John Baine (born 21 October 1957), better known by his stage name Attila the Stockbroker,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 208 is an English punk poet, multi instrumentalist musician and songwriter. He performs solo and as the leader of the band Barnstormer 1649, who combine early music and punk. He has performed over 4000 concerts, published eight books of poems, an autobiography (which itself has 38 poems in it) and in 2021 his Collected Works spanning 40 years. He has released over forty recordings (albums and singles).

Early life

Baine attended the

University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...

, Darwin College, in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

between 1975 and 1978 graduating with a 2:2 degree in French and Politics.Attila the Stockbroker
Oxfordreference.com, Retrieved 5 June 2016 Baine took the performing name Attila the Stockbroker during a short stint as a City

stockbroker A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...

's clerk between 1980 and 1981, because a colleague accused him of having the eating habits of

Attila the Hun Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central and East ...

Career

Having started performing in the late 1970s after being inspired by the spirit and 'do it yourself' ethos of the

punk subculture The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of Punk rock, music, Punk ideologies, ideologies, Punk fashion, fashion, and other forms of expression, Punk visual art, visual art, dance, Punk literature, literature, and film. La ...

, particularly

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

's overtly

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

stance, Baine was briefly bass player in punk bands English Disease and Brighton Riot Squad, and spent some time in 1979 in Brussels playing bass in Belgian band Contingent before going solo. He did his first gig as Attila the Stockbroker at Bush Fair Playbarn,

Harlow, Essex Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...

, on 8 September 1980. At first he performed poems and songs in between bands at

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

concerts, accompanying himself on the phased

electric mandolin The electric mandolin is an instrument tuned and played as the mandolin and amplified in similar fashion to an electric guitar. As with electric guitars, electric mandolins take many forms. Most common is a carved-top eight-string instrument fi ...

. After this was smashed over his head by

fascists Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social h ...

during a fight at a performance in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

in May 1982, he got a

mandola The mandola (US and Canada) or tenor mandola (Ireland and UK) 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) and has played this ever since. He refers to his mandola as "Nelson", in tribute to

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

. He has performed in 24 countries, playing venues ranging from the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

in England to

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

punk clubs in Germany, and performs between 80 and 100 shows every year, sometimes more. He toured

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

four times before the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

came down, performed in a hotel in

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and had to turn down the opportunity to perform in North Korea (at the World Festival of Youth & Students in 1989) because he was already booked to tour Canada. He was signed by Cherry Red in 1982 after recording a session for

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

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 Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

show. He recorded a second session for Peel in 1983.Attila The Stockbroker
, ''Keeping It Peel'',

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, retrieved 2010-10-16 In the 1980s, he was often the support act for punk bands, including

The Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...

The Alarm The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977 under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the group soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language ...

, Newtown Neurotics,

New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...

, and performed extensively with fellow punk-inspired ranting poets, Swift Nick (Nick Swift), Kool Knotes (Richard Edwards), Porky the Poet (

Phill Jupitus Phillip Christopher Jupitus (, ''Given name#Name at birth, né'' Swan; born 25 June 1962) is a retired English stand-up comedy, stand-up and Improv comedy teacher, improv comedian, actor, performance poetry, performance poet, cartoonist and podc ...

) and Seething Wells (

Steven Wells Steven Wells (10 May 1960 – 24 June 2009) was a British journalist, author, comedian and punk poet born in Swindon, Wiltshire. He was best known for ranting poetry and his provocative, unapologetic music journalism. In June 2006, he wrote in ...

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...

supported him at a performance at

Swansea University Swansea University () is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it chang ...

. In the 1990s, alongside many other things, he toured with

John Otway John Otway (born 2 October 1952) is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter who has built a cult audience through extensive touring. Biography Early life Otway was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. From the age of nine all he ever wanted ...

as Headbutts and Halibuts, and together they wrote a surreal rock opera called ''Cheryl'', a tale of

Satanism Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious ...

trainspotting Trainspotting may refer to: * Trainspotting (hobby), an amateur interest in railways/railroads * ''Trainspotting'' (novel), a 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh ** ''Trainspotting'' (film), a 1996 film based on the novel *** ''Trainspotting'' (soundt ...

