Dunstan Bruce didn’t go gentle into that good night

Posted on 22nd October 2022

As lead singer (a description he balks at even today) and front man of Chumbawamba, Dunstan Bruce had his moment in the sun with chart-topper Tubthumping.  The definitive one hit wonder (they even had t-shirts made up), this crowd pleasing sing-along sat uneasily alongside their political credentials – as did the move from independent record label One Little Indian to EMI. Bruce’s one man show examined those turbulent times, reflecting not only on past glories, but what’s left when your claim to fame is in the past.

Am I invisible Yet? was a anguished cry of despair, but also of hope. Now in his sixties, Bruce’s frustration that the world might not be listening was all the more poignant given he once had a platform, but the themes running through it – age, uncertainly, impotent rage – were universal. Played out in front of a like-minded audience he may have been preaching to the converted, but what he had to say was still worth listening to. Notwithstanding his obvious political leanings, this was as much about waking up and doing something – doing anything – as it was about a specific mandate.

Director Sophie Robinson ensured the pace never let up. Packed with costume changes, multimedia trickery, and straight forward sight gags, this was a show that demanded your attention, and rewarded it with warmth and insight. Performed in verse, with a sprinkling of songs, Bruce was at his most engaging when breaking the fourth wall to combat an unusually boisterous audience. He may say he’s as mad as Howard Beale, or even as unhinged as Travis Bickle, but to my mind he seemed a thoroughly decent bloke – a man of compassion and good-humour who still cares passionately about the world and refuses to go gentle into that good night.