The Men They Couldn't Hang
| The Men They Couldn't Hang | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London/Southampton, England |
| Genres | Roots rock, folk-rock, folk punk |
| Years active | 1984–1991, 1996-current |
| Labels | Demon, Diablo, Magnet, MCA, Silvertone, WEA, Jive, Fun After All, Twah!, Recall, Vinyl Star |
| Associated acts | The Pogues, Swill And The Swaggerband, Odgers & Simmonds, Liberty Cage |
| Website | tmtch.net |
| Members | Phil Odgers, Paul Simmonds, Stefan Cush, Ricky McGuire, Tom Spencer, John Odgers |
| Past members | Sputnik Weazel , Nick Muir, Shanne Bradley, Kenny Harris, Simon Hanson |
The Men They Couldn't Hang (TMTCH) are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush (Vocals, Guitar), Paul Simmonds (Guitar, Bouzouki, Mandolin, Keyboards), Philip "Swill" Odgers (Vocals, Guitar, Tin Whistle, Melodica), Jon Odgers (Drums, Percussion) and Shanne Bradley (Bass Guitar).
Their first single, "The Green Fields of France", was released in 1984. Written by Eric Bogle (of "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" fame), the song's protagonist imagined having a conversation with one of the fallen soldiers of World War I whilst sitting by his graveside. It received airplay on the John Peel show on BBC Radio 1 and finished at Number 3 in Peel's Festive 50 for that year. It became a No.1 hit in the UK Indie Chart.
The following year they were signed to the Demon label, which released their début album, Night of a Thousand Candles, and its accompanying single "Ironmasters", a self-penned number by main songwriter Simmonds, linking the Industrial Revolution to the present-day treatment of the working class. The original final line of the song - "and oh, that iron bastard, she still gets her way" (a reference to the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher) had to be removed for the single version to ensure radio airplay. They were again named in Peel's yearly Festive 50, this time at Number 11. They followed this up with a new single not taken from the album, "Greenback Dollar", a cover of the song written by Hoyt Axton and recorded by The Kingston Trio. The single was produced by Nick Lowe.
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