The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush (vocals, guitar), Paul Simmonds (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, keyboards), Philip "Swill" Odgers (vocals, guitar, tin whistle, melodica), Jon Odgers (drums, percussion) and

Shanne Bradley Shanne Bradley (born 1957) is an English punk musician, songwriter, and artist. She founded a punk band The Nipple Erectors (The Nips) in 1976 playing bass guitar''Night of A Thousand Candles'' CD sleeve notes, FIEND CD 50, Demon Records, Brent ...

(bass guitar).

1984–1991: Formation, controversy and success

The Men They Couldn't Hang came together in 1984 to perform at the alternative music festival in Camden Town alongside

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...

and the

Boothill Foot Tappers The Boothill Foot Tappers was a British folk/skiffle/ bluegrass band that was formed in 1982 and associated with the folk music revival in the United Kingdom. They were featured in the Ben Elton- presented show ''South of Watford'' on London We ...

. Paul Simmonds, Philip 'Swill' Odgers and his brother Jon, veterans of the Southampton-based pop-punk band Catch 22, met Pogues roadie Stefan Cush whilst busking in Shepherds Bush in London. Their early line-up was Stefan Cush, Philip Odgers, Paul Simmonds, Jon Odgers and Shanne Bradley. The band's name is inspired by " The Man They Couldn't Hang". Their first single, a cover version of "

The Green Fields of France "No Man's Land" (also known as "The Green Fields of France" or "Willie McBride") is a song written in 1976 by Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter Eric Bogle, reflecting on the grave of a young man who died in World War I. Its chorus r ...

", was released in 1984. Written by

Eric Bogle Eric Bogle (born 23 September 1944) is a Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia at the age of 25, to settle near Adelaide, South Australia. Bogle's songs have covered a variety of ...

(of "

And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is a song written by Scottish-born Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971. The song describes war as futile and gruesome, while criticising those who seek to glorify it. This is exemplified in the s ...

" fame), the song's protagonist imagined having a conversation with one of the fallen soldiers of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

whilst sitting by his graveside. It received airplay on the

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

, and finished at Number 3 in Peel's

Festive 50 The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

for that year. It became a No.1 hit in the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

. The following year they were signed to the

Demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

label, which released their début album, ''

Night of a Thousand Candles ''Night of a Thousand Candles'' is the first studio album by the band The Men They Couldn't Hang. It was released in 1985 on vinyl and cassette format, and then on CD format in 1987. The cassette version has two additional tracks, and the CD ver ...

'', and its accompanying single "Ironmasters", a self-penned number by main songwriter Simmonds, linking the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

to the present-day treatment of the working class. The original final line of the song, "and oh, that iron bastard, she still gets her way" (a reference to the then Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

), had to be removed for the recorded version to ensure radio airplay. They were again named in Peel's yearly

, this time at Number 11. They followed this up with a new single not taken from the album, "Greenback Dollar", a cover of the song written by

Hoyt Axton Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...

and recorded by

The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

. The single was produced by

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,How Green Is The Valley''. The record included "Ghosts of Cable Street", a political song concerning The

Battle of Cable Street The Battle of Cable Street was a series of clashes that took place at several locations in the inner East End, most notably Cable Street, on Sunday 4 October 1936. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police, sent to protect a march by mem ...

in 1936 and "Shirt of Blue", which referenced the miners' strike of 1984–85. At the end of promotion for the album,

left to create music with

Wreckless Eric Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock/ new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single " Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in ''M ...

and The Chicken Family; she was replaced on bass by Ricky McGuire (ex

UK Subs U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the f ...

). In 1987 the band switched to

Magnet Records Magnet Records was a British record label, started in 1973 by Michael Levy and Peter Shelley. It was acquired by Warner Bros. Records in 1988 for an estimated £10m. Artists on the label included Alvin Stardust, Stevenson's Rocket, Matchbox, ...

and the new record released was ''

Waiting for Bonaparte ''Waiting for Bonaparte'' is the third studio album by The Men They Couldn't Hang. It was recorded at Woodcray Studios in Berkshire and was released in 1988. It is the first album to feature Ricky McGuire (ex UK Subs) on bass guitar. The album ...

