Supporters want England band axed after live TV performance gets mocked

Supporters want to see the England band axed from appearing at Wembley after their live TV performance gets mocked widely online.

The England band will be back in the national stadium for England’s Euro 2020 round of 16 match with Germany, however it would seem no one wants to see or hear them.

The official supporters band of the Three Lions national football team, from Sheffield and are led by John Hemmingham. They were sponsored by Pukka Pies from 2006 until 2014 believe it or not.

The band first performed at England games in 1996 after the then England manager, Terry Venables, and head of the FA, David Davies, heard them playing for Sheffield Wednesday fans away at Arsenal and invited them to play at international matches just in time for Euro 96.

The band say that they try to learn a song of the opposition and refuse to play anything controversial, for example not playing the Dambusters March when England are playing Germany.

One of the band members is entertainer Bernie Clifton and were previously have been banned from playing at World Cup 2014 in Brazil by FIFA, due to strict rules on not allowing instruments into the stadiums.

The band also planned to perform at the 2008 Summer Olympics as the “Great Britain Band in Beijing”, but they were not permitted to take their instruments into the Birds Nest Stadium. Instead they performed on the streets of Beijing.

The band have also released The Great Escape theme tune as a single for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and a newer version for UEFA Euro 2000. The original peaked in the UK charts at 46 while the later version did slightly better by reaching 26 during all the hype.

The band have been the subject of much criticism, mainly by fellow England fans. They have been referred to as “horrific” and a Twitter account was set up calling for them to be banned, which quickly gained 500 followers. They have also been considered repetitive. Comedian David Baddiel said, “I tire of endless Rule, Britannias and Great Escapes”, and is “aware” of the band’s refusal to play Three Lions.

When the large support of Polish fans drowned out the band at Wembley during the final group qualifier for the 2014 World Cup, Guardian journalist Barney Ronay welcomed the fact: “There had been a fear before kick-off that 18,000 or so Poles would out-sing and out-atmosphere the home support, albeit anything that might drown out the England band, whose parpings and whumpings tend to produce the feeling of being very slowly lulled into semi-consciousness by a dementedly patriotic stage hypnotist, is to be welcomed.”

After the same fixture, England fans were quoted as saying that the band are like “the Go Compare advert of international football fans”, that “they are right up there with the vuvuzela for wanting to stab myself in the head with a fork” and that “If 18,000 Polish supporters drown out the England band, they should be invited to every game at Wembley.”

At UEFA Euro 2012, the band were not permitted to perform at England’s game against France in the Donbass Arena in Donetsk despite having UEFA approval.

The band were allowed to enter the stadium but had their instruments confiscated. However, after an appeal by the FA, the ban was overturned and they were cleared to perform at England’s next group game against Sweden.

FIFA advised the English FA that the band would not be permitted to take instruments into any matches during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

There is a movement amongst Sheffield Wednesday supporters who would like to see the band stop playing at Hillsborough.

It is felt that the band have caused a lack of creativity and spontaneity in the atmosphere at the ground, forcing many fans away from their long standing home on the Spion Kop and into other areas of the stadium.

As mentioned, supporters want England band axed after their live TV performance, ahead of the Euro 2020 game, gets mocked…

There’s always a downside. 🥴 https://t.co/wLSvO0jowV

— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) June 29, 2021

@Banenglandband: It is 100% about time that we banned them. Absolutely terrible. The worst thing about England football. Worse than the hope that kills you. Worse than the negative football. Worse than Dier and Henderson.

@NickBruzon: No. No. No. Who, honestly, thinks this bunch of self-appointed off-key parpers are really needed to enhance the atmosphere with their jingoistic ‘greatest hits’? My word. If Mrs Brown did ‘music’

@kentwix12: Absolutely nobody wants this.

@Cropcirclejerk: If they are still with you, can you please tell them to stop.

@juliansheasport: They are tedious attention seekers who ruin the atmosphere by trying to orchestrate it. Don’t encourage them.

@Nigel1934: Can someone tell them that the war is over?

@mikehall_83: Everyone who I’ve spoken to has enjoyed being able to watch England games this summer without being subjected to their repertoire of about 3 songs played horrifically. No one asked for them, yet here they are.

@andyc_128: Great – the England band are back ….. ….. said no-one. Ever.

@optimark_prime: I was frustrated because I’m stuck at work and will miss the game. Now though, knowing that awful racket will be playing for the entire 90+ plus minutes – I’m pleased I won’t have to endure it.

@gaf_young: Should be banned from the stadium.

@civil_giraffe: Oh great the worst thing about watching England is back….

@SpillerOfTea: Could they maybe, I dunno…fucking not?

@iamhighlystrung: @wembleystadium @UEFA @FA Don’t let them in. Please.

@whitto23: I heard a rumour the hide contraband in their instruments, they need ripping apart in lots of little unusable bits to check before they take them in.

@emma23832552: If I was at Wembley Stadium today I just know I’d be stuck right next to them.

@AndyRawcs: The one thing football hasn’t missed in the last 18 months

@lufcgilly: It’s disgusting. Why is it that such a small number of people be allowed to ruin the spectacle for everyone in the stadium and everyone watching at home?

@gavinjuniper: This is the worst thing about watching an England match. And there’s a lot of competition in that department.

@Velvet_Onion: The soundtrack to years of failure…..

@HistoryShawV: Nobody, absolutely nobody, wants that band and their awful repertoire of three songs trying to orchestrate an atmosphere. The beauty of British grounds was the spontaneity of their songs. Something this band ruins completely

@paulgordondick1: Vuvuzelas retrospectively reappraised as “not that bad”

@DBD365: We had fake crowd noise when the grounds were empty, I want a channel offering fake silence now these helmets are back.

@spursfandom: Once will be too fucking many

@carlsavage: Nobody likes them. Nobody.

@ps7even: The country has suffered enough.

@RaffellTom: I truly and utterly despise them.

Urgent appeal to @UEFA, @wembleystadium and @metpoliceuk. Please do not permit this band and their monotonous drone into the match tonight.

Yours faithfully, the English public. https://t.co/BbGs9dFQZw

— Kit Crimes ⚽️ (@KitCrimes) June 29, 2021

@iain2411: How fucking embarrassing.

@jayyatkin9: Oh for fucks sake

@MattyScho1982: Today has started badly. Absolute twats.

@Mk_mackem: I wish the band would fuck off. They do nothing for the atmosphere.

@Wrightgal80: Literally nobody wants them there.

@johnofkrypton: Does anyone want them back? It’s just embarrassing, the games yesterday didn’t need that nonsense.

@DaveBailey: Well that’s ruined that

@burt3371: Awful noise, really haven’t missed them for the last 3 matches. If we lose tonight we know who to blame. 👍🤣

@fattony81: Oh great. The last two England matches we’ve had to put up with Sam Matterface droning on and now this lot.

@RW_OD: The best thing about seeing England last week at Wembley was not having this lot in the crowd, they probably wouldn’t be so bad if they knew more than 2 tunes

@olivertudge1: Guess the TV shall be on mute

@stig_stu: FFS. They just had to go and ruin things didn’t they #bantheband