, drug abuse and unrequited love. He has performed at every

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

since 1983, at the Edinburgh Fringe on and off for 35 years, 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. The 30th Glastonwick will take place in 2025. Notable works from the 1980s include the poem "Contributory Negligence"; various Russian-themed poems, satirizing the alleged

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Russian threat in the context of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

's Britain (such as "Russians in the

DHSS The Department of Health and Social Security (commonly known as the DHSS) 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 In 1 ...

" and "Russians in

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

"). Other political poems include the surreal ''Nigel'' series, such as "Nigel wants to go to C&A". Later pieces include "Asylum Seeking

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...

s", which satirises the

right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

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, with the initial aim of combining punk rock and early music, which they did to an extent on their debut album, ''The Siege of Shoreham'', in 1996. Then Barnstormer's line up changed: they turned into a melodic punk band and for the next 22 years performed regularly across Europe, doing over 500 gigs and releasing three further albums, ''Just One Life'' (2000) ''Zero Tolerance'' (2004) and ''Bankers and Looters'' (2012). In 2018, Attila, who has always been interested in the history of the radical movements spawned in the aftermath of the English Civil War, wrote and recorded an album, ''Restoration Tragedy'' on that theme, combining early music and punk. He changed the name of the band to Barnstormer 1649 (the year of King Charles I of England's execution and the revolutionary uprisings by the

Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...

and

Diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with a political ideology and programme resembling what would later be called agrarian socialism.; ; ; Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard (Digger), Will ...

). Barnstormer 1649 features Attila on vocals,

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

crumhorn The crumhorn is a double reed , double reed instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance music, Renaissance period. In modern times, particularly since the 1960s, there has been a revival of interest in early mu ...

cornemuse French bagpipes cover a wide range and variety of styles of bagpipes and piping, from the Celtic piping and Music of Brittany to the Northern Occitan's cabrette. The Center-France bagpipes (called in French ''cornemuse du centre'' or ''musette d ...

shawm The shawm () is a Bore (wind instruments)#Conical bore, conical bore, double-reed woodwind instrument made in Europe from the 13th or possibly 12th century to the present day. It achieved its peak of popularity during the medieval and Renaissanc ...

, bombard,

rauschpfeife A rauschpfeife ( pl. rauschpfeifes or rauschpfeifen; German: Rauschpfeife, pl. Rauschpfeifen) is a capped conical reed musical instrument of the woodwind family, used in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In common with the crumhorn and c ...

and recorder; Jason Pegg (formerly of Clearlake) on guitar/backing vocals; M. M. McGhee on drums; Dave Cook (also of Too Many Crooks) on bass/backing vocals and Tim O'Tay on recorder. Attila is still doing many solo shows combining his poems and songs. He has released three CDs featuring live recordings of solo gigs: ''Live in Belfast'' (2003) ''Live in Norway'' (2007) and ''Live at the Greys'' (2014). His book of poems, ''Undaunted'', was published in 2017, ''UK Gin Dependence Party and Other Peculiarities'' in January 2014 and ''My Poetic Licence'' came out in 2008. In 2010, he 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 (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

, and a shorter one written for his stepfather, John Stanford, who died in December 2009. ''The Long Goodbye'' was featured on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

'' on Mother's Day in 2011. Attila celebrated 30 years of performing in September 2010, with a 27-date tour of the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. In March 2011, he toured Australia and New Zealand for the first time in ten years. In 2012, he made a return to Albania and, in February 2014, toured the UK, Germany and Switzerland, to promote his latest poetry book. In 2018, he performed at the Limerick Limerick Festival and continues to tour mainland Europe. Attila the Stockbroker

8 September 2015, the 35th anniversary of his first gig, saw the publication of his autobiography, ''Arguments Yard (35 Years of Ranting Verse and Thrash Mandola)'' by Cherry Red Books. In September 2016, Attila performed at the Keep Corbyn rally in Brighton in support of Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election. In 2017, a short documentary, ''35 Years A Punk Poet'', about Attila's performance career, was produced by film maker Farouq Suleiman. In April 2021, delayed from 2020 by the pandemic, Cherry Red Books released 'Heart on My Sleeve (Collected Works 1980–2020)' an anthology of his life's work. June 2021 saw the release of a dub poetry EP 'Dub Ranting', a collaboration with reggae producers What's Left Dub, Kingsley Salmon and Rebel Control. His latest album '40 Years in Rhyme', a dub poetry collection with the same collaborators, was released by Zorch Productions in June 2022.

