BLACK COUNTRY visionary Jess Silk’s wonderful song, If Home Is Where The Heart Is, a tale of touring and homecoming, sums up my life as Attila the Stockbroker, which is why I have been known to cover it! 

For most of my adult life I’ve travelled all over Britain, Europe and the wider world, met countless wonderful people, experienced many different cultures and then returned to my wife Robina, not just in Southwick, “the little town where I grew up” in Jess’s song, but to my beloved childhood home, not inherited but bought back in a wonderful coincidence — it came back on the market just before our marriage 26 years ago. It’s a wonderful privilege to earn my living doing what I love, and I never lose sight of that. 

I’m just back home from my latest long trip: three weeks away while I was gigging at Rebellion Punk Festival in Blackpool and PBH’s Free Fringe in Edinburgh. The support of wonderful friends enables me to reconcile my frenetic lifestyle and forceful personality with the fact that I’m 68 and my physical condition and character aren’t always in absolute sync. Thank you above all to Rachel and Mark for constant support and my year-round home from home in Yorkshire, and to Calum and Ellie for welcoming me to theirs in Polmont while I was performing in Edinburgh. Cheers too to AJ and Nicky for help while there. 

The response myself and John Otway got for our Rebellion and Edinburgh performances of Cheryl — A Rock Opera mean we will definitely be touring it round the country next year and thank you so much to all at Bannermans, my Edinburgh venue, for your friendly support over another great couple of weeks.  

Last but not least a huge thanks to St Cecilia’s Hall for hosting my Early Music Show for the fifth consecutive year: the recognition I am finally getting for my early music project means a lot to me. Now for a good rest, with lots more coming up, including a tour reunion with my lifelong gig partners Newtown Neurotics in September and my first ever proper Scottish tour with Calum Baird in November!

And now for a few words in support of another band I share a long history with — anthemic punk-folk rabble rousers The Men They Couldn’t Hang. They are currently in the studio recording a new album, The Wave, which promises to be another in a long line of inspirational releases which gave us epic political-historical songs like Ghosts of Cable Street, The Colours, and Shirt Of Blue. And to make the recording as good as possible as a self-funded project they have a crowdfunder page with all kinds of merch where you can offer support at https://tmtchpresentthewave.bandcamp.com. If you love the band as I do, and can afford to support them, please do.

And as well as all that, TMTCH co-singer Swill and Merry Hell songwriter and produced John Kettle have released a lovely second album of songs by radical US singer-songwriter Phil Ochs to commemorate 50 years since his tragic early death. It’s called The War Is Over and you can get it from philodgers.bandcamp.com.

It is incredible, and very sad, how much his songs still resonate, because these are tales of battles long ago still not won. The struggle continues! 

Finally — Brighton are back in Europe, waltzing past our Arctic Circle visitors Tromso last night in the Conference League play-offs and looking forward to another autumn of games in pastures new, hopefully augmented by a gig or two from yours truly. And our epic battle to save our club is now not just a film, but a play as well: Stand Or Fall runs at the Theatre Royal in Brighton from 23-26 September. I shall be there, and not just because I think I may be in it.

For further info please visit Facebook www.facebook.com/attilathestockbroker and/or bandcamp attilathestockbroker.bandcamp.com/merch