There’s a cracking review of my new album ‘NEVER BE DEFEATED’ in the latest issue of the fantastic R2 magazine. Giving the album FOUR STARS, Boff Whalley wrote:

“If you could assemble the perfect protest singer (using Pritt stick, some felt tips and sticky-back plastic) you’d probably end up with Joe Solo. I say ‘Perfect’, not typical. Your typical protest singer would still boast Joe’s never-say-die anger, would still strum away on a battered acoustic guitar (and bang a tambourine with a spare foot) and would, for sure, sing about the same things (the horror of war, historic strikes, defeated revolutions). What the typical protest singer may not have , however, is a way with a melody, an ear for a tune.

Never Be Defeated is an album commemorating the 1984-85 Miner’s Strike, specifically as lived by the men and women of two South Yorkshire pit villages, commonly known as The Hatfield Brigade. It tells their stories, sings and pickets and marches with them as they relive a year under siege. What makes it special- what makes it more than typical- is that the storytelling is compelling and witty and the melodies memorable.

Joe Solo had a hell of a 2015. His We Shall Overcome brainchild raised £125,000 worth of food, cash, clothing and bedding for those hardest hit by austerity and it was a delight to see him gurning for the cameras while holding the trophy presented to him at the Yorkshire Grassroots Music Awards. But campaigning aside, this album reinforces Joe’s reputation as a writer of great songs- listen to this album’s wonderful a capella tale ‘Your Honour, I Swear!’ and you’re in the presence of a perfect- not typical- protest singer.”

I’m very grateful for the support Sean McGhee and R2 have given me over the years, with Boff in particular fighting my corner. You can support the magazine by ordering copies or subscribing here:

http://www.rock-n-reel.co.uk/

And of course, you can order the album from here:

https://joesolomusic.bandcamp.com/album/never-be-defeated

Remember too that ALL MONEY RAISED FROM DOWNLOADS OF MY MUSIC IS BEING USED TO HELP THE HOMELESS. You can get some damn fine songs and help save lives all at the same time.

As of Saturday 19th March all proceeds from sales of downloads from ALL my albums via Bandcamp will be sent in full to Pauline Town to help fund her work caring for the homeless, desperate and vulnerable in Ashton-under-Lyne.

This is something I feel needs to be done. Pauline is out there saving lives daily, delivering food parcels and extra blankets and clothing; working tirelessly to find accomodation for those with nowhere to go; and as downloads cost me nothing I want to support my Big Sis as much as I possibly can. Times are very hard out there, and it’s time to practice what I preach.

My albums on Bandcamp are mostly set to ‘Name Your Price’. You can send me as little or as much as you like and I will paypal it over to Pauline who will spend it on food and blankets and be using it the day after. You can rest assured this will put your money direct to the point of need with no cut going elsewhere. ‘Name Your Price’ also works the other way, if you are absolutely broke yet still want my songs, simply set it to £0.00 and you can download for free. No-one loses out because they have fallen on hard times- you want it, you got it.

The link is:

https://joesolomusic.bandcamp.com/

And there you will find all Joe Solo music, Lithium Joe back catalogue, audio books, poetry….essentially everything I have spent my life doing.

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS AND HELP US CHANGE LIVES. THIS MATTERS.

Thank you x

On Saturday March 12th I was a part of an all-dayer held at The Station in Ashton-under-Lyne to help raise money to expand Greystones homeless shelter by one extra room. We needed £800 to get the job done, and We Shall Overcome‘s biggest hero, the irrepressible Pauline Town had put together a day of music to help the appeal on its way.

Always a pleasure to share a bill with my WSO brothers Jamie Bramwell and Matt ‘Quiet Loner’ Hill, and we had an amazing day. By early evening the place was rammed and so loud that even I was quiet in comparison! In total we managed just over £700 and in the sort of fantastic gesture only a proper constituency politician could make, the difference was topped up by Angela Rayner a PROPER Labour MP and an absolute star.

So we did it….or rather Pauline and the amazing WSO family at The Station did. Greystones will now get the extra space and that’s one less poor soul sleeping rough out there every night. This is what We Shall Overcome is for. This is why it matters. We can all make a difference no matter how small, and each of those tiny changes for the better add up until we have something unstoppable.

Pauline has often described this as saving the world one life at a time. I love that.

So I wrote her a song today and recorded it this afternoon. Any money raised by sales of the download will be passed straight to Pauline to help fund her work in the community there. She is incredible, she really is.

Here you go…give it a spin:

https://joesolomusic.bandcamp.com/track/shes-my-sister-for-pauline-town

….and if you’re in the area drop in for a pint and tell her I said ‘Hi’.

Fantastic day.

On Monday March 21st I’ll be playing The Masons Arms in Doncaster to help raise funds to get local People’s Assembly members down to London for the march for Health, Homes, Jobs and Education on April 16th. I’ll be joined on the bill by Maisie Fairburn.

If you’re in the area, please pop down and lend your support. Should be a great night.