''. "The Colours" told of an English mutineer sailor during the

Napoleonic War The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

and "The Crest" a stretcher bearer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Whilst "The Colours" was at Number 61 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

it was blacklisted by

because of the line "You've come here to watch me hang", which echoed the events happening in South African townships at the time, in particular the plight of the

Sharpeville Six The Sharpeville Six were six South African protesters convicted of the murder of Deputy Mayor of Sharpeville, Kuzwayo Jacob Dlamini, and sentenced to death. History On September 3, 1984, a protest march in Sharpeville turned violent (some of the c ...

. In 1988, the band were on the move again and signed for new label Silvertone. The band was joined by

Nick Muir Nick Muir is a British musician, songwriter and electronic music producer. He is best known as one half of the electronic music duo Bedrock, which consists of himself and DJ John Digweed, although he also found success as a solo artist. Career ...

(ex Fire Next Time) at this time on piano, organ and accordion, who remained with the band during their time at Silvertone. Muir later found success as an electronic music producer and half of the duo

Bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

. The band recorded two albums for Silvertone, the first being ''Silver Town''. Highlights of ''Silver Town'' included "Rain, Steam and Speed", "A Place in the Sun" and "Rosettes". ''Silver Town'' was the only TMTCH album to reach the Top 40 of the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, peaking at No. 39. They followed this up in 1990 with ''The Domino Club'', which had a more conventional rock sound dispensing with much of the folk element. In August 1990, the band supported

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

in his concerts at the Milton Keynes Bowl, as part of his

Sound+Vision Tour In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

. The band split in 1991 after releasing the live album ''Alive, Alive-O'', a performance recorded at London's

Town & Country Club The O Forum Kentish Town is a concert venue in Kentish Town, London, England owned by MAMA & Company, and originally built in 1934. History The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the cinema was clos ...

that was later released as a DVD, ''The Shooting'', by

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

. Paul Simmonds and "Swill" Odgers then formed Liberty Cage who released an album, ''Sleep of the Just'', in 1994 and an EP, ''I'll Keep It With Mine'', in 1995.

1996–present: Reformation

The band reformed in 1996, but minus drummer Jon Odgers who had become

Therapy? Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...

's drum technician. He was replaced by Kenny Harris of

The Screaming Blue Messiahs The Screaming Blue Messiahs were a rock band, formed in 1983 in London by guitarist and singer Bill Carter, bass player and backing singer Chris Thompson and drummer Kenny Harris. The group emerged in the wake of the pub rock and punk scenes th ...

. Their new album was ''Never Born To Follow'', released on the

label in 1996. The following year the band released the mini-album ''Big Six Pack''. Two "Best Of" collections followed, ''Majestic Grill'' and ''The Mud, The Blood and the Beer'', both in 1998. The band again withdrew into semi-retirement, during which time Odgers and Simmonds again released new material together (this time under their own names), ''Baby Fishlips'' (originally released under the pseudonym Preacher Jethro Brimstone and the Watermelon Kid) in 1999 and ''Folk at the Fortress'' in 2002. The band released a brand new CD in 2003, ''The Cherry Red Jukebox''. In 2005 the band released two DVDs, ''Shooting'', and ''21 Years of Love And Hate'' (released on

Secret Records ''Secret Records limited '' is a British independent record label based in London founded in 1980. The label specialize in a number of genres including blues, reggae, rock, rock 'n' roll, psychedelic, soul and punk. The label's roster includes ...

) to celebrate 21 years together. The latter was later released as a live double CD ''Smugglers and Bounty Hunters''. During further breaks from the band, Phil "Swill" Odgers released two CDs with his band The Swaggerband, which includes Ricky McGuire and Jon Odgers, plus lyrical contributions from Paul Simmonds: ''The Day After'' in 2004 and ''Elvis Lives Here'' on Irregular Records in 2006. The group continue to play occasional live concerts. Their next planned release is an acoustic folk-orientated CD, including the reworking of several popular old songs from their back catalogue. In October 2006 the band announced on their website titles of five new tracks they are demoing for their new album: "Brixton Hill", "Jam Tomorrow", "Madelaine", "Man in the Subway" and "The Winter Wind". In January 2007 more song titles were announced: "Cocaine Housewife", "Love Tomorrow", "Pair of Shoes", "Lead Me to the Gallows", "Whisky & Wine", "Snow Is Falling" and "Call Me Darling". Although these were originally identified primarily as songs that would appear on the next TMTCH album this was not to be the case. All except "Jam Tomorrow" and "Man in the Subway" subsequently appeared on Paul Simmonds' solo country album titled ''The Rising Road'', released in June 2008. In January 2007, Paul Simmonds' book ''A Bag of Songs'' was published. It featured a personal selection of 50 songs with lyrics, chords and commentary. In March 2007, the band released a new CD through their website '' Demos & Rarities Volume 1''. This album is a collection of rare unreleased TMTCH recordings from the '' Silver Town'' and '' The Domino Club'' albums. The band are joined by Tom Spencer (The Yo Yo's, Fastlane Roogalator, The Loyalties) bringing banjo to the line-up and additional guitar and backing vocals. They released a new album, ''Devil on the Wind'', on

