Stunned, but incredibly proud, to have been named ‘Human Being of the Year’ by The Morning Star.

“…human being of the year has to be Joe Solo by a country mile. Not only is he a great man, he is a brilliant artist and activist and he was the driving force for the We Shall Overcome weekend in October which will be the new, genuine artist-led movement of a generation.”

They went on to rightly mention the role played by my comrades in the Gang of Five committee- Stephen Goodall, Jamie Bramwell, Matt Hill and Tony Wright- without whom WSO would never have happened; and the role played by Val Colvin and Pauline Town, two people who gave the movement momentum and genuine heart.

There were musical nods too for three WSO bands- Thee Faction, Interrobang and The Hurriers- all three fully deserving having released some of the best music of 2015.

This was a fantastic way to end the year, and once again I want to thank Bob Oram and The Morning Star for their incredible support over the last 12 months. WSO came from humble beginnings, but they were with us from the start. Comrades indeed.

Right. BRING ON 2016!