It was a great honour, pleasure and privilege to sing at the 100th Conference of the Baker’s Union, the BFAWU, and once again being Jeremy Corbyn‘s warm-up man.
Not that he needs one these days.
I spent a brilliant morning in the company of Harry and Terry from the Official Shrewsbury 24 Campaign before singing for conference and making way for the main act. There was a great spirit in the room and I am proud to be a card-carrying member of a genuine fighting union out there campaigning for a better, fairer country.
A massive thank you to BFAWU President Ian Hodson, and General Secretary Ronnie Draper, for their hospitality, solidarity and faith.
And I FINALLY got a photo with Mr Corbyn!
It has been a truly hectic couple of weeks with a trip south to Glastonwick Festival (mending Attila The Stockbroker‘s washing machine en route!) and dropping in at the fantastic Something To Smile About Festival near Doncaster the day after; then playing the historic Mechanics Institute in Manchester as part of the #TUC150 celebrations, opening for Oysters 3 in the very building which gave birth to the TUC a century and a half ago.
Next weekend I’m singing for my comrades in the RMT on Friday and playing the superb 0161 Festival. Then I’ve two gigs in Hull, one as part of Refugee Week at The Adelphi, and the other in Queens Gardens as part of the Engage For Change Festival.
We travel around the country singing songs and we build a community around that, a family- a tribe.
Some bands recognise that instantly and it becomes a part of their DNA. In my youth New Model Army did it, The Levellers did it; they were the most recognisable. But the Punk community, particularly over in the US, latches on to this better than anyone and bands like Rancid or The Interrupters build a fan-base that not only follows the music, but is made to feel a part of the band themselves and are there through the highs and the lows because those songs, those people on the stage, matter more than just the records and the t-shirt.
You can’t underestimate what it means to an artist to travel halfway across the country and walk into a room full of people smiling and shaking hands, sharing hugs and singing along. These people, are what keeps us going. They are what makes us give it that little bit more even when we’re all but done in.
And so it was today when I staggered offstage at Something To Smile About Festival near Doncaster. Over the last two weekends I have done six gigs, well over 1500 miles, well over 30 hours at the wheel of the car, and to be honest I was fit to drop. Then a lad comes up to me and says:
“I’m involved with the anti-fracking community and we’ve had a really tough time recently; but your songs have inspired me to go back and try again.”
And right there is what it is all about.
That inspiration in turn inspires me, and in this way we change the world.
Slowly, yes.
But it changes.
I cannot tell you how much it matters to hear someone say these things. I’m not a bean counter. I don’t look at a gig as being successful because I sold some CDs or because there was a fee attached. A gig is successful if the energy you sent out in to the world lifts somebody up and comes back at you.
Two cracking gigs this weekend- firstly for #LoveMusicHateRacism at the wonderful Bolton Socialist Club, and then With Banners Held High festival in Wakefield. Two very different gigs, but both uplifting in their own ways.
Much as I love a good shout, I’m very happy playing totally acoustic gigs in small rooms and performing some of the more subtle content of my songbook. Bolton Socialist Club was the perfect place for that, and I loved every second…..there’s also some pretty big news to follow, but that is another story for another blog.
And With Banners Held High, bathed in May sunshine, and in the finest of company, was an absolute blinder.
We need more days like this. To recharge the batteries, to remind ourselves what we’re fighting for, WHO we’re fighting for, and to share good times and a few beers TOGETHER.
Difficult to pick out highlights, but Quiet Loner singing ‘We Will Not Forget’ is always very special; Matt Abbott, on home turf, was outstanding; as was Jethro Platts, whose NHS poem is one of the most emotionally honest and beautifully crafted pieces of work ever; John Dunn, speaking for Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, was on top form; as was RMT President Sean Hoyle; and you can’t beat a bit of John McDonnell MP to put the wind in your sails for the drive home.
Great to put faces to names and shake the hands of heroes from unions and campaigning groups who are out there every day fighting for a better, fairer country.
It will always be a privilege to shout at you.
Always.
Massive thank you to the organisers of both events, and to the wonderful people who turned out to support them.
Right. Next stop Leeds on Friday, followed by Warrington on Saturday and Oldham on Sunday.
