‘A Better Way’ featuring Commoners Choir will be available to stream/download as part of that, and its accompanying video will be all over my socials.
We have a bunch of bundles including black and red splatter vinyl, CD, stickers, pin-badges, sew-on patches, mugs, tote bags, t-shirts and hoodies; but there are also 50 signed and numbered hand-made prints of the incredible sleeve art by my comrade-in-crayons Kevin Pearson, so it will be worth being quick.
I can’t wait for you to hear these songs, and get out there and fill some rooms with the choruses.
In 2024, I’ll be attempting to make it easier to follow what I’m up to, where I’m heading, and how to get tickets, etc. I struggle with the admin side of this because a full-time job, a family, and writing/rehearsing/recording soak up every shred of energy I have, but I want to do this better and this is just the start.
In other news, ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ will be released on 4th March on vinyl, CD, and download with ‘A Better Way’ featuring Commoners Choir released as a single with accompanying video, on 2nd February. The album launch is Saturday 30th March at The Station in Ashton-under-Lyne, and I’ll be on the road for three months playing you these songs.
I have just released ‘Twenty From Twenty’, a compilation marking two decades of yours truly 2004-2024.
I wanted to mark that particular milestone because there are so many Joe Solo albums and EPs that I often get asked, ‘Where do I start?’ or ‘Which is your best?’ and I figured a catch-up compilation was a good idea before we set off for pastures new all over again.
Choosing the tracks was always going to be tricky, but I asked for your favourites on social media, then followed the path of the most played on streaming services until I had twenty…..after that, the hard part was swapping tracks until they fitted on a single CD.
It got me thinking about how far we’ve come:
“When I first started writing solo songs in 2002 I had no idea what I was doing.
None at all.
I’d written hundreds of songs, but always for the band, so I had drum beats and basslines, lead guitar riffs and backing vocals filling my imagination, and them not being there anymore was devastating.
I spent years trying to put them back, with percussion where the drums were, harmonica for lead guitar, and the right hand thumping against the guitar body for the bass.
All that sprang from insecurity. I simply wasn’t a good enough guitarist or singer to be a singing guitarist.
It took me YEARS to realise that didn’t matter, that I was a f***ing good lyricist, and that if I wrote short-note melodies to hide the weakness of my voice, and made space for the words front and centre by backing the guitar off, my songs could hold up to anybody’s.
If I could play and sing, my songs would have been different. They would have been about my playing and singing. Because I can’t, they became about the stories, the characters, the cause.
My weakness became my strength.
F*** anyone who puts you down.
There is always a way.”
It also got me looking back over 37 years of writing and performing. When you have no backers, no managers, no agent, it is often a bumpy and perilous journey trying to find your way in music:
“2024 is my 37th year as a musician. Before 2004 was Lithium Joe, and before Lithium Joe was years of busking on street corners, and bash-em-out bands. None of it came easy because I had zero natural talent. Everything was hard work. Everything was the result of pushing past being useless until I wasn’t.
I say that because there are tens of thousands of aspiring musicians and songwriters out there who live in the shadow of the supposed greatness of those whose record sales and repackaged legacies provide music with its iconography, and it is all complete bollocks.
There are no rulebooks in music any more, so beat your own path, do your own thing, work at it until it’s good, then work at it some more until it’s great, and never stop.
I started writing songs when I was 14.
I didn’t write one I loved until I was 37.
It was called ‘November The 12th’.
It’s on here.
It took 23 years to get past not being ‘gifted’, to step out from the shadow of my heroes, to understand that being ignored by the music industry and all those whose record collections are derived solely from the artists its systems allow into their ears, said more about them than it did me; 23 years to get past the idea that I wasn’t worthy, and to find the confidence to stand tall on whatever sized stage and demand to be heard.
So these are some songs from my songbook.
They represent the triumph of hard graft over good fortune and opportunity.
They are Working Class songs.
And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
‘Twenty From Twenty’ is available on limited edition CD and to stream/download from my Bandcamp at:
New music will follow soon after. ‘A Better Way’, the first single from the forthcoming album ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ will be released on February 1st, with the main event following on March 4th.
So there we have it. Another year has fizzed by in a whirlwind of mischief and mayhem, hard work, and heartache; and it’s time to gather my thoughts before the onslaught begins again.
It was a year of picket lines….
