Fantastic weekend on the campaign trail, with a trip to the Big Meeting to march with The Hatfield Brigade up in Durham on Saturday followed by a haul over the Pennines to play a We Shall Overcome event in Wigan.

The 133rd Durham Miners Gala was pretty special. Last year there was an estimated 150,000 there and that was EASILY eclipsed yesterday. I would say closer to 250,000 judging by the lack of room on that field. The man of the hour was undoubtedly Jeremy Corbyn, of course, but there were plenty of fantastic speeches, especially the one given by Matt Wrack of the FBU, emotionally-charged in the wake of Grenfell Tower, and really hammering home the struggles faced by our firefighters and their incredible bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.

Great to meet up with The Hatfield Brigade again. I’ve got our next song written, and will be recording it in demo form soon, so watch this space. Had to wear my Official Brigade Bard t-shirt for the occasion……would have been rude not to!

A nasty case of sunburn aside, it was a cracking day.

Sunday saw me haul over the Pennines to a We Shall Overcome gig at The Old Courts in Wigan. Full marks to Bard Company for organising this one, and a fantastic turn-out to raise much-needed funds for the local food bank struggling to keep stock on the shelves. Two great performances from Laura Taylor and Simon Widdop before I did my bit, and there was a real community spirit in the room, testament to the organisers and the sense of togetherness and empowerment WSO represents. So good to see Ste Goodall, the Great Originator, in the front row wearing that look.

If he has another idea, RUN!

He’s ruddy dangerous.

Next stop Redcar on Saturday.

Can’t wait.