Vote with your trotters

Well here we are, for PigDaze this is the end of the year. Our last gig of the year tonight at the Bull Ring in Ludlow and that tingle of anticipation is building up. We're not scheduled to be out again until the end of January and we're hoping to use that time to make sure 2020 is the best one yet for us and our daft hobby. There's already some exciting new venues in the diary for next year, with pastures new in Newport, Worcester and Telford lined up.

Last night myself and our Boss of Bass, Engelbert Fransisco, along with our glamorous security detail popped over to Brum to see our Shantypunk favourites Skinny Lister at the Castle and Falcon. They are always guaranteed to be great value for money but the surprise added bonus was the support act. I only found out when we got there that Nick Parker was on the bill. He's a superb singer songwriter and helped make it one of the most joyous nights out in a long long time. It might be a tiny venue but it was bursting at the seams with silly grins and sweatiness. Beautifully crafted songs that grab you by the heartstrings and the soul, dredging up misty-eyed memories, and making you jump around to boot. Words that evoke the strongest positive feelings and tunes that won't leave your lugholes and toes alone! The atmosphere was one of unadulterated unity and joy, and on the journey home I couldn't help mulling over the wish that we could inject a bit of that feeling into the world outside the four walls of the venue. If we can summon up just a fraction of the spirit of Skinny Lister and Nick Parker tonight I'll be a happy co-Chairman of the Skufflepunk Party.

Added to our manifesto tonight will be a couple of new numbers and the one I'm curious to see the reaction to is our latest upbeat ditty 'Dumb', a reflection on the idea that being a charismatic buffoon is a qualification to get the trust of a nation. Vote Skufflepunk for the piglets not the privileged!