The general election’s almost upon us again. As the nation prepares to head to the polls, what about the musicians that have stood for office over the years? Here’s eleven of music’s best (and worst) attempts at running for office, by artists who quickly realised the transition from Wembley to Westminster isn’t an easy one. By Alex Flood.
Bez: The Happy Mondays maracas man will be hoping for more votes than he has songwriting credits next Thursday when he runs as Reality party candidate in Salford, where he’s promising free beer and a “vision for global democracy.” “We don’t want to get dictated to by corporate bankers who have formed the Fourth Reich,” sez Bez. “My granddad didn’t die in the war for f**k all.” Photo: Cheryl Atkinson/PressDave Rowntree: The Blur drummer ran as the Labour candidate for Westminster at the last election. He couldn’t quite find the magic to whip up enough votes to win, but at least he wasn’t off writing operas or stood knee-deep in cheese like his other bandmates. He tried to stand again in Norwich this year but fell at the final round of noms. Guess we don’t all go hand in hand after all… Photo: GettyPeter Wishart: Celtic rocker Wishart – formerly of Scottish groups Big Country and Runrig – stood as a candidate for the SNP in 2001 and good lord he actually won. The toffs in the House of Commons seemingly weren’t too keen on letting the Pete in, abolishing his constituency soon after, but Wishart got the last laugh by getting elected for a second time in 2005. Rock on, Runrig! Photo: GettyRhys Hutchings: Goldie Lookin’ Chain were anything but serious during their short stint near the top of the charts, but Hutchings, aka Dwain Xain Zedong, aka P.Xain, aka Zardoz, is now a pillar of the community. He was elected as a Labour Councillor in Newport in 2012 and also had several recipe books published. All this from a man who once penned a tune called ‘Your Mother’s Got A Penis’.Waka Flocka Flame: “I’m dead ass running for president in 2016,” the Atlanta rapper tweeted on November 6 2012. Turns out he wasn’t kidding. Launching his official campaign last week, Waka revealed plans to immediately legalise weed, ban dogs in restaurants and impose harsh restrictions on people with big feet. Watch out, Hilary. Photo: Jordan Hughes/NME
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