“In the same way that Joe Solo looked at writers like Strummer and co to provide his youthful scrawlings with some sense of shape and perspective, I think this book could do the same thing now, and if I had my way, it would be injected immediately into the creative writing curriculums of all state schools.”
-Louder Than War.
Incredible review of ‘SONGS & VERSES’ posted yesterday. Absolutely made-up. You can read the full article here:
There’s a short tour with the book starting February 22nd at The Station in Ashton-under-Lyne. I’ll be talking life, songs, and songwriting. Each of the gigs are Sundays, and each is an afternoon/teatime event.
Ashton-under-Lyne and Sheffield are just walk-up and there will be room. London is ticketed and you can bag them here:
My brand new album ‘Punk Rock Prepared Us For This’ is available to order from 8am on Friday 6th February via Bandcamp and I can’t wait for you to hear it.
Two pre-album singles have dropped this week and you can catch up with them here:
The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by Lee Huck and it sounds INCREDIBLE.
The fantastic sleeve design comes courtesy of my comrade-in-crayons Kevin Pearson, and the vinyl especially is a wonderful thing to behold.
Though the CD ain’t bad neither….
I’ve been joined by some of my favourite musician friends on this one including Commoners Choir, Steve White & The Protest Family, Jess Silk, Matt Johnson, Carol Hodge, Mark Whyatt, Matt Hill, and my long-term musical partner Rebekah Findlay who all sprinkle their magic dust over a collection of songs I’m really proud of, and I hope you’ll take them to your hearts.
The incoming new album ‘Punk Rock Prepared Us For This’ launches on Friday 6th February to pre-order on CD/Vinyl/Download, but your purchase will give you its two pre-launch singles.
The first of these will launch on video on Monday 2nd February. It’s called ‘Rise Up! Rise Up!’ and features my long-term collaborators Commoners Choir and their songwriter-in-chief Boff Whalley on piano.
As you might expect from the title, it’s a call to resist the rise of Far Right populism and an explanation why.
The second single video launches the day before the full album pre-order, Thursday 5th February.
This one is called ‘I Wrote This Song To Be Sung’ and is an immensely catchy on-point criticism of the government’s steady erosion of the right to any form of opposition. It features Steve White & The Protest Family and is up there with my favourite things I’ve done.
I can’t wait to get new music out to you.
As always, pre-order day is crucial for paying the bills so I would very much appreciate your support with a purchase, a like, a comment, a share, any solidarity you can spare.
And CD copies have already landed, so although this is officially a pre-order, they will ship immediately, so it’s worth getting your orders in early.
The new Joe Solo album ‘PUNK ROCK PREPARED US FOR THIS’ will be available to pre-order on Vinyl, CD, and download from Friday 6th February.
I am so excited about getting new songs out to you and hearing the words hollered back to me at gigs.
Here’s how it looks.
SIDE ONE 1. Punk Rock Prepared Us For This 2. I Wrote This Song To Be Sung (ft. Steve White & The Protest Family) 3. Searching For Shane (ft. Mark Whyatt & Rebekah Findlay) 4. Not Alright (ft. Jess Silk & Rebekah Findlay) 5. Songs Of My Youth 6. Rise Up! Rise Up! (ft. Commoners Choir)
SIDE TWO 1. Saturday Night (ft. The Station Chorus) 2. Whatever You Do, Don’t Miss (ft. Rebekah Findlay) 3. Stay Positive (ft. Jess Silk & Rebekah Findlay) 4. Tomorrow’s Memories 5. Different Like That (ft. Jess Silk, Matt Johnson, Carol Hodge, Matt Hill & Rebekah Findlay)
The CD version will contain 6 bonus tracks which are the ‘Songs For Our Times EP’ material released last Autumn but previously only available to stream/download.
The album was produced, mixed and mastered by Lee Huck and my comrade-in-crayons Kevin Pearson of Vagrant Art is responsible for this incredible artwork.
Four video singles will be launched before full release day on Friday March 6th, the first of these is pre-empting the lot, going live on ‘Rise Up! Rise Up!’ going live on Monday 2nd February.
As with ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ I’m busy putting a ‘Solidarity Tag-Team’ together on Facebook, so if you’re willing to be tagged in album-related posts on there, please hook up with me and let me know.
Tour dates will be added to the gigs section of this website as they land.
‘PUNK ROCK PREPARED US FOR THIS’ will be available on all the usual streaming sites from Monday March 9th, but I would love it if you can help me cover pressing costs by bagging a hard copy from Bandcamp on pre-order day. I guarantee they will land with you long before that.
I’ll be officially launching ‘SONGS & VERSES’, the 300-page collection of my lyrics and poems, at two very special shows ahead of the album tour.
