On this date in 1978, SHAM 69 released the single IF THE KIDS ARE UNITED, (July 14th, 1978).
The anthemic 'If The Kids Are United’, chanted in playgrounds, youth discos and football terraces across the country, was Jimmy Pursey appealing to the hearts of disenfranchised kids with his angry but thoughtful lyrics.
Loosely based on a Socialist Worker Party / Highbury 'North Bank' chant, ‘Kids are united’ was a great success for the band and reached #9 in the UK charts.
Back in ’78, Jimmy Pursey would introduce the song, carefully enunciating its title and the ‘kids’ would chant the words over and over. Jimmy, never embarrassed by the hippy sentiment, would just smile. The stage would be awash with bodies. The bouncers would gape. Encores? Three.
When Jimmy yelled "We're not a New Wave band, we're not a Power Pop band – we're a PUNK band" they roared back their approval. They were not interested in polite, safe versions of the punk genre. They wanted stark high tension and adrenaline to saturate the atmosphere at gigs and, long before Sham 69 hit the stage, they felt their hearts beating double-time.
"The great thing about Sham was that they appealed to the kids,” said the Pistols’ Steve Jones. “The kids come along for a great time, they don't care what some trendies in the music press say."
Ik noem een Tony van Heemschut,een Loeki Knol,een Brammetje Biesterveld en natuurlijk een Japie Stobbe !