bye bye 2015

Another year is almost over. This has not been a very joyous year for the people struggling to scrape by whether they are the homeless citizens of the UK or refugees whose countries have been devastated by war. There seems to be no end in sight to these huge issues. It is difficult to look back on 2015 as a good year when so many people are in such trouble. 

As I watch news footage of the floods in the north I am reminded that it has taken governments years to accept the reality of Global warming and still they drag their feet.  

On a positive note I saw a news clip of a young, newly married couple who were just about to sign contracts for a new home on the day their new house was flooded. A lucky escape and at least they did not have to start off in a home, in an area that might now flood on a regular basis. 

Still, in the midst of the chaos there has been some positive  achievement in some areas  of UK life. We have seen the advancement of political expression that must be of benefit to us all.  The digital referendum has had a good year and 38 Degrees and others, have demonstrated that with enough participation governments will listen and will make u turns. Looking back at some early victories such as stopping the sale of UK forests and looking at the current collection of battles won, it seems the electronic petition has come along way. 

I think it is still early days to assess the real impact of Jeremy Corbyn's election as Labour leader.  I really hope that the issues and perspective he will bring to the debate will enhance the possibility for a fairer society and a more ethical governance. 

It is tradition that at this time of year we wish each other peace and goodwill.  It is a good all year round policy and while the struggle to overcome Daesh continues, we must not let frustration and confusion lead to the victimisation of the UK Muslims who stand with us against the tyranny of Daesh.  We must try to embrace difference and not be afraid of change and we should all participate in the debates that will influence the future in any way we can. These are the days when if we look away for just a moment we will lose hard won, precious rights that will not be easily returned to us. If we take our eye off the ball, political and ethical values and standards will surely drop.

So to art and music. I have had a good year and played some happy gigs to some lovely audiences and on all my travels I have met many good people doing all they can to make a positive difference in the affairs of their communities. I want to thank all of the people who have supported me and who have been a constant source of strength and encouragement. The list is longer than I would have ever thought. Thank you. You know who you are.

There are UK public gigs booked for 2016 with more in the pipeline plus a few Fair Days Pay For A Fair Days Work gigs booked. One of these is in Sweden so I shall look forward to that and meeting new folk. 2016 is also a recording year when I will be going in the studio for the first time in many years. I have the material written and I have pre production material ready to be used in the studio. I am very excited about this as I am about bringing some electric guitar back in the show. I am currently experimenting with this to see what can work. It is early days and a lot of fun right now but I know it will get to be harder as the work begins to become about repetitive rehearsal.

I expect to do even more fishing in 2016 than previously and I hope some of that will be in Norway when I return in the summer with Luke. I expect Luke and I will be doing a few gigs together next year. Meanwhile he has added a new song titled BATTERSEA to his Soundcloud page at   https://soundcloud.com/lukebroughton5

A while ago now I went to Austria to meet Walter Kohl and to play for his brother at his birthday party. Walter is a writer and I first met him in Wigan at the home of my friends Val and John when he came over to speak with me about his ideas for a novel. We spent some time getting to know each and discussed what Walter described as faction about the EBB. We also discussed my involvement in a gallery installation based on an idea I had called The definitive interview which has become an ongoing project.  Some time later I met with Walter and his family in Austria where I played for his brother. Walter and I spent hours and hours recording  material for his book and some time later we had a couple of days in London doing the same while Walter's colleague, Oktavia shot some video as reference for her installation ideas. It was an exhausting and intense work period but very interesting for me.

Time passed and recently an email arrived from Walter with an attachment of his English translation of his novel Out Demons Out. I was stunned. His translation from German to English is flawed but mightily impressive enough to give a good idea of the story. I have begun to read it and early on I was torn between correcting a small historic detail and leaving the artist to do what he wants with the truth. I do it all the time in my songs and writing. There are corrections to be made, as in any first transcript, but I won't interfere with Walter's licence to tell his story the way he intends. He has no chronological pathway to his story and I found that exciting. This is not a biography but a novel. I quickly got used to reading this very intriguing take on the EBB, Walter and his friends and events and people of the time. Initially this will be a German language novel and Walter also wants to get it published in English. I am fascinated and quite excited as I am working my way through Walter's translation. More on this later.

So it is time to wish you all the very best 2016. I hope to meet some of you as the year rolls on.

Finally, The Edgar Broughton Band will re release Super Chip - The Final Silicon Solution. It will be available as a down load on all major download distribution site in January 2016. The album had the track The Virus added for the 2010 release and there will be a new track added for this 2016 release.

peace