The book was the brainchild of Chip Hamer of Poetry On The Picket Line, and the first to be published by Picket Line Press. If you haven’t already bagged a copy, you can remedy that here:
It was quite an emotional journey listening back to my earlier albums. I hardly ever write lyrics down, so I had to listen back and scribble line by line. If you want to hear all about the why’s, how’s, and when’s then I’ll be sat on a chair holding court, talking shop, and playing a handful of deep cuts from the back catalogue here:
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22nd Ashton-Under-Lyne- The Station
SUNDAY MARCH 15th London- Betsey Trotwood
Both are AFTERNOON shows and I really hope you’ll join me for what will be brutally honest stuff about songwriting, inspirations, and…..well……life itself.
Ashton-Under-Lyne is FREE but we would love it if you could drop a voluntary donation in the WSO bucket on the bar to help keep the 120+ daily food parcels flowing.
London is a tenner, but beyond my travel dosh that will be donated to strike funds in the capital for workers in struggle. Tickets for that are here:
I’m not so great at getting reviews for anything I release if I’m honest, too many years of brick walls and buy-ins have left me scarred by the entire industry around all forms of what passes for culture, but Attila The Stockbroker kindly left me with one soundbite for you.
“An absolute tour de force“- The Morning Star.
I’ll take that.
It would be really lovely to see you at these shows. They’re a little bit different, but I’m hoping you’ll take something profound away with you at the end.
After all, isn’t that what culture is supposed to be for?
As another year turns, here’s a look back over 12 months of mischief and mayhem.
2025 marked a decade of WSO, and a time to reflect on the 1250+ events run under that banner and the £1 million worth of food, cash, clothing, bedding and toiletries raised for folks who needed the solidarity of our raised fists and helping hands.
…..and a time to reflect on the political betrayals which all but ensure we’ll be needed for the rest of our lives.
But mostly, 2025 was a year of getting out on the road and doing my thing. ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ was a year old, but the need for gigs to be uplifting and spontaneous was obvious as the political situation here in the UK and around the world deteriorated. I felt the shows had to be a safe place to offload all that overwhelm, so the singalongs were more manic, the end of the night more collaborative, and the explosions of emotion more messy as a result.
The year began with a double-up at Groovy VI as I followed a Lithium Joe set with a solo one and just about made it over the line….
Then a couple of Miner’s Strike commemoration events, one at The Broadway for the Hatfield Brigade, and the other at Betteshanger for the Kent Brigade. The latter a particularly memorable day as I received the Ron Todd Foundation ‘Peter Todd Award For Creativity’ at the Marx Memorial Library in London beforehand.
And then embarked on a whistle-stop tour of Mick Jones‘s ‘Rock’n’Roll Public Library’, Soho Square to sit on Kirsty MacColl‘s bench, and what was once The Roxy for the most middle class sandwich I’ve ever eaten.
Before Chip Hamer and I embarked on a mad dash over to Betteshanger….
….followed by a last-minute detour to catch the end of Swill and Bobby‘s set in Margate where I ended a frantic day singing ‘Ghosts Of Cable Street’ alongside my heroes once again.
From there began the ‘Do Not Despair. That’s Exactly What They Want’ Tour and thousands of miles in poor Rosie, my long-suffering car, every last yard of it worth it to see the looks on your faces and hear those choruses bellowed back at me with such passion and commitment. It was a fantastic Spring.
Including two stand-out memories. Firstly, the graveyard shift opening up Ey Up Mi Duck Festival on the Sunday to a packed tent….
….before sharing a couple of songs with Jess Silk and spending an afternoon in the sun talking shop and putting the world to rights.
And secondly, a really special weekend playing the WI Hall in Bridport followed by Glastonwick Festival, again alongside Jess and with added The Men They Couldn’t Hang for icing on the cake.
There was a Strummercamp/Bearded Theory dash in there, a fantastic weekend made possible by Gail Something-Else and Phil Fitzpatrick…..
….a cracking WSO event in Derby courtesy of Joe Zux….
…..and in the middle of it all, the Three (+1) Shall Overcome hike from Scarborough to Robin Hood’s Bay along the Cleveland Way in the company of Steve and Kev, and this year, added Tim Hoy.
We raised around £1200 for Medical Aid For Palestinians, a cause which called to me as the appalling situation in Gaza worsened and governments around the world appeared to join a conspiracy of silence, with a complicity implicit within. My tour money was split between WSO Central for Pauline Town, Hull Unity Shop, and MAP. There was little I could do other than voice my solidarity, share the daily death toll, and donate what I could, but I drew enormous inspiration from the likes of Greta Thunberg, Carsie Blanton, Chris Smalls, and Thiago Avila as they joined the hundreds attempting to break the illegal sea blockade. Respect to all.
The Summer was spent playing a string of gigs and festivals, including a return to play the main stage at Durham Miners Gala….
…I played house concerts….
….NHS Solidarity events….
Pauline‘s birthday at The Station….
A very sunny Burslem for Potteries Chartist Festival eye-balling Lemmy‘s statue from the FBU Fire Engine….
….two very special in-the-round gigs alongside Carol Hodge and Daniel Lucas in London and York….
…..and a memorial gig for Annie Rodgers at Stainforth Pit Club.
