Attila the Stockbroker
Encyclopedia
Attila the Stockbroker (born John Baine, 21 October 1957, Southwick, West Sussex
, England
) is a punk poet
, and a folk punk
musician and songwriter. He performs solo and as the leader of the band Barnstormer. He describes himself as a "sharp tongued, high energy social surrealist poet and songwriter." He has performed over 2500 concerts, published six books of poems, and released 29 recordings (CDs, LPs and singles).
, particularly The Clash
's overtly socialist
stance, he was briefly a member of punk bands English Disease and Brighton Riot Squad, and Belgian band Contingent before going solo. He did his first gig at Bush Fair Playbarn, Harlow, Essex, on 8 September 1980. At first he performed poems and songs in between bands at punk rock
concerts, accompanying himself on the phased electric mandolin
. After this was smashed over his head by fascists
during a fight at a performance in North London
in May 1982, he got a mandola
(a fifth
lower) and has played this ever since. He has performed in 19 countries, playing venues ranging from the Oxford Union
in England to squatted
punk clubs in Germany
, and has performed over 100 shows every year. He toured East Germany four times before the Berlin Wall
came down, and once did an illegal performance in a hotel basement in Stalinist
Albania
. He was signed by Cherry Red
in 1982 after recording a session for John Peel
's BBC Radio 1
show. He recorded a second session for Peel in 1983.
In the 1980s, he was often the support act for punk bands, including The Jam
, The Alarm
, Newtown Neurotics, New Model Army
and performed extensively with fellow punk-inspired ranting poets Swift Nick (Nick Swift), Kool Knotes (Richard Edwards), Porky the Poet (Phill Jupitus
) and Steven Wells (Seething Wells
). Manic Street Preachers
supported him at a performance at Swansea University
. In the 1990s, he toured with John Otway
as Headbutts and Halibuts, and together they wrote a surreal rock opera called Cheryl, a tale of Satanism
, Trainspotting, drug abuse and unrequited love. He has performed at every Glastonbury Festival
since 1983, and continues to write topical, satirical material on all kinds of subjects. He puts on an annual beer and music festival 'Glastonwick', currently held at Coombes Farm, near Shoreham though originally in Southwick, his home town nearby. June 2010 saw the 15th Glastonwick.
Notable works from his 1980s heyday include the poem "Contributory Negligence"; various Russian-themed poems, satirizing the alleged Cold War
Russian threat in the context of Margaret Thatcher
's Britain (such as "Russians in the DHSS
" and "Russians in McDonald's
"). Other political poems include the surreal Nigel series, such as "Nigel wants to go to C&A
", with the lines "...but I don't understand why / 'cos they don't sell nerve gas in C&A / not even to SDP
members in cashmere sweaters", "Asylum Seeking Daleks", which satirises the right wing
press's attitudes to immigration, and "Hey Celebrity", which rejects the need for the concept of celebrity.
Attila the Stockbroker formed the band Barnstormer in 1994, combining punk rock and medieval music. The band released its debut album The Siege of Shoreham in 1996 and performs regularly across Europe. Barnstormer features Attila the Stockbroker on vocals, violin, crumhorn and recorders; Dan Woods on guitar; M. M. McGhee on drums; and Dave Beaken on bass - the latter three are also members of The Fish Brothers. My Poetic Licence was published in May 2008. In January 2010 Attila published a pamphlet, The Long Goodbye, containing two poems; a long one dedicated to and chronicling the life of his mother Muriel, who died in June 2010 after a six-year battle with Alzheimer's Disease
, and a shorter one written for his stepfather John Stanford, who died in December 2009. Attila celebrated 30 years of performing in September 2010 with a 27-date tour of the UK, Germany and Holland. In March 2011 he is due to tour Australia for the first time in sixteen years.
, and for at least 14 years, has been heavily involved in the battle to save the club and secure a new stadium, after the Goldstone Ground
was sold to property developers in 1997. He has been the team's poet in residence since 2000, and is the stadium announcer and DJ at the club's temporary Withdean Stadium. As the main member of the one-off band Seagulls Ska, he had a single reach #17 in the UK charts in 2005, "Tom Hark (We Want Falmer)". In 1989 he appeared on the Kickback segment of The Channel Four Daily
, reflecting on Liverpool FC's 9-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Southwick, West Sussex
Southwick is a small town and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England located three miles west of Brighton and a suburb of the East Sussex resort City of Brighton & Hove...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a punk poet
Punk literature
Punk literature is a form of literature that emerged from the punk subculture. The attitude and ideology of punk rock gave rise to distinctive characteristics in the writing it manifested...
