Attila the Stockbroker

Attila the Stockbroker biog

Sharp-tongued, high energy, social surrealist rebel poet and songwriter. His themes are topical, his words hard-hitting, his politics unashamedly radical, but Attila will make you roar with laughter as well as see the with anger…

Inspired by the spirit and ‘Do It Yourself’ ethos of punk rock, and above all by The Clash and their overtly radical, political stance, he started as a punk bass player in 1977 and took the name Attila the Stockbroker in 1980, blagging spots for his poems and songs in between bands at punk gigs. He quickly got a couple of John Peel radio sessions, a deal with London independent record label Cherry Red Records and before very long was on the front cover of Melody Maker…and he hasn’t looked back since! He celebrated the 25th anniversary of his first gig with a sell out show at the Komedia Theatre in Brighton on September 8th 2005

Attila has spent the last 35 years performing his work across the world at literary and music festivals, rock venues, arts centres, pubs, universities, schools, folk clubs and punk squats in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Euskadi, France, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Hungary – and more improbably in Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and a hotel basement in Stalinist Albania. 24 countries in all!

He’s written for many national and local publications including The Guardian, Time Out, NME, Sounds Magazine, The Independent…done loads of radio and TV work…but writing the words and music for his own performances and those of his band is what inspires him most.

Attila loves humour (wit, wickedness, satire, subversion) and hates ‘comedy’ (bland jokes about Seventies TV, adverts for undrinkable beer, endless moronic game shows, corporate gravy train spotting).

In 1994 Attila formed his band, BARNSTORMER, combining his two great musical loves – medieval music and punk. Giving him the chance to use his classical violin training and play loads of his favourite medieval instruments (crumhorn anyone?). The band released their debut album, ‘The Siege of Shoreham’ in 1996, and gig regularly all over the place alongside Attila’s solo shows.