It has been a hectic, but amazing week and I have loved every second. From last weekend’s May Day Festival Of Solidarity, through the trip to Dublin, and to last night opening for the truly wonderful Grace Petrie up in Durham, it was been a week of highs and by far and away the best week of 2018 so far.
Yet with the highs come the inevitable lows, and this being the week we heard the terrible news of Scott Hutchison‘s death, it is worth dwelling on how tough it is to deal with life after the spotlight has been turned off.
Life on the road is like nothing else. There are immense highs onstage, and long periods with very little to do, coupled with a lot of time behind the wheel of a car. If you’re a solo musician that can be pretty lonely. If all you have, once the smiles and the slaps on your back have gone home, is an empty hotel room night after night you can quite easily find yourself in a downward spiral of one-night stands and mini-bars just to keep the black dog at bay. And ultimately the emptiness in both makes the problem worse.
And that’s when the times are good!
If you have tasted the dizzying heights of success and find yourself on the inevitable slide back into obscurity, EVERYTHING is a struggle. You doubt your own abilities, you watch on helplessly as the good-time crowd desert you for the next big thing, and knowing you face an uncertain future, the past can eat you alive.
A life lived entirely in the stage persona for long periods of time eventually leads to a difficulty in separating that from your everyday self, and when that is coupled with a faltering career, the result is a self-loathing that is hard to escape. It turns you in on yourself and you spend days, weeks, months, staring into the black hole of failure.
This happens A LOT.
Most people live life on an even keel, with minor bumps in the road if a car breaks down or they miss a mortgage payment. Musicians live a life of extreme lows and highs with very little time in between. Over time it can become toxic.
I’m lucky, I see it coming, and for the most part I can head it off at the pass.
Some are not so fortunate.
Look after yourselves musical brothers and sisters. Much as it might not always seem it, you are loved x
Two new reviews of ‘Not On Our Watch’ have landed in my inbox and it’s great to hear when people have enjoyed the record and appreciate where it i coming from.
Folking.com said:
“On every level, Not on Our Watch is a most worthy listen and it is not just a bunch of songs by a singer wanting to be seen to do his bit, but rather, a small collection of anthems by a songwriting activist, doing far more than his fair share.”
…..and remember, all proceeds from downloads are passed on to either Pauline Town, fighting street poverty in Ashton-under-Lyne, or the DN7 Hardship Fund fighting poverty in the former South Yorkshire pit villages. So you buying these songs will directly help someone in real need.
I flew out to Dublin yesterday to speak on behalf of We Shall Overcome at a discussion event centred around the question ‘Is Music A Vehicle For Change?’ You can probably guess my answer, but it was a wonderful night with some real insight into how musicians and filmmakers view their role in The Struggle, and where we can go from here.
I also got to end the event with a few songs, the first time I had sung in the Irish capital for almost 20 years. It was a genuine pleasure and privilege to play a part in something I hope will forge some bonds between artists and activists, and go on to inspire us all.
First up I had to go on a pilgrimage to visit James Connolly‘s statue….
And the GPO where the Easter Rising of 1916 took place…..
…..and Clerys Clock to remember the late, great Philip Chevron of The Radiators and The Pogues, whose beautiful paean to ‘the love that does not have a name’, the majestic ‘Under Clerys Clock’ is one of my favourite songs. Problem is, once I remember that I end up singing it all day. If you don’t know it, have a listen:
I also stopped by to tip my hat to Phil Lynott whose statue sits almost opposite McDaids on Harry Street, which meant I could turn round and tip it again to Brendan Behan who frequented the place.
Twenty years ago I’d have nipped in and raised a glass to them both, but those days are well behind me so I settled for a bit of culture and visited the WB Yeats exhibition in the Irish National Library, where they are displaying the original manuscripts of many of his greatest works. Sad to think of him spending his dotage writing love poems to the Blueshirts, but I suppose many are even now blurring the same lines between nationalism and fascism, yet with the knowledge of hindsight, these people cannot lay claim to innocence.
I also dropped into the newly renovated National Gallery Of Ireland which is stunning. The building itself is worth the visit alone. Its long, multi-roomed corridors with identical arches giving you the impression you’re falling down a beautifully decorated lift-shaft into a masterpiece.
