This is an interactive post where you choose the winner.

The last time we did this was with a compo between singing Middlesbore fans who did a song about their club. The final result went to Ewan Carmichael who won by a landslide.

Today it is a battle of the punk bands. But not between your usual suspects. This one pitches a couple of punk acts from the continent against each other.

Have a read of their bio, then listen to the song and vote afterwards to decide – Do you love or hate football ?

BUT TAKE NOTE… this isn’t actually about whether you actually do love or hate footie, that point is pretty moot since you are here reading this. The competition is about the song. Please take time to hear both tracks and then vote to decide if it is yah or nah:

- First up is a Dutch band “Speedtwins”, who were around in the original punk explosion of the 1970′s. They were the support band when the Sex Pistols toured the Netherlands and they released a punk cover version of The Who’s “My Generation”. Sadly the original lead singer died and eventually in the ’80′s they disbanded.

In 1978 they recorded this track which sounds like an anti-footie song, but was actually directed at the Argentinian junta that organised the ’78 World Cup.

This one starts with a crowd noise and then… ah so this is where Fat Les got that drum beat from… then they do a version of a tune I posted about the other day. This time red is the colour:

[See post to listen to audio] » Speedtwins – Football Song

– Next is a current band: “Vanilla Muffins” who are from Switzerland. They are big footie fans and have recorded many songs on the subject of football. This is a general obsessed about the whole game sort of song:

[See post to listen to audio] » Vanilla Muffins – The Drug Is Football » Click for lyrics What´s the reason for your life, It´s a deadly poisoned knife when you go into the town just to see what´s down every day is like the other keep your fear undercover It´s the only way to pay for you addiction We live in one ghetto we´re not better boys the drug is football we live in one ghetto we got deadly bored but our drug is football You´re not the only one to think you had no fun but it ain´t no really good cause just for you to end it It could be the start of love take today without a drug It´s like the end of a beautiful friendship We live in one ghetto we´re not better boys the drug is football we live in one ghetto we got deadly bored but our drug is football

Now you’ve listened please vote »

It’s another Swiss band who sing in English (the other previously mentioned here) and after listening to a few of their songs I am publicly stating here and now:

Their music is catchy and instantly memorable, I’m surprised that they haven’t caught on everywhere yet. They need to be.

I realise that not everybody in enamored with football and music and as we know on the occasion that one of the home nations actually do qualify for some finals… there is the inevitable avalanche of songs that follow.

Linus Maybe also recognised this when they recorded the following…

[See post to listen to audio]
» linus.maybe – notanotherfootballsong

…which from the Google translation of their news page tells me that a local Basel radio station was looking for their own song for Euro 2008 and the listeners voted this as their favourite.

I have to tell you I love this track. Love it, love it. This has now become the official F&M song.

Bonus track: They have a music page in which you can hear some of their tracks, plus you can download a couple of them.

- This is another particular standout track which has a tongue in cheek reference to Oasis and the whole rock star thing:

[See post to listen to audio]
» linus.maybe – rockstar

Links:
- Linus Maybe on MySpace
- Linus Maybe on YouTube

Fatman Scoop is an American artist who like Sydney Youngblood and Terrance Trent D’arby is more well known in Europe than his homeland. In fact he’s big in Switzerland… I’m not saying that because he is a big bloke but because his stuff has charted there.

Scoop’s style is a shouty, he has a loud rough but memorable voice. He has featured on a number of artist singles including Timberlake.

He had a top 10 single in the UK back in 2004 and currently he’s doing a popular sex and relationship podcast show called Man and Wife.

…

Before the tournament the Swiss got Fatman Scoop to do a song for the finals, a song that has a positive message and celebrates the event.

Here is that song plus a couple of remixes:

Video:

Audio: