The Futureheads’ Barry Hyde shares new song about coal miners’ struggle

The Futureheads’ Barry Hyde has shared new single ‘Come All You Colliers’.

The track is taken from his second solo album ‘Miners’ Ballads’, set for release on 21st March via Sirenspire Records. The concept record, commissioned by Sunderland City Council and Paul Emerson, explores the coal mining heritage of north east England, with a particular focus on Sunderland and Washington.

‘Come All You Colliers’, a rallying cry to the unions, draws from historical documentation. “The lyric was found in a fantastic book called ‘Come All Ye Bold Miner’s: Ballads and Songs of the Coalfields’ by A L Lloyd,” Hyde explains. “It struck me as a passionate document about the struggle the colliers had to gain better working conditions and the political climate of the time. The words give a real insight into this and it felt appropriate to make the arrangement aggressive but upbeat and hopeful. I tried my best to channel my dearly departed friend, Dave Harper on this, with the drum part. His style was very much the whack the living daylights out of the kit!”

During the project’s development, Hyde discovered personal connections to the mining community. Through historian Keith Gregson’s research, Hyde learned that two of his ancestors, Thomas and Joseph, aged 13 and 14, died in a mining disaster at Trimdon Grange in February 1882. This discovery inspired the album’s closing track, ‘Trimdon Grange 1882’.

The self-produced album features nine tracks, including previous singles ‘The Miner’s Life’ and ‘Last Dance (At The Landlord’s Ball)’. Hyde performs most of the instruments on the record, which blends elements from his 2016 release ‘Malody’ with folk influences.