The Kunts On Boris Johnson, LadBaby, And The Christmas Chart Race

The Kunts almost stole the show last Christmas, with their single ‘Boris Johnson Is A Fucking Cunt’ gatecrashing the charts.

Eventually reaching No. 5, it was an incredible achievement for a band with deep roots in London’s punk and DIY scenes.

With the festive season upon us once more, The Kunts couldn’t help but notice that Boris Johnson has – if anything – caused yet more damage to his reputation in 2021 than with any other year on record.

So, they’ve decided to hit back: new single ‘Boris Johnson Is STILL A Fucking Cunt’ is out now, featuring 11 different versions including a sausage roll remix and a viral Cassetteboy re-work.

You can pick it up through www.borisjohnson.info, and you won’t be alone – in the initial charts, The Kunts rampaged their way into the Top Five in spite of an almost total media blackout.

Clash picks up the story with the lead singer Kunt.

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You had a surprise hit last year – what was it like to be in the centre of all that?

After 30 years on the fringes of the entertainment industry to suddenly have all this coverage was a bit like I’d accidentally slipped into a parallel universe, like being dragged out your bed and stuck on a rollercoaster. Within a couple of days though it was all over as quickly as it began and everything just went back to normal.

Why return to the sentiment in 2021? Were you wary of repeating yourselves?

When all the fuss died down after ‘Boris Johnson Is A Fucking Cunt’ got to number five, I was left feeling a bit despondent that we’d all put so much effort into it and fundamentally nothing had changed. A year on and Boris Johnson was definitely no less of a fucking cunt than he had been the previous year, in a lot of ways moreso, so we decided to go again with ‘Boris Johnson Is STILL A Fucking Cunt’ and at least give people the chance to join us in voicing our disapproval at his politics of continued lies, cover-ups and corruption.

If I’m honest I thought we might struggle to reignite the enthusiasm and passion everyone put in last year but I was clear in my mind from the start that although the sentiment is the same, we wouldn’t just be re-hashing what we did last year, it would be something new, based around a new song and new collaborations with like-minded artists.

The Cassetteboy video is fantastic, how did he come on board? What did you think when you first watched the clip?

I’ve been a long-time admirer. From his work I had an inkling he felt the same way about the Prime Minister, so I just bit the bullet and hit him up on Twitter, all the while thinking he probably wouldn’t want to sully his impeccable track record. When he agreed I was stoked, but when he sent the video through I was blown away. It’s different level.

There’s a sausage roll based remix – what do you think of LadBaby’s effort?

Let’s be straight about this, it’s utter diarrhoea. The original Sheeran and Elton song is the blandest, trope-filled mainstream bilge, with a badly misplaced Easter Egg that we’ve had a bad year so we should all move on, which I think is deeply insulting to anyone who has lost a family member, friend or loved one in the pandemic. But the LadBaby version is different level shit. I’m sure the whole project started off with good intentions but fuck me, it’s awful.

Much has been made of LadBaby’s charity credentials – yet they refuse to call out Tory policies. Do you think music and politics can ever truly be separated?

As I found out lastyear, if you speak out about politics you instantly alienate about half of your fanbase. Because of that I understand why LadBaby want to keep it light and not get drawn into the bigger discussion, but to not mention the Conservative Government’s policies that have led to so many people living in poverty and in need of foodbanks, is just sweeping the cause of the problem under the carpet.

When you take a step back and look at it, the idea of an act who hawks a single by crying to camera, repeatedly talking about child hunger all the while waving sausage rolls around, then using our collective guilt about being a society that needs foodbanks to leverage a sponsorship deals with a crisp company is like something from Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror.

You crashed into the charts at No. 5 over the weekend – but they couldn’t say your name, or the song title. How do you feel about this media blackout?

I do appreciate that you can’t go bandying the F and C words around on daytime TV or radio, but the BBC’s coverage of the Christmas Number One race – relentlessly promoting LadBaby on BBC Breakfast and The One Show while not mentioning our song, or even the subject of it at all on any of their platforms – illustrates for me the perfect example of the Nanny State. Presuming people would be so offended they wouldn’t be able to make their own minds up about it.

What is most disappointing for me this year, is that in this supposedly free, fair and civilised country, the Christmas Number One race has felt at times like a North Korean election where the Sausage Party gets blanket media promotion, while the opposition isn’t allowed to convey any of their policies to the electorate in case people agree with them.

You hired a lorry and drove around Westminster with the title of the song emblazoned on the back – what was the reaction from passers by?

We had lots of van drivers beeping and giving us the thumbs up and Christmas shoppers laughing and pointing then quickly fumbling for their phones to get a selfie with it!

What would it mean to you personally to get a song called ‘Boris Johnson Is STILL A Fucking Cunt’ to Number One on Christmas Day?

Absolutely everything. I am not delusional enough to think we can realistically compete with the media coverage the other contenders have enjoyed, but whatever happens, in the songs and videos we have produced some work I am really proud of, and the sense of community that has developed among the people that support the sentiments of our song is something that will live long in our memories. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to voice that.

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Boris Johnson Is STILL A Fucking Cunt is out now – links to download and stream all 11 versions can be found at www.borisjohnson.info

Words: Robin Murray
Photo Credit: Mike Fordham