Uniting under the banner of 'We Shall Overcome', a movement spearheaded by artist Joe Solo in the wake of the 2015 election result which instigated artists, creatives and like-minded folk to host a myriad of events up and down the country to raise funds and non-perishable items for foodbanks. It is now a yearly event and to date it has raised over half a million pounds with over 1000 events since 2015.
From a spectrum of the British Folk / Alt / Punk / Blues scenes see the artists below uniting on this track, an adaptation of an 18th century English traditional song which tackles modern issues in Britain today. Aiming to raise £2000 of fighting funds between local foodbanks which the artists involved have nominated in their home towns of Huddersfield, Hull, Liverpool, Birmingham and London and between Help Musicians UK who've been integral in supporting artists where this government consistently fails.
In order of performance:
Johnny Campbell: Described as "One of Folk's Brightest Rising Stars" (Bright Young Folk) Campbell has earned himself a formidable reputation on the British Folk and European underground scenes, performing over 500 shows by relentlessly touring 22 countries in the last five years. He still finds time in the UK to support BBC Folk award nominees, winners and performers such as Stick In the Wheel, Martin Carthy, Seth Lakeman, Ye Vagabonds, Daoiri Farrell, Ewan McLennan, The Men They Couldn't Hang and many more.
Phil Odgers: Phil ‘Swill’ Odgers is well known as joint lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist with UK folk rebel rockers The Men They Couldn't Hang. In his long-spanning career he has toured around the world from Cairo to Reykjavik, Brisbane to Tokyo and Berlin to London in stadium, theatre, hall and after hours lock in. As singer and acoustic guitarist with his band ‘The Men They Couldn’t Hang’ he's also appeared as special guest to Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, David Bowie and Stiff Little Fingers.
Carol Hodge: Described by Louder Than War as “A (modern) UK equivalent to the Tapestry-era Carole King", Carol Hodge is a singer songwriter based in Huddersfield, UK. She has released two studio albums since 2018 and is busy working on her third. As well as being a solo artist, Carol works with other acts, notably Crass founder Steve Ignorant, in both his Slice Of Life and Crass projects. She also provides live keys and BVs for Texan rockers Ryan Hamilton And The Harlequin Ghosts (signed to Stevie Van Zandt's Wicked Cool Records), and has guested in the past on keys with The Membranes and The Ginger Wildheart Band.
Mikey Kenney (violin): Mikey Kenney is a fiddle player and balladeer from Liverpool, whose playing is steeped in both English and Irish traditional music. Well known as a constant traveller and collaborator, Mikey is a member of the acclaimed Robert Burns’ celebration Band of Burns and works regularly with Italian legend Vinicio Capossela.
Sean Taylor: Sean Taylor’s unique songwriting is a late night cocktail of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Jack Kerouac; With voice that is a cross between John Martyn and Van Morrison and a guitar style that sounds like an acoustic Stevie Ray Vaughan jamming with JJ Cale. His live shows fuse world class songwriting with stories from the road. Promoting his new album ‘Live In London’ Sean Taylor is one of the most exciting and hard working names on the international roots and blues circuit.
Katherine Priddy: Hailing from Birmingham, Katherine Priddy is a young singer-songwriter who has been steadily turning heads since the release of her debut EP ‘Wolf’ in 2018. The EP was named ‘the best thing I’ve heard all year’ by Richard Thompson who she subsequently toured Ireland with in 2019. She has opened stages for such folk greats as The Chieftains, Martin Carthy, Vashti Bunyan, John Smith and Scott Matthews as well as sold out her own headline shows around the UK. As well as this, she has played well-earned spots at festivals, including Cambridge Folk Festival, Towersey Folk Festival, Shambala and Underneath the Stars.
Joe Solo: Joe Solo is an award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer from Scarborough. On top of releasing seventeen albums since 2004, Solo has written books and had them written about him and still finds time to support acts such as Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Billy Bragg, Chris Wood and his songs have been played by John Peel on Radio One, Mike Harding on Radio Two and Tom Robinson on BBC6Music.
This track is free to download (all support is split between Help Musicians UK and foodbanks across Huddersfield, Hull, Liverpool, Birmingham and London.)
Help reach the goal by downloading the track and supporting via bandcamp or GoFundMe (GoFundMe take a very small percentage compared to Bandcamp)
You can donate at the links
Released November 9, 2020
Trad arr. Johnny Campbell
Johnny Campbell: www.johnnycampbell.co.uk
Carol Hodge: www.carolhodge.co.uk
Mikey Kenney: www.mikeykenney.co.uk
Phil 'Swill' Odgers: www.facebook.com/PhilOdgers/
Katherine Priddy: www.katherinepriddy.co.uk
Joe Solo: www.joesolomusic.com
Sean Taylor: www.seantaylorsongs.com