But the most important pilgrimage of all was to visit the sculpture ‘Famine’ on the north bank of the Liffey. The bitter irony of an Englishman flying into Dublin to talk about the British State’s neglect leading to hunger and deprivation was not lost on me; and this work of art is truly haunting in its depiction of poor starving folks carrying all they own to the coffin ships to take whatever slim chance was left for them. Ghastly and shameful.
From there it was on to the event put together by the fantastic Niall McGuirk of Dublin’s Hope Collective as part of May Fest at Liberty Hall. We come a full circle here as the hall sits on the site once occupied by the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, and marks the place the soldiers of the Easter Uprising met on that famous day in 1916.
Felt very fortunate to be given a guided tour of the banner display by Brian, whose knowledge was only matched by his hospitality.
Great to spend an evening with Cassie Fox of Loud Women; and with Kitty, Bernie, Sarah, Chiara, Leigh, Michael, Roisin and Cillein. Fascinating insights from all. Special thanks though to Niall who is amazing, and to Miriam too for putting me up for the night on the comfiest sofa I have ever slept on. I now want one!
Next stop Durham on Friday with the wonderful Grace Petrie.
Probably THE defining image of May Day Festival Of Solidarity 2018; The Moods close us out by blowing the roof off Old School House and STORMING it!
What a weekend! One act after another taking their cues and raising the bar for the next. Tony and me choose who we book very carefully so each is a master of their craft, but not even we could have anticipated what happened over a weekend of sheer magic.
I’ve said it before, but there is something very special about this festival. The spirit of togetherness and respect; the blend of music, poetry and speeches; I don’t know what it is, but we have something genuinely unique here and year after year it just blows us away.
A massive thank you to our speakers: Wayne Gilmore for Barnsley Trades Council; John Dunn for Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign; Vicky Blake for UCU…
From tomorrow 2018 really kicks into gear and I’ll be criss-crossing this country (and more) many times before I get another rest; but #WoodysWork needs doing and there are fights to be fought up and down this land and all the madness and mayhem suits me just fine.
Here we go……
MAY
4th FILEY– fILEY fOLK fESTIVAL (Belle Vue 10.40pm)
6th BARNSLEY– May day Festival Of Solidarity
8th DUBLIN– Liberty Hall as part of WE SHALL OVERCOME 2018
11th DURHAM– Old Cinema Launderette (with Grace Petrie)
The third annual May Day Festival of Solidarity hits Old School House, Barnsley this weekend and we have got some AMAZING music, poetry and politics for you.
The festival was the brainchild of Hurriers-frontman Tony Wright, and together we plotted and schemed an annual celebration of music, poetry and politics to commemorate International Worker’s Day.
This year we have music from Merry Hell, The Moods, TV Smith, The Wakes, Reg Meuross, Headsticks, Under A Banner, Quiet Loner, Ribbon Road, Chuck SJ Hay, Paul Carbuncle, Jess Silk, Rebekah Findlay, a special acoustic set from The Hurriers, and yours truly. We also have poetry from Kev Titterton, Matt McAteer, Laura Taylor and Poetry On The Picket Line; plus a special set from Ian Saville The Marxist Magician.
On top of that there’s speeches from Barnsley Trades Council, RMT, BFAWU, NEU, Save Our Headgears, UCU, Val Colvin for We Shall Overcome, and we’re delighted to have representatives from the FCC Strike picket updating us on their campaign.
All in all this is an absolute belter of a weekend and all we need now is YOU!
Entry is £15 for a day or £20 for the whole weekend. And YES there will be room for everyone so get yourselves down there for 2.30pm Saturday.
An incredible day today over in Wigan, as the new memorial to the area’s International Brigade volunteers was unveiled.
Superb work from the organisers, especially Lisa Croft who ran the ceremony itself. Great speeches from Vicky Perry, leader of Wigan Trades Council, and Ian Hodson, BFAWU President; both of whom forced me to wipe away a tear.
I had the great honour of leaving a rose to remember Paul Dewhurst, who survived being injured at Jarama only to be killed at Brunete in July 1937. There being no surviving family members present I was asked to step in, and layed that rose with pride.
The memorial itself is beautiful and a fitting tribute to 11 brave men and one brave woman, Lily Robinson, who went to Spain as a volunteer nurse.
I sang afterwards at the excellent Museum Of Wigan Life, and was joined for a very emotional ‘No Pasaran’ by the wonderful Clarion Choir whose collected voices added a new poignancy today.
Joe Solo 