Simon Armitage song to back Huddersfield Giants

Aug 22 2009 By Neil Atkinson

POET Simon Armitage has penned another ode.

But this time it’s a song called 13 Men – and Simon hopes it could be an anthem for the Huddersfield Giants’ Carnegie Challenge Cup adventure to Wembley.

The Huddersfield poet and musician is in a band called The Scaremongers and they have recorded the song as a tribute to the sport that was born in his home town way back in 1895.

Now his record company publicists are in talks with Giants’ officials about getting the song played, either at Wembley or at the least in the Huddersfield dressing rooms or on the training ground.

Simon, who is best known as a hugely-succesful poet, said: “I have another life as the lead singer in a band called The Scaremongers.

“We released an album a couple of months ago called Born In A Barn and we play the occasional gig.

“There are eight of us in the band, but it’s essentially myself and Craig Smith, who’s from Shelley.

“A few months ago, being two boys from the home of Rugby League, we wrote and recorded a rugby league anthem called13 Men.

“Given the success of the Giants we’ve decided to dedicate the song to their cup triumph thus far and our people are talking to their people about the possibilities of it being adopted as their song for this year.”

The band went down a storm at this year’s Latitude Festival for up-and-coming musicians.

Simon, of Honley, traces his music roots back to the days of The Smiths and glancing in awe at peroxide punks, although he regrets being too young to attend the final UK Sex Pistols show at Ivanhoes in Huddersfield on Christmas Day 1977.

Rebellion is a key component in Simon’s interest in rock music, with The Jam a major force in his youth.

He said: “I’m now a middle-aged father.

“Modern music is there to confuse me. It’s a generational thing. In 10 years time, when today’s teenagers are grown up, they’ll think the music of the day is a load of rubbish!”

The Scaremongers are a band that don’t take themselves too seriously.

They claim their long-awaited debut album was 20 years in the making. And they descibe their music as “kitchen-sink snow-shaker pop-rock”.

Their recent gigs included successful appearances at Literary festivals in Ilkley and Nantwich, Cheshire.