…..and protests…..
…..The Road took me from Scarborough to Ashton-under-Lyne, Sheffield, Newcastle, Stourbridge, Hartlepool, Bradford, Hull, Bolton, Leeds, Harrogate, Barnsley, Wroot, Wakefield, London, Ulverston, Walton, Hebden Bridge, Grimsby, Doncaster, Stockton-on-Tees, Manchester, Glasgow, Whitby, Queensbury, Nottingham, Middlesbrough, Chesterfield, and Malgrat-de-Mar via Barcelona….and that was a quiet year!
I got to share stages with much-loved musical friends and comrades….
I ran into a load more…..
I got to play Barrowlands….
I got to release new music with Lithium Joe….
…..and jump up and down on stages again, kicking up a racket…..
…..Comrade-in-crayons Kevin Pearson and meself launched another book through Unison, this time to mark Trans Awareness Week…
I did speeches, lectures, book signings, radio sessions, fundraising dinners….
I got to be on left-hand pole duty for the Hatfield Brigade at the Orgreave Rally and Durham….
Then record them for a new single at NUM HQ in Barnsley…..
…..there was launching the video for ‘These Are My People’….
…..the annual Three Shall Overcome hike with Kev and Steve….
….a stack of incredible nights raising funds for We Shall Overcome especially memorable were the ones for Pauline Town over at WSO Central, The Station…..
If I had to distill it down to a handful of images, it would be these; from singing ‘No Pasaran’ in the face of fascists in Victoria Square, through Catalunya with Joe Gibbins, to the insane joy of Black Country Folk Festival…..
As always, no year can be remembered without the memory-making images shot by the like of Neil Terry, Mark Whyatt, Paul and Lindsay Rutland, Ian Jones, Pete Yen, Eric Barnes, and a hundred others; and none of this would be remotely possible without the love, support and friendship of everyone who keeps my show on the road. THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE!!
The recording work which began at The Cellar in Milnsbridge with Gaz, Liss and Bar back in August ended in T’Shed four months later, and thanks to Rebekah Findlay and Lee Huck, Carol Hodge, Jess Silk, Daniel Lucas, Commoners Choir, the Hatfield Brigade and the People’s Chorus, ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ is at the pressing plant and I’m waiting on delivery of CDs and black and red splatter vinyl ahead on the March 4th release. The other news is the ‘Twenty From Twenty’ compilation marking two decades of this madness, is also en route from the factory and will land on your doormats in January.
So I will be back in the new year with two new albums, a ‘No Pasaran’ children’s book, an insane amount of gigs, and as much mischief and mayhem as I can squeeze out of another 12 months.
So all the very best to you for the new year, and here’s hoping it brings us a change for the better. One thing you can depend on, is that it won’t be for lack of trying x
November was a mad month of racing up and down motorways for We Shall Overcome, and alternating priorities as I switched between solo gigs and Lithium Joe.
In the end though, we did good.
We launched the CD of ‘Answer Machine/See You When I Get There’, the first actual format Lithium Joe have released since 2001….
The brand new children’s book by meself and comrade-in-crayons Kevin Pearson was launched by Unison to mark Trans Awareness Week….
We launched a new t-shirt ahead of the arrival of the forthcoming album ‘Sledgehammer Songs’…..
And we launched the #WSO2024 range with the fantastic new logo by Nevz….
I played Bradford, Nottingham, Sheffield, Middlesbrough and Chesterfield for WSO, raising thousands for the frontline ahead of another tough winter, and shared stages with some of my favourite friends and comrades for the cause…..
It was the afternoon gig at DeJa Vu in Chesterfield organised by the fantastic Gabrielle Moran which summed up the lot.
And the month came to its crescendo with two Lithium Joe gigs at The Station and The Adelphi, raising well over a £1000 for Hull Unity Shop, Hull Help For Refugees, and Pauline Town. We loved every second, and can’t wait to get out there again.
The Twenty From Twenty compilation CD marking two decades of Joe Solo is available to pre-order now, and copies will ship late January. And soon after, my brand new album ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ will be dropping, and I can’t wait for you to hear it.
It has been a year of battling behind the scenes writing, rehearsing, and recording, and in many ways, I’ve achieved nothing, yet in many others, it has been vital work long overdue, and 2025 will be all the better for it.