, and a folk punk
Folk punk
Folk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered in the late 1970s and early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain and Violent Femmes in America. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade...
musician and songwriter. He performs solo and as the leader of the band Barnstormer. He describes himself as a "sharp tongued, high energy social surrealist poet and songwriter." He has performed over 2500 concerts, published six books of poems, and released 29 recordings (CDs, LPs and singles).
Career
John Baine took the name Attila the Stockbroker during a short stint as a City stockbroker's clerk between 1980 and 1981. Having started performing in the late 1970s after being inspired by the spirit and 'do it yourself' ethos of the punk subculturePunk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
, particularly The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's overtly socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
stance, he was briefly a member of punk bands English Disease and Brighton Riot Squad, and Belgian band Contingent before going solo. He did his first gig at Bush Fair Playbarn, Harlow, Essex, on 8 September 1980. At first he performed poems and songs in between bands at punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
concerts, accompanying himself on the phased electric mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
. After this was smashed over his head by fascists
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
during a fight at a performance in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
in May 1982, he got a mandola
Mandola
The mandola or tenor mandola is a fretted, stringed musical instrument. It is to the mandolin what the viola is to the violin: the four double courses of strings tuned in fifths to the same pitches as the viola , a fifth lower than a mandolin...
(a fifth
Perfect fifth
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is a musical interval encompassing five staff positions , and the perfect fifth is a fifth spanning seven semitones, or in meantone, four diatonic semitones and three chromatic semitones...
lower) and has played this ever since. He has performed in 19 countries, playing venues ranging from the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
in England to squatted
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
punk clubs in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and has performed over 100 shows every year. He toured East Germany four times before the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
came down, and once did an illegal performance in a hotel basement in Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. He was signed by Cherry Red
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
in 1982 after recording a session for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show. He recorded a second session for Peel in 1983.
In the 1980s, he was often the support act for punk bands, including The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
, The Alarm
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
, Newtown Neurotics, New Model Army
New Model Army (band)
New Model Army are an English rock band, who were formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1980. They have been variously classified by Allmusic as post-punk and alternative rock.-Overview:...
and performed extensively with fellow punk-inspired ranting poets Swift Nick (Nick Swift), Kool Knotes (Richard Edwards), Porky the Poet (Phill Jupitus
Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
) and Steven Wells (Seething Wells
Steven Wells
Steven Wells was a British journalist, author, comedian and notable punk poet born in Swindon, Wiltshire. He is best remembered for ranting poetry and his provocative, unapologetic music journalism. In June 2006, he wrote in the Philadelphia Weekly about his treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma...
). Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
supported him at a performance at Swansea University
Swansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
. In the 1990s, he toured with John Otway
John Otway
John Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
as Headbutts and Halibuts, and together they wrote a surreal rock opera called Cheryl, a tale of Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
, Trainspotting, drug abuse and unrequited love. He has performed at every Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
since 1983, and continues to write topical, satirical material on all kinds of subjects. He puts on an annual beer and music festival 'Glastonwick', currently held at Coombes Farm, near Shoreham though originally in Southwick, his home town nearby. June 2010 saw the 15th Glastonwick.
Notable works from his 1980s heyday include the poem "Contributory Negligence"; various Russian-themed poems, satirizing the alleged Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
Russian threat in the context of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's Britain (such as "Russians in the DHSS
Department of Health and Social Security
The Department of Health and Social Security was a ministry of the British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Social Services.-History:...
" and "Russians in McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
"). Other political poems include the surreal Nigel series, such as "Nigel wants to go to C&A
C&A
C&A is an international chain of fashion retail clothing stores, with its European head offices in Vilvoorde , Belgium and Düsseldorf, Germany...
", with the lines "...but I don't understand why / 'cos they don't sell nerve gas in C&A / not even to SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
members in cashmere sweaters", "Asylum Seeking Daleks", which satirises the right wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
press's attitudes to immigration, and "Hey Celebrity", which rejects the need for the concept of celebrity.