Robb Johnson Robb Jenner Johnson (born 25 December 1955) is a British musician and songwriter who has been called "one of the last genuinely political songwriters". He is known for his mix of political satire and wit. He has his own record label, Irregular ...

's label Irregular Records on 1 June 2009. As a prelude to the album the band released a six track EP CD ''Devil on the Wind EP'' via their website. The EP contains an alternative mixes of "Devil on the Wind" and "Aquamarine", plus four songs not available on the full album. On 8 October 2009, almost 25 years since The Men They Couldn't Hang played their first proper gig in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

at The

Electric Ballroom The Electric Ballroom is a 1,500-capacity performance venue (primarily for rock bands) and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London, England. History The Electric Ballroom started as an Irish ballroom in the 1930 ...

, they returned for the official 25 Year Anniversary Celebration. 2012 saw the release of an album from Stefan Cush's new band the Feral Family, and Paul Simmonds was recording and touring with roots singer

Naomi Bedford Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bo ...

as well as numerous live dates for TMTCH. The latter including appearances at Mike Peter's "The Gathering", and festival appearances alongside Billy Bragg and Adam Ant. They headlined the 10th anniversary commemoration of Joe Strummer's

Acton Town Hall Acton Town Hall is a municipal building in High Street, Acton, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History The facility was commissioned to replace an existing 19th century town hall in the High Street, which had been designed by Edward ...

show which also featured a special guest appearance by Hard Fi. March 2013 saw the release of Phil (Swill) Odgers' solo album, ''The Godforsaken Voyage'', produced by

Mick Glossop Mick Glossop is an English record producer and recording engineer. In 2009, he was awarded a Visiting Professorship at Leeds College of Music. Glossop was initially known for recording and producing for new wave and punk bands such as Magazine ...

. On the day of release of ''The Godforsaken Voyage'', The Men They Couldn't Hang joined

Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the De ...

for three weeks on their UK tour. This combined with several festival appearances in UK and German acted as a prelude to TMTCH's 30th anniversary in 2014. 2014 marked the band's 30th anniversary, and they released their ninth album, ''The Defiant''. In 2019, the band won Best Live Band in Folking.com's annual awards, voted for by 10,000 registered subscribers to the folk website. Lead singer Stefan Cush died on 5 February 2021, after suffering a heart attack.

Discography

Musical references

Canadian rock band

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassi ...

make apparent reference to the band in the song "

Bobcaygeon Bobcaygeon is a community on the Trent–Severn Waterway in the City of Kawartha Lakes, east-central Ontario, Canada. Bobcaygeon was incorporated as a village in 1876, and became known as the "Hub of the Kawarthas". Its recorded name ''bob- ...

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGow ...

of the Pogues named an instrumental "

", after the original bassist of The Men They Couldn't Hang and member of his previous band

The Nipple Erectors ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. The track appeared on the 12" of "

Fairytale of New York "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a du ...

" and remastered versions of ''

If I Should Fall from Grace with God ''If I Should Fall from Grace with God'' is the third studio album by Irish folk-punk band the Pogues, released on 18 January 1988. Released in the wake of their biggest hit single, "Fairytale of New York", ''If I Should Fall from Grace with God ...

'' CDs.

References

External links

The Men They Couldn't Hang official site

John Peel Sessions
* AMG profile
The Men They Couldn't Hang
on

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Men They Couldn't Hang, The English folk rock groups Folk punk groups Musical groups established in 1984 Magnet Records artists MCA Records artists Warner Music Group artists Jive Records artists