TEA-BREAK OVER, BACK ON YOUR HEADS
But before we begin – There's a brief blog about the UK book tour on the Blog page. I'll be putting together the complete diary/journal of the USA tour (with pictures!) as soon as I can find time.
BUT BOOK TOUR 2025 – DONE & DUSTED (ALMOST)
Thanks to everyone who came along to the book readings and to hear some songs. I thoroughly enjoyed it – although I probably wouldn't do it again! 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 right now 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 are a handful of 'BUT' events in my calendar – one in my hometown of Otley is sold out, then there's one in Leeds as part of the Leeds Literature Festival on Friday 20th June. I'm doing something book-and-songs related at the Idler Festival on 11/12 July in London, and also at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, in August – then Hartlepool Folk Festival in early October. And that's it for that. For now...
But: Life Isn't Like That, Is It? is now available in the USA here.
Click here to order your copy of the record.
Commoners are also working on new songs and ideas including a collaboration with Jeremy Deller and Paraorchestra as part of Bradford 25, 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 is a large-scale (400 musicians!) project which takes place on the weekend of May 17th and 18th. Starting at the Cow & Calf in Ilkley at dawn, Paraorchestra will briefly play as the sun rises, after which Commoners Choir will sing and lead 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 Progress will arrive in the centre of Bradford for a mass musical event. Get your coats on and join us for a dawn walk on the moor, singing all the way... More details here.
THEATRE STUFF
I'm enjoying getting stuck into the songwriting, even though most of the lyrics are John's (I really love and value writing lyrics!). I'm loving messing around with all sorts of different styles. Often at the start of a musical project – especially with theatre work – there's a loose template of style and instrumentation that is dictated by the play/project. So for Red Ladder's 'Mother Courage', I composed music around instruments that felt traditional and could be carried and moved along with Mother Courage's wagon... accordion, clarinet, percussion.
With 'Speedo Mick' it's all very open, moving from power ballad to ska knees-up to acapella harmonies.
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 SLAVERY – A RICKARD SISTERS PROJECT
The 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'll be 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.
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. More details to come.
Later this year I'll be working 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.
More on this as it develops.
PASSION KILLERS
I'll be playing bass with Harry & Mave's band Passion Killers at this year's Rebellion Festival. I haven't played bass since PK's stopped playing, which was around 1987. It only has four strings – what can possibly go wrong? I'm hoping it will be FUN. Like being in a band all over again.
Busking in Paris, 1980