Football support

Baine is a supporter of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. and, for about 16 years, was heavily involved in the successful battle to save the club and secure a new stadium, after the

Goldstone Ground The Goldstone Ground (or The Goldstone) was a football stadium in Hove, East Sussex that was the home ground of Brighton & Hove Albion between 1902 and 1997. History The Goldstone Ground stood on Old Shoreham Road, Hove, opposite Hove Pa ...

was sold to property developers in 1997. The Seagulls finally moved to their new stadium at

Falmer Falmer is a small village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Lewes (district), Lewes District of East Sussex, England, lying between Brighton and Lewes, approximately five miles (8 km) north-east of the former. It is also ...

in August 2011. He has been the team's poet in residence since 2000, and was the stadium announcer and DJ for 14 years, first at Gillingham, where the club spent two seasons playing 'home' games, and then at the club's temporary home at Withdean Stadium. As the main member of the one-off band, Seagulls Ska, he had a single reach No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart in 2005, as part of the campaign for the new stadium. " Tom Hark (We Want Falmer)". On 17 August 2016, just before the start of Brighton's debut in the Premier League, he appeared in a ''Guardian'' documentary, ''From Nowhere to the Premier League'', about the fans' role in the club's survival and resurgence. On 12 August his poem on that theme, ''From Hereford To Here'', was broadcast by

BT Sport TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, Warner Bros. Discovery and BT Group, they first launched as B ...

before the coverage of their first game against

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. In 1989, he appeared on the ''Kickback'' segment of ''

The Channel Four Daily ''The Channel Four Daily'' (or ''Channel 4 Daily'') is a breakfast television news magazine, which was produced by Independent Television News, in collaboration with other independent production companies for Channel 4. The programme was Channe ...

'', reflecting on

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

's 9–0 win over

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

Collections

The

holds an archive of material relating to Baine's career which forms part of the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive. The collection includes press coverage, publicity material, fanzines and zines, and his manifesto for election as the University of Kent's Student President.

Bibliography

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 *''UK Gin Dependence Party and Other Peculiarities'', Roundhead, 2014 *''Undaunted'', Roundhead, 2017 *''Heart on My Sleeve'' (Collected Works 1980–2020) Cherry Red Books, 2021

Autobiography

*''Arguments Yard (35 years of Ranting Verse and Thrash Mandola)'' Cherry Red Books, 2015

Discography

Solo

*1981 ''Phasing Out Capitalism'' cassette (No Wonder) *1982 ''Rough, Raw and Ranting EP'' with Seething Wells (Radical Wallpaper) *1982 ''Cocktails EP'' ( Cherry Red) *1983 ''Ranting at the Nation'' LP ( Cherry Red) ( UK Indie No. 12) *1984 ''Sawdust and Empire'' LP (Anagram) *1984 ''Radio Rap!'' EP ( Cherry Red) *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

*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) *2010 ''Disestablished 1980'' (Mad Butcher) *2012 "The Long Goodbye"/"Never Too Late" (Roundhead) *2015 ''Live at the Greys'' (Mad Butcher) *2020 ''Heart on My Sleeve, A Fortieth Anniversary Song Compilation – Attila The Stockbroker and Barnstormer'' (Hiljaiset Levyt) *2021 ''Dub Ranting'' (Digital release via Bandcamp and 12 inch EP on Zorch Records)) *2022 ''40 Years in Rhyme'' (Zorch Productions)

Barnstormer

*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) *2012 ''Bankers & Looters'' CD (Mad Butcher) LP (Hupseeln Records)

Barnstormer 1649

*2018 ''Restoration Tragedy'' double LP and CD (Roundhead Records)

References

External links

* * *
35 Years A Punk Poet
' (Documentary by Farouq Suleiman)
Attila the Stockbroker Archive
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attila The Stockbroker 1957 births Living people 20th-century English poets English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English socialists People educated at Christ's Hospital Folk punk musicians English punk rock musicians British mandolinists Alumni of the University of Kent People from Southwick, West Sussex Musicians from Brighton and Hove British political music artists 20th-century English male writers Cherry Red Records artists