Having been swamped with email traffic asking when we were getting going, we have decided to kick #WSOW16 off a few weeks early to help spread what promises to be a considerable workload. As of today we already have 33 events confirmed and counting, a fantastic response. The new Gig Guide for 2016 is at:

Gig Listings 2016

For those of you unfamiliar with We Shall Overcome there’s a page on this website explaining how we started and where we are here:

https://joesolomusic.com/we-shall-overcome/

but suffice to say we are an anti-austerity, pro-community alliance of people from all walks of life, all ages, all political persuasions working to support those hardest hit by government cuts……and our events are something very special indeed.

This year we officially run from October 3rd to 9th, though already some venues have invaded the weeks either side. Please, if you want to put on an event or require information as to what to do, get in touch with me at joesolomusic@hotmail.co.uk and ask. We will be only too happy to have you join us.

The We Shall Overcome documentary by Wayne Sables is due for release in a few weeks and the trailer is available on:

If you’d like a taste of what we’re about.

This will take up most of my year from now onwards, and although it is phenomenally hard work, it is an incredible thing to be a part of, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

But WSO is only as strong as those willing to stand up and support it. We need you to be that someone somewhere who does something about it. Together we can do anything.

Join us.

The trailer for the forthcoming documentary on We Shall Overcome was screened for the first time yesterday at With Banners Held High in Wakefield. We had promised the organisers this would be its debut and so at last we are free to share it.

There has been an amazing response to it, and well over 2000 views have clocked since 9am when I posted it to my Facebook. If you’d like a gander then the link is:

Brand new video available from today. It’s an interview I gave to Timothee Fenny at Corporation Club in Scarborough earlier this year and filmed by Michael Lee Toas as part of a series of short films he’s making about people trying to make a positive difference in the north east. We talk music, politics, We Shall Overcome, the Miner’s Strike and activism.

The video can be viewed here:

and is well worth a look.

February was an amazing month of gigs starting with the launch of ‘NEVER BE DEFEATED’ at Stainforth Pit Club and ending with Jeremy Corbyn being my support act at a BFAWU gig in Scarborough. In between were two crackers at Dewsbury Socialist Club and Topic Folk Club in Bradford where I was once again joined by the wonderful Rebekah Findlay. Thanks to Gaynor at Randers Gallery for these photographs.

March brings an unrelenting schedule of magic and mayhem starting on the 1st with a recording session in Hartlepool hooking up with Gary Miller, Sara Dennis, Brian Barnes and the kids from the Holocaust Memorial Group to get out song ‘Through The Wire’ down on tape. On Saturday 5th it’s With Banners Held High at Unity Hall in Wakefield, a full day of music, exhibitions and discussion on the Miner’s Strike and beyond culminating in a gig featuring The Hurriers, Louise Distras and myself compered by Attila the Stockbroker. This will be a great day so get there if you can.

Then I’ve trips to Bury Songwriter’s Circle, BBC Introducing Humberside and Bacup Folk Club to look forward to, but before then the small matter of finally hooking up with all four of my We Shall Overcome brothers when we play on the same bill as part of a fundraiser for local homeless charities at The Station, Ashton-under-Lyne on March 12th. Ccan’t wait for the group hug and to finally meet the truly fantastic Pauline Town. That will be quite a day.

Among all that will be the release of a short film called ‘Man of The Left’, an interview with yours truly shot at Corporation Club in Scarborough a few weeks ago. I’ll share the link when I have it.

See you out there!!

Today I met up with Matt Hill and Tony Wright to film the ‘talking heads’ part of the documentary Wayne Sables is making about We Shall Overcome. Shot in the Miner’s Hall in Barnsley, a room where history itself bleeds from the walls, Wayne will add this to the footage sent in from various events over our weekend last year, and will tell the story of how an idea exploded and became an international movement for good.

A trailer for the film will be screened at the ‘WITH BANNERS HELD HIGH’ event in Unity Hall, Wakefield on March 5th, with the documentary following as soon as possible. I will post links on here when I have them.

Great to spend the day with Matt and Tony, only sad part being the absence of Ste Goodall and Jamie Bramwell who couldn’t make it over. Both there in spirit of course.

Looking forward to this.

Pretty hectic run-in as we head toward March and the onset of Spring. Thursday, myself and the other members of the Gang of Five who ran We Shall Overcome- my comrades Matt Hill, Tony Wright, Ste Goodall and Jamie Bramwell- will be in Barnsley filming for the forthcoming documentary telling the story of WSO from its inception to the gigs themselves. Believe it or not, the five of us have never actually been in the same room together, so it will be an emotional day.

After that it’s Topic Folk Club over in Bradford on Thursday 25th when I’ll be joined by Rebekah Findlay on violin and vocals. Anyone who enjoys our collaborations should not miss this gig as we have two 40 minute sets and will be performing pretty much all of them! Get yourselves there.

There’s a late addition to the gig schedule on Saturday 27th when I’ll be playing the Mount Hotel in Scarborough with the mighty Alun Parry and a number of speakers supporting the BFAWU, the Baker’s union, in its campaigning work for better pay and conditions in that sector.

Then March hits. It’s a busy one. But that is another blog altogether…..