Dunstan Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is a British musician and filmmaker who is best known for his work with Leeds-based anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba, of which he was a founding member. He grew up in the northern industrial town of Billingham, County Durham.
Dunstan Bruce | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Duncan "Dunstan" Bruce |
| Born | 31 December 1960 Billingham, England |
| Genres | Anarcho-punk, post-punk |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, musician, filmmaker |
| Years active | 1982–present |
Career
editMusician
editPrior to Chumbawamba, Bruce sang for the Billingham-based band Men in a Suitcase. At the beginning of 1982, Bruce joined Chumbawamba and was the lead singer of the band's biggest hit single, "Tubthumping". Bruce left Chumbawamba at the end of 2004 along with Alice Nutter, Harry Hamer and Danbert Nobacon when the band transformed into an acoustic/folk outfit who eventually split up in 2012.
Bruce is the lead singer of Interrobang?!, an agitprop post-punk band he formed in 2012 with ex-Chumbawamba drummer Harry Hamer and ex-Regular Fries guitarist Stephen Griffin. They released a critically acclaimed eponymous album in 2018.[1]
Bruce performed a spoken word piece accompanied by music as the Existential Angst of Dunstan Bruce.[2]
Filmmaker
editBruce has a film production company.[3] He collaborated on Channel 4's Whatever: A Teenage Musical,[4] and worked on several documentary films: Well Done. Now Sod Off. (2000) during his time in Chumbawamba,[5] I Get Knocked Down (2021) about his experience in Chumbawamba,[5] A Curious Life about the folk rock band Levellers (band),[6] and This Band Is So Gorgeous!: Sham 69 in China about the punk band Sham 69. It was nominated for "Best Music Documentary" at the 2012 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.[7]
In 2022, his one-man show Am I Invisible Yet? played in New Milton.[8]
References
edit- ^ Ross, Chloe (20 March 2018). "Album Review: Interrobang (Self Titled) • RadioHud". Radiohud.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "A Politically Meaningful Camaraderie". Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ "Chumbawamba: They got knocked down... | The Independent". The Independent. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "TV UK, 7 May". www.spiked-online.com. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b Willman, Chris (14 March 2022). "'I Get Knocked Down' Review: Singer Thumps a Tub for Life After Chumbawamba's Lone Hit". Variety. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Newman, Melinda (7 July 2015). "Chumbawamba's Dunstan Bruce Starts Kickstarter to Fund 'Untold Story' Documentary". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Wissot, Lauren (30 November 2012). "Top of the Doc: Toasting 25 Years at IDFA 2012 - Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Laughs, tunes and illusions at New Milton venue in October". Advertiser and Times. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
Further reading
edit- Goodman, Amy (October 19, 2017). "The Untold Story of Chumbawamba: Dunstan Bruce on '90s Anthem Song 'Tubthumping' & What Came After". Democracy Now!. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
External links
edit- "A new music film documents the curious life of the Levellers - The Ask". MusicFilmWeb. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- "A Chumbawamba FAQ". oocities.org. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- "MFDB - The Music Documentary Database". musicfilmweb.com. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- Am I Invisible Yet? Review
- I Get Knocked Down
- I Get Knocked Down review – enjoyable blast of pop history from Chumbawamba frontman