TEA-BREAK OVER, BACK ON YOUR HEADS
Last year I published a book called 'But'. Here are some quotes 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' Tour Diary Coming soon (ish)
I've just put together a diary of my time touring the USA last year doing 'BUT' book readings, playing songs etc. I kept an online journal of the tour because it felt like I was in the country at a pivotal time – right after Trump's election – and I was aware of the fear and threats that people were facing. Especially people running and working in radical bookshops.
The diary should be printed and released sometime soon by PM Press, who published 'But'. I'll flag it up here.
But: Life Isn't Like That, Is It? is available in the USA here.
BUT is published by PM Press in the UK and the link to order it is here.
Artist Jonny Hannah's defaced copy of 'But'.
COMMONERS CHOIR
Out now is the Choir's collaboration with West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra to sing orchestrated and choral versions of Ramones classics, on a 10" vinyl.
Commoners have been as busy as usual, last year we were involved in a large-scale collaboration with Jeremy Deller and Paraorchestra as part of Bradford 2025, plus we have an ongoing project (a filmed performance) with artist SIMONE BENNETT and a year's worth of weird and wonderful projects coming up in 2026.
More details of all these projects and collaborations to follow.
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
At the start of last summer (2025) I wrote the music for a large-scale musical set in Liverpool called 'Speedo Mick', written by John Fay. It ran from May 30th to July 5th at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre.
Essentially, 'Speedo Mick' was a GOOD NIGHT OUT. It's based on a real character (yes, Mick) who has become a proper legend around Merseyside for his mad charity walks, all undertaken in the briefest of briefs. But it's set against the realities of a life of depression and addiction, with theatrical mood swings that made the play fascinating. Have a look at Mick's story here.
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 was working with the sisters on the launch of this beautiful and powerful book, which took place in November 2025 at the historic Queen Street Mill in Briercliffe. Commoners Choir sang a specially-written song at the launch event, performing it in the vast weaving shed of the mill. There's a film of Commoners' performance at the mill here.
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 40-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 film, which is being made this coming weekend (as I write this). When it's finished I'll put a link up here.
MUSIC AT THE WHITAKER
The Whitaker Museum in Rossendale is an amazing building that straddles the line between museum and contemporary art, between old stuff and new stuff, mixing them up and inviting questions about history and our place in it. A beautifully-curated building full of fascinating things. I love this museum, it's mad and fascinating.
I'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'm not playing bass with Harry & Mave's band Passion Killers any more, we played our last electric gig in London in December. I hadn't played bass since PK's stopped playing, which was around 1987. I have to say I had real FUN. Like being in a band all over again. Rehearsing was a laugh-a-minute joy!
Harry and Mave will go on to play together acoustically – their set is a delight. See them if you can!
THESE HILLS ARE OURS
The theatre show with the brilliant Dan Bye about running, land ownership, escape and wildness (with songs), is done, gone, finished. It was fun, except for the cheap and soulless hotel rooms. Although we loved those days of cryptic crosswords in the van and wondering if the smoke machine would work and around 60 or 70 lovely audiences. If you saw it, thanks for coming.
There is a beautifully-produced 48-page book and 8-track CD available from No Masters. The music part of the package is possibly my first real solo album.
FASTER! LOUDER!
A book I wrote about Gary Devine, 1980s punk fell running champion. It's full of punky belligerence and athletic excellence, somehow co-existing. The book has had some lovely reviews (see here) and is available from Great Northern Books.
"The individual interests me more than what he makes; because I've noticed that most artists only repeat themselves." (Marcel Duchamp)
