An anthem for the Euros? Cindys Pearl has the answer.
As much as the refrain of ‘Football’s coming home’ is a joy to hear; artist Cindys Pearl has designs on dragging the football anthem into the 21st century, as he has followed up his World Cup 2018 tune, Football + Lager’ with a synth-based banger that, quite frankly should be piped through into England’s dressing room prior to their quarter-final play off against Ukraine.
The history of football’s relationship with music can be no doubt traced back further than New Order’s 1990 World Cup anthem, ‘World in Motion’, but the bar was well and truly raised by Sumner and Co. The Manchester group were able to embrace England’s music and clubbing scene, melding it with their own brand of electronica, to at last give us a song that we actually could relate to and believe in. So much so that the current male population aged between 35 and 45 can be split into two groups; those who know Barnes’ Rap, and those who don’t.
As the 1996 Euros rolled in, a different fever spread across the land, as Baddiel and Skinner’s ‘Three Lions’ tapped into the Gazza-fuelled, drunken cheeriness that seemed to be the football zeitgeist of the times. England, carried on a wave of public positivity played some of their most enthralling football, stitching memories of Gazza’s goal, Pearce’s redemption, that miss by Gareth and the inevitable defeat to Germany , into the fabric of English football.
If Cindys Pearl’s latest hit ‘Europhoria‘ could be distilled into parts, then measures of these two iconic anthems exist within this heady cocktail. The thumping opening beat, the commentary, the video and the refrain all tie together the coiled anticipation and hope that in a period of shitty times, football can provide a ray of light. Promise of WC18 has given way to expectation as this team stands on the precipice of greatness. The line ‘Floodlights, Nightlife, Stadium Rife’ ring out, as ‘Europhoria’s’ relentlessness, promises visions of glory.
To dig deeper into the inspiration behind ‘Europhoria‘, Loose Lips director Freddie Sugden sat down with the artist Cindys Pearl to discuss these very things, along with the overall England vibes and predictions for tonight’s game against Ukraine.
With the World Cup 2022 looming in the not so distant future, one thing is for certain; Cindys Pearl will be ready to bring us the third instalment of his England anthems, but for now…..crack a beer, crack two and get ‘Europhoria‘ on. Loud.
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