Sham 69 was formed in the working-class community of Hersham (in Surrey) in 1975 by singer and lyricist Jimmy Pursey. The name came from an ancient bit of graffiti celebrating a local football team’s winning season in 1969.

From the start, Sham 69’s politics were populist, and their sound accessible; straight-ahead four-square punk with a hard rock influence and lyrics that often used sing-along slogans in their choruses, such as “If the Kids Are United” and “(Gonna Be A) Borstal Breakout.”