We lost some dearly-loved and much-missed people this year, and although it’s impossible to list them all, Annie, Monologue John, and Pauline’s Mum are three who hit me very hard.
Into the Autumn I took up the Stride For Gaza challenge and hobbled my way through the virtual miles eventually raising upwards of £1400 for MAP…..
….hit Brighton with Chip for Robb Johnson‘s Railway Roots gig in Portslade….
…..played a wonderful inclusion event for the wider WSO Family at The Station….
….played both Musicport Festival and the 10th Anniversary WSO event in Whitby and Middlesbrough respectively on the same September Saturday, and basically just made a nuisance of myself whilst I prepared for the ‘Inspireography’ Tour with Jess.
There’s something really special about sharing a stage with Jess Silk. It’s not just that we bring out the best in each other, or our shared commitment to the ‘Big Gigs In Small Rooms’ ethos grassroots live music will need in order to survive, it’s that there’s just something unexplainably magic about it.
I loved every second of that tour alongside Jess, Joe Zux, Caroline and Tarby, and if you missed us, you really need to bag tickets early next year!
2025 also saw the launch of ‘SONGS & VERSES’ the collection of my lyrics and poetry painstakingly edited and presented by Chip for Picket Line Press, and designed by Mark Welland. It’s a thing of beauty, and I can’t thank them enough for making it happen. I’ll be doing a couple of spoken-word shows with that in the new year.
Behind the scenes this year has been about seeing the new album ‘Punk Rock Prepared Us For This’ over the line. I began the year writing and recording, and finished it tying off the loose ends having spent much of the last 12 months overseeing the various collaborations and bouncing back and forth with Lee Huck, who took over mixing and mastering duties.
I’m pleased to report it’s currently at the pressing plant and the pre-order will go live on Bandcamp on FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6TH so please get on this early so I can pay the not inconsiderable bills.
Here’s a first look at Kevin Pearson‘s artwork….
The first single ‘Rise Up! Rise Up!’ will launch with a video on MONDAY FEBRUARY 2nd and will be available to download with the pre-order on the 6th.
The tour begins at The Station on SATURDAY MARCH 21st and doesn’t really stop until the Summer.
I want to thank each and every one of you for your support and solidarity, your voices and applause. Without it I’m screaming into the void and raising not a single penny.
It always has been, and always will be, very much appreciated.
And a special mention to all the photographers whose images make this blog what it is. I know I’ll miss someone, so apologies in advance, but thank you to Neil Terry, Kate Clark, Ian Ladlow, Kenny Brown, Pete Yen, Chip Hamer, Lyric Lounge Review, Joe Zux, Pauline Town, Mark Whyatt, Joe Grint, and everyone else whose images come to define our memories.
The Inspireography Tour with the mighty Jess Silk came to its climax in London after eight fantastic dates in the very best of company.
There’s something magical about shows with Jess. Not only is she next level as a singer and songwriter, but she performs at LEVELS, and that in turn makes me dig deeper. I’m guessing you already know that, because the fraction of those gigs which hadn’t sold out in advance were packed by walk-up, and I LOVED every single night.
It’s not just the music though, it’s the camaraderie of touring and sharing space and time with ace people like Caroline, Joe Zux, Steve White and the Protest Family, and Connor Wilson; it’s the teasing and the in-gags and the hugs and the memories.
And you can’t beat that.
Sad to finish, but as plans are already underway for next November, I won’t be sulking for long.
Massive THANK YOU to all the venues and promoters, sound and lighting folks, and bar staff who made it possible; and a special THANK YOU to everyone who rocked-up to support us, especially those who helped MASSIVELY by bagging tickets in advance. We so much appreciate the chance to play our big gigs in small rooms and hopefully pass on a little strength, courage, and hope for the road ahead.
Right. I have a new album out in February and a stack of work to do. The year end blog will appear around Christmas time, but until then, love and solidarity to you all x
Photos by Kate Clark, Lyric Lounge Review, Joe Zux, Chip Hamer, and many more. Apologies if I’ve missed your name. Love and respect to all x
‘SONGS & VERSES’ the long-promised collection of my lyrics and poetry has landed.
Published by Picket Line Press, it covers two decades of material from 2004’s ‘An Exile In Suburbia’ to last year’s ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ over 300 carefully selected pages.
I cannot thank Chip Hamer enough for making this happen, and Mark Welland for how incredible it looks and feels in your hands. From the colour panels when the album changes, to the way the songs have been edited to read as they should without constantly returning to the chorus as they do in song form.
As always, once the printing costs were covered ‘SONGS & VERSES’ has been raising money for folks struggling, through London strike funds to WSO Central outreach.
Each song covers an aspect of the horrorshow we are witnessing here and abroad, and all funds raised will be split between Pauline Town at WSO Central and Hull Unity Shop.
These songs are outtakes from the new album ‘Punk Rock Prepared Us For This’ due next February, and for lovers of real formats, they will be bonus tracks on the CD version of the main event.
Thanks as always for your incredible support, it is always very much appreciated.
Joe Solo 