pleaser titled “Radio Knobs” -- the most raucously aggressive party tune since Biohazard’s remix of Onyx’s “Slam” -- you could see “Tubthumping” potential written all over it: a song poised to break out, not because of some domineering marketing department, but on the sheer strength of the material. 
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