TEA-BREAK OVER, BACK ON YOUR HEADS: NEWS
HERE WE ARE, WINTER 2024 AND THE USUAL SLUGGISH UPDATE – MAKING ART IN A WORLD THAT'S GOING MAD
Here's a round-up of current and ongoing projects:
New book release
BUT – Life's Not Like That, Is It?
Stories of Disruption and Digression
That's the stupidly long title of the book I just finished writing and proofing and sending off to the copy-editors.
It's a book about stories, and a book of stories. How the stories we see and hear as films, novels and theatre aren't really the stories we experience in the real world. It's a big dig into storytelling and is mainly about the disruptions that stop our lives being simple narratives.
This book is threaded through with a travelogue mapped between my meetings with a variety of people – I've called them DISRUPTERS – who disrupted my own life in the best possible ways.
The book is a collaboration with designer/typesetter Christian Brett, who has worked recently with Penny Rimbaud, Sleaford Mods and Killing Joke. But possibly more relevant is the fact that I sit next to him for every Burnley FC home match. He's a sweary curmudgeon and his design and typesetting for the book is incredible.
The book is a collaboration with designer/typesetter Christian Brett, who has worked recently with Penny Rimbaud, Sleaford Mods and Killing Joke. But possibly more relevant is the fact that I sit next to him for every Burnley FC home match. He's a sweary curmudgeon and his design and typesetting for the book is incredible.
The book will be published by PM Press in the USA, in early February, and you can pre-order it here and get 20% off. Bargain!
But: Life Isn't Like That, Is It? is now available for pre-order. Use coupon code BUT to save 20% at – https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1727
COMMONERS CHOIR
Coming up very soon is the Choir's collaboration with West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra to sing orchestrated and choral versions of Ramones classics, there's the 10" vinyl and a launch gig for the record at Victoria Hall in Saltaire on Sunday (afternoon) December 15th.
Click here to buy tickets for the live event and 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 when I get them.
THEATRE STUFF
'Sanctuary', a musical I co-wrote with Sarah Woods for Red Ladder Theatre Company, has ended its run, the beautiful harmonies of the CAPA students (acting as community chorus) drifting off into the distance.
Next year I'll be writing the music for a large-scale musical set in Liverpool called 'Speedo Mick', written by John Fay. It will run from May 30th to July 5th at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre.
Judging by the script, this will be 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. Have a look at his story here.
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. 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.
Busking in Paris, 1980