September saw the release of the second Lithium Joe single ‘See You When I Get There’, a song remembering those we’ve lost, but focusing on a celebration of both their lives, and the subsequent impact on our own. More personal than ‘Answer Machine’, it seemed to resonate more with you all, and I loved the messages you sent as you found your own stories within the lyrics.
Darren Poyzer produced a sublime video featuring photographs of friends and loved ones you’d lost, and it’s a poignant watch. You can pick that up here:
Without a shadow of a doubt, September was dominated by my trip north to play Barrowlands for LoveGlasgowHateRacism, alongside Musicians In Exile, She Drew The Gun and The Wakes.
It was such an incredible day, and all the better for sharing with friends….
Just to stand on that stage, a place where Bowie, The Stones, The Clash, The Pogues, Stiff Little Fingers, The Specials, and Rancid had all stood before me was an incredible and unforgettable feeling.
….and for the night to raise such a staggering sum for Scottish Refugee Council was fantastic….
Much of the rest of September and October was spent in T’Shed, recording and mixing tracks for next year’s ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ album. There are multiple collaborations on there, and coordinating that took up much of my free time, but it will 100% be worth it when you hear it.
Also going on in the background was compiling a special CD marking my 20th year as a solo performer. Choosing just twenty songs from my two decades 2004-2024 was a tough ask, but I think you’ll like it, and if you’re relatively new to me, it’s a good place to start a journey of discovery.
The awesome sleeve design by my comrade-in-crayons Kevin Pearson, and featuring Antonio Gramsci, is worth the asking price alone; but twenty of my best, all for a tenner, and with all profits going to WSO, you can’t go wrong.
The pre-order goes live in December, with ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ following in March.
October saw me back on the road, taking in the Battle Of Stockton commemoration, and a cracking night at The Cluny in Newcastle opening for the sublime Modena City Ramblers …
I returned to Musicport Festival in Whitby on Friday 21st, for a really enjoyable hour in a packed room which I absolutely loved; but perhaps the most important night, was The Station over in Ashton-under-Lyne on the 22nd, to mark Attila The Stockbroker’s Non-Retirement gig alongside Matt Hill, and the man himself, who joined me on fiddle to finish my part of the evening in ramshackle style. A four-figure sum raised for the front line there, and a mad night of music and poetry was enjoyed by all.
November is my busiest month of the year so far, and with prep for the new album gathering apace, I’ll be working harder than ever just to keep up.
But I’m good for it. See you out there x
As ever, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who snapped the images that allow posts like this to happen Inc Tim Hoy, Pete, Pauline, Joe and many more x
August was a quiet month in terms of the gigs, but behind the scenes it was all about rehearsing the new album ahead of the studio.
I had made the decision to switch from releasing an album every year to one every two instead; I just felt after Lockdown Solidarity I had bombarded you all with music and merch to keep Pauline, and WSO community outreach alive, and that it was time to back off a little with the constant releases.
I also decided to record away from T’Shed for the first time in more than 20 years, so a session was booked at The Cellar, Milnsbridge, and with that looming over the horizon, August was all about being prepared for one-take recordings and zero time wasting.
While over in France, my comrade-in-crayons Kevin Pearson was working on a hand-made print for the album cover. Which is spectacular.
This time round, there will be vinyl, CD, tea towels, and the first few orders will come with a limited edition print of the sleeve art. There’s still work to do, but the songs are coming together nicely, and ‘Sledgehammer Songs’ will be released next Spring.
The other event dominating the work behind the scenes was Lithium Joe returning to the stage for our first gig since the pre-Covid reform shows at the end of 2019.
We spent a fantastic afternoon in rehearsals in Doncaster before storming over to Wroot to drive the rain away from GIAF5. It was gig we absolutely LOVED, and it means we are even more excited about those dates at the end of November for WSO.
Elsewhere, I played the Peterloo March & Rally in Manchester…..
Joined my friends and comrades from Unison at Scunthorpe Pride, handing out the last few copies of our book, which is now at the end of its first run of 10,000, a staggering achievement by the incredible folks at Grimsby, Goole and Scunthorpe branch…..
…..And spent many an hour wishing hard work would do itself so that I could be out on the road making mischief.
Alas, it doesn’t, but the groundwork put in this month will form the foundations of the next two years, and the hard yards simply have to be done if we as writers and musicians want to actually be any good.