Attila the Stockbroker formed the band Barnstormer in 1994, combining punk rock and medieval music. The band released its debut album The Siege of Shoreham in 1996 and performs regularly across Europe. Barnstormer features Attila the Stockbroker on vocals, violin, crumhorn and recorders; Dan Woods on guitar; M. M. McGhee on drums; and Dave Beaken on bass - the latter three are also members of The Fish Brothers. My Poetic Licence was published in May 2008. In January 2010 Attila published a pamphlet, The Long Goodbye, containing two poems; a long one dedicated to and chronicling the life of his mother Muriel, who died in June 2010 after a six-year battle with Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, and a shorter one written for his stepfather John Stanford, who died in December 2009. Attila celebrated 30 years of performing in September 2010 with a 27-date tour of the UK, Germany and Holland. In March 2011 he is due to tour Australia for the first time in sixteen years.
Football support
He is an ardent supporter of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, and for at least 14 years, has been heavily involved in the battle to save the club and secure a new stadium, after the Goldstone Ground
Goldstone Ground
The Goldstone Ground was a football stadium and home ground of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. between 1902 and 1997. The club currently plays at American Express Community Stadium, a stadium on the outskirts of the city, following the move from their temporary stadium in the Brighton suburb of...
was sold to property developers in 1997. He has been the team's poet in residence since 2000, and is the stadium announcer and DJ at the club's temporary Withdean Stadium. As the main member of the one-off band Seagulls Ska, he had a single reach #17 in the UK charts in 2005, "Tom Hark (We Want Falmer)". In 1989 he appeared on the Kickback segment of The Channel Four Daily
The Channel Four Daily
The Channel Four Daily was a breakfast television newsmagazine produced by Independent Television News, in collaboration with other production companies, for Channel 4. The programme was the first breakfast news programme for Channel 4, broadcasting between 06.00 and 09.25 each weekday morning...
, reflecting on Liverpool FC's 9-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Poetry collections
- Cautionary tales for Dead Commuters (with Seething Wells), Allen & Unwin, 1986
- Scornflakes, Bloodaxe, 1992)
- The Rat-Tailed Maggot & Other Poems Roundhead, 1998)
- Goldstone Ghosts. Roundhead, 2001
- My Poetic Licence Roundhead, 2008
- The Long Goodbye (poems for my mother and stepfather) Roundhead. 2010
Discography
- 1981 Phasing Out Capitalism cassette (No Wonder)
- 1982 Rough, Raw and Ranting EP with Seething Wells (Radical Wallpaper)
- 1982 Cocktails EP (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
) - 1983 Ranting at the Nation LP (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
) (UK IndieUK Indie ChartThe UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
#12) - 1984 Sawdust and Empire LP (Anagram)
- 1984 Radio Rap! EP (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
) - 1984 Livingstone Rap! EP (Cherry Red Ken)
- 1987 Libyan Students from Hell! LP (Plastic Head)
- 1988 Scornflakes LP/cassette (Probe Plus)
- 1990 (Canada) Live at the Rivoli LP/cassette (Festival)
- 1991 Donkey's Years CD/LP/cassette (Musidisc)
- 1991 1991 Cheryl - a Rock Opera (Strikeback) - with John OtwayJohn OtwayJohn Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
- 1992 (Germany) This Is Free Europe CD/LP (Terz)
- 1993 (Australia) 668-Neighbour of the Beast CD/cassette (Larrikin)
- 1993 (Germany) Live auf St.Pauli CD (Terz)
- 1993 Attila the Stockbroker's Greatest Hits cassette (Roundhead)
- 1999 Poems Ancient & Modern CD (Roundhead/Mad Butcher)
- 1999 The Pen & The Sword CD (Roundhead/Mad Butcher)
- 2003 Live in Belfast (Roundhead)
- 2005 Tom Hark (We Want Falmer) EP - with Seagulls Ska (Skint)
- 2007 Live In Norway (Crispin Glover)
- 2008 Spirit of the Age (Roundhead)
Barnstormer Discography
- 1995 Barnstormer cassette (Roundhead Records)
- 1995 (Germany) Sarajevo EP (Mad Butcher)
- 1996 The Siege of Shoreham CD/cass (Roundhead Records)
- 1998 Live in Hamburg cassette (Roundhead Records)
- 1999 (Germany) The Siege of Shoreham CD (Puffotter Platten) and LP (East Side Records)
- 2000 Just One Life (Roundhead Records)
- 2004 Zero Tolerance (Roundhead Records)
- 2004 "Baghdad Ska" - split single with Bomb Factory (Repeat Records)