On 1st June, Joe Gibbins and myself flew to Perpignan and crossed the Pyrenees to Barcelona, making a pilgrimage to remember Hull’s ten International Brigade volunteers at Solidarity Park Festival in the seaside town of Malgrat-de-Mar.

The journey was symbolic, as Perpignan was the post-Paris assembly point for volunteers leaving homes, lives, and livelihoods to fight fascism in Spain; though that is where the comparisons ended, as crossing the Pyrenees on foot to an uncertain fate, was significantly harder than crossing it on a bus with free WiFi, but you catch my drift. It felt important.

We first hit Barcelona, feeling those early days of May 1937 creeping up through the concrete into our every step. It is a truly stunning city, and as we made our way through those narrow old town streets, lined with cafés and bookshops, it was impossible not to imagine those heady early days of the revolution so vividly brought to life by Orwell, and how the streets themselves would have played into the passion and excitement of the people.

Leaving Barcelona, we headed for our base camp in Malgrat, where I would be singing and Joe speaking, of the dedication and sacrifice of those ten volunteers from our city, and their commitment to the anti-fascist cause in Spain; a country four of them, including Jack Atkinson, the hero of my song ‘No Pasaran’, gave their lives to defend.

The festival takes place annually on the anniversary of the sinking of a Republican troopship off the coast there by a fascist submarine. The stunning monument to the ‘Ciudad De Barcelona’ sits on the beach looking out across the Mediterranean waters, which became its grave on 30th May 1937. Many locals risked their own lives, pulling survivors from the sea. The ship sank just 400m from the beach, killing 46 Brigaders and 4 crew. The memorial is a fitting tribute to their sacrifice.

Joe and I did our thing….

We injected a bit of passion into proceedings….

We did video interviews….

We saw historical re-enactments…..

Shared a wonderful outdoor meal…..

Made some fantastic new friends….

And finished with a big outdoor concert and after-show of songs and solidarity which made us never want to leave our new second home.

It was life-changing stuff, and we returned already making plans for next year. Massive thanks to Rob and the team there for their energy and passion, dedication, and hospitality. The history of fascism in Spain is complex, but the unity and solidarity of the many voices fighting to prevent a new generation from falling into the same traps as those past is inspirational…..and yes, it inspired a song on the plane home.

Joe was the greatest travelling companion possible, and comparing notes on ADHD while trying to sit still, and taking in a fortnight’s worth of sightseeing in three days, will remain one of my favourite memories til the day I die.

And yes. Of course, we couldn’t resist it….

Special thanks must go to Kevin and Jo for making the trip across the border, for the loan of a tent, and the lift to Girona for our flight home. A pilgrimage is one thing, the message we were there to convey, and the heroes we made the trip to remember, they are another; but the love, support and solidarity remind you not only of the importance of sticking together, but of the need to be around true friends, sharing a cold one on a warm early summer night.

At some point, I want to sing ‘No Pasaran’ at Jarama, in No-Man’s Land, on the spot Jack fell. I want his ghost to know we remember him.

That’s for another year.

For now, we did all we could. We can never walk in their footsteps, but we can remind their courage and sacrifice to the world.

In the end, we took a little bit of Hull to Catalunya and brought a lot of Catalunya back home.

Much the same as they did before us.