It’s frustrating, it’s invisible, and it’s unsung, but we are rubbish without it.
July was a month packed with mischief and mayhem starting with Durham Miner’s Gala on pole duties for the Hatfield Brigade. This is always up there with my favourite days of the year, and thankfully, the forecast lightning storms stayed away…..nothing like being caught in one of those while hanging on to a rod sticking ten feet up in the air!
A cracking day was had by all.
Even if I do have to cling on to that banner for dear life every year…..
Opening for the great Mark Thomas as part of the ‘GET OFF YOUR ARSE!’ Festival organised by Commoners Choir, was a fantastic night, and massive respect to Boff and the team for pulling off a genuinely brilliant weekend I was so proud to be a part of.
Sadly, the same day was marred by the fascists marching here in Scarborough, and I spoke at the counter-demonstration before hitting the road.
The following weekend was all about Pauline Town, and the big WSO event organised to mark her birthday; a fantastic night which raised in excess of £3600 to keep those daily food parcels flowing from The Station.
We finished the night with a big ensemble ‘No Pasaran’, featuring a choir of comrades, duelling fiddles, and a room on its feet.
And I ended the month at Black Country Folk Festival, sharing a stage with Matt Johnson, Jess Silk, and Attila The Stockbroker in another rip-roaring collaboration to close my set.
A fantastic day all round.
Capped off with a photo I think sums up perfectly just how much fun I am having on the road this year.
Undoubtedly, June’s highlight was the trip Joe Gibbins and I made to Catalunya to remember Hull‘s ten International Brigade volunteers at Solidarity Park Festival in Malgrat-de-Mar. I have covered this pilgrimage in my ‘A Homage To Catalunya’ blog, which you can read here:
….but suffice to say, it was life-changing, and a journey we plan to repeat, hopefully bringing the history of those heroes to life and remembering them to the land they fought, and died, to defend from fascism.
After that excitement, June was a roller coaster ride of emotions as I tried not to crash after such a high. Luckily, there wasn’t too much time to dwell, as I had to prepare for a lecture and set at Hebden Bridge Folk Roots Festival the weekend after. The lecture took in the role of Folk music in recalling Working Class history and using that in order to inform the present and change the course of the future, the very essence of what Solidarity Park is trying to achieve in Catalunya. Granted I may have quoted sources as varied as Marx & Engels, Antonio Gramsci, and Sir Isaac Newton, but in essence, the message was the same.
Next followed two fundraisers in Hull, at Union Mash-Up and the Adelphi, for the Unity Shop and Refugee Support, respectively. Both were midweek shows, but there was fantastic support nonetheless, a a good few quid raised for the causes.
They sandwiched my first march with the Hatfield Brigade this year, as we provided the obligatory mischief and mayhem at the annual Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign Mass Rally in Sheffield. It was so good to have a day out with my favourite gang of reprobates and the speeches, capped off by a vintage performance from the mighty John Dunn, were universally superb.
And I’m always proud to be handed left pole duties on the Hatfield Main banner…..when it eventually works……
I made a couple of detours to remember the sacrifice of ordinary people around the region too. First up, the Stockton-on-TeesInternational Brigade memorial, a stunning piece of work centered around Picasso’s ‘Guernica’…..
Followed by a trip to pay my respects at the Horden Colliery memorial, which stands as a telling reminder of the industrial genocide carried out by governments past.
And I FINALLY got to see Rancid. 28 years a fan, and never able to get to a gig prior to now. It was every mad punk rock thing I’d ever imagined, and I loved every second.
With a couple of weekends off the gigs, I started work on the next album. With some studio time booked for August, I set about recording demos of the proposed ten tracks and sending them out to potential collaborators to see what magic we can make. These are the first steps on a very long journey, but I’m so happy to have taken them and to be working my way towards a new record again. Watch this space…..
And don’t forget to watch and share the incredible animated lyric video for ‘These Are My People’, which was released on June 4th. You can find this and 30-plus years of my songs on all streaming platforms, and it would be fantastic if you can hook up with me on your service of choice.
Right. July brings Durham Miner’s Gala, Get Off Your Arse! Festival opening for Mark Thomas, Pauline‘s birthday gig at The Station, Black Country Folk Festival, and whatever other mischief can be squeezed out of the next four weeks.
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.
Joe Solo 