“Spinal Tap is demanding that the Trump campaign refrain from playing Sex Farm at their rallies.” Legendary English rockers Spinal Tap forbid Donald Trump from turning his presidential campaign up to 11

Spinal Tap, Donald Trump
(Image credit: Pete Cronin/Redferns | Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Spinal Tap have sent shockwaves through the American political landscape after warning presidential hopeful Donald Trump against utilising one of the highlights of their seminal 1980 album Shark Sandwich during upcoming campaign rallies. 

It should be noted that there is no evidence to suggest that Trump, the 45th President of the United States, was ever considering using Sex Farm during his on-going campaign for a return to the White House. However, on the day that Jack White revealed that he has filed a lawsuit against Trump for “flagrant misappropriation” of The White Stripes' global anthem Seven Nation Army, Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls (aka Harry Shearer) has issued a pre-emptive 'hands off' to the Republican Party candidate. 

The bassist's no-nonsense tweet states, “Not a band to be outdone, Spinal Tap is demanding that the Trump campaign refrain from playing ‘Sex Farm’ at their rallies.”


Donald Trump's campaign team have yet to respond to the English hard rock band's decree, or indeed to The White Stripes' legal action.

In an Instagram post captioned “This machine sues fascists”, a reference to the famous slogan that folk music legend Woody Guthrie put on his guitar in the 1940s, Jack White displayed the opening page of the lawsuit, stating that the Detroit garage rock duo are seeking “redress” for Trump's unauthorised use of their song.

In recent weeks Foo Fighters and Beyoncé have also issued stern rebukes to Trump's campaign team, warning them off using their songs during the ex-President's bid to return to the White House.

After Foo Fighters My Hero was aired at a Trump rally in Arizona, Foo Fighters, long-time supporters of the Democratic Party, pledged to donate any royalties received from the public airing of the song to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris' campaign.

Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.