TEA-BREAK OVER, BACK ON YOUR HEADS
Some quotes about 'But' by people whose work I love:
"This is a deep, wide, long, high jump into what a world of mongrel politics based on deep respect for other humans would feel like. It's also one of the funniest books you could read - the testament of a pretty wild life well-lived and well-thought about." (Brian Eno)
"I just adored it. I felt like I was in another world, of goodness, of intelligence, of funniness, where your good humour, kindness, compassion, clarity, heart, music, and love just sung through every page, and I felt safe, happy, befriended, welcome and beloved. It's a gorgeous book." (Jay Griffiths)
"Just a note to let you know that I just finished reading your latest book and thought it was a triumph." (Iain Mackaye)
BUT BOOK EVENTS 2025
Thanks to everyone who came along to the book readings and to hear some songs. I thoroughly enjoyed it – it was all fascinating and absolutely what I needed to do. I loved driving around Britain and all the stopping off to run in various hills, and I'm really glad I was able to visit the US this year, right after the inauguration, as the country goes through its political turmoil. I have so much love and respect for all the people running bookshops, all of whom are clearly doing so because they LOVE BOOKS.
There's one more BUT event in the diary, which is at the Edinburgh Radical Bookfair on November 6th, 8.30pm. And that's it for that. For now...
But: Life Isn't Like That, Is It? is available in the USA here.
Click here to order your copy of the record.
Commoners have been as busy as usual, earlier this year we were involved in a large-scale collaboration with Jeremy Deller and Paraorchestra as part of Bradford 25, plus we have an ongoing project (a filmed performance) with artist SIMONE BENNETT and a large-scale immersive day at Brierfield's Queen Street Mill with the brilliant RICKARD SISTERS.
More details of all these collaborations below.
BRADFORD PROGRESS
Conceived and directed by Jeremy Deller and Charles Hazlewood, this was a large-scale (400 musicians!) project which took place on the weekend of May 17th and 18th. Starting at the Cow & Calf in Ilkley at dawn (yes, 5am!) Paraorchestra all-too-briefly played as the sun rose, after which Commoners Choir sang a quiet song celebrating trespassing before the only ever performance of a song we wrote specially for the event, 'Progress' – and then leading the audience up onto Ilkley Moor and across in the direction of Bradford.
A day later, and with music all the way being passed from choristers to bands to drummers to classical ensembles, the Bradford Progress arrived in the centre of Bradford for a mass musical event led by Paraorchestra's Charles Hazlewood which was equal parts weird, beautiful and entertaining – Commoners Choir sandwiched between some religious choristers in cassocks and a traditional Ukrainian band.
THEATRE STUFF
More about the musical here.
JEN REID
I'm doing some work with Lancashire folk balladeer Jennifer Reid, putting some traditional Burnley dialect poems into dirty-synth backings. We'll be making filmed performances of the songs and hopefully these will be shown sometime later in the year. This is the start of a project in conjunction with Lancashire Libraries (and specifically Burnley Library) which we hope will grow into a performance.
THIS SLAVERY – A RICKARD SISTERS PROJECT
The Rickard Sisters are incredible graphic artists who, for the last couple of years, have been working hard on producing This Slavery; a graphic adaptation of a novel by Lancashire millworker and best selling novelist Ethel Carnie Holdsworth. I've been working with the sisters on the launch of this beautiful and powerful book, which will take place in November at the historic Queen Street Mill in Briercliffe. Commoners Choir are singing a specially-written song at the launch event, performing it in the vast weaving shed of the mill. Sadly, by the time I got around to writing this, the event (two performances) was completely sold out. Hopefully at some point we'll take the song (and the book!) to other historic mills around England.
SIMONE BENNETT – BE STILL, BE SILENT, WE'RE CALLING A TENDER GIANT
What a great name for a project. I'm working with Simone and Commoners on this, which will involve fire, music, noise and a 50-piece choir. Possibly happening towards the end of the year at Salt's Mill in Saltaire. Simone is an amazing artist from the Netherlands who is researching and making work about the late Stephen Cripps, a noise-and-fire-making performance artist who was making a beautiful din back in the 1970s. The outcome of the project will be a filmed event (not sure if there'll be an audience yet...) More details to come.
LI'm working there with artist LUCY BERGMAN and a group of young local people to create an installation for the Museum's outside space, a place to discover and listen and find stuff out. It's basically an ordinary shed which will be transformed into a magical space that will house sound and images telling stories and histories of Whitaker Park. A place to sit, look and listen.
More on this as it develops.
PASSION KILLERS
I've been playing bass with Harry & Mave's band Passion Killers this year, starting at Rebellion Festival in August. I haven't played bass since PK's stopped playing, which was around 1987. It only has four strings – what can possibly go wrong? It's been real FUN. Like being in a band all over again. Rehearsing has been a laugh-a-minute joy!
There's one more concert left and after that, Harry and Mave will go on to play together acoustically – their set is a delight. The last show for the electric PK's is in December in London supporting Hard Skin, and it's sold out.
Busking in Paris, 1980