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Five

The birds in your garden are cold this time of year as well, and food can be hard to come by. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money to help get our feathered friends through the winter though. The RSPB has some brilliant advice on what to feed the birds in your garden here.

In the winter months birds can find it hard to find fresh water too, so don’t forget to leave them a drink as well.

If you’d like to do even more to help,you could do some of your Christmas shopping through Songbird Survival – a charity that commisions research into Britain’s declining songbird population. Or you could become a member of the RSPB for £4 per month. Perhaps that’s the ideal gift for your quirky, nature loving friend this Christmas? They’ll get a quarterly magazine and unlimited entry to over 100 nature reserves in the UK, and you’ll get that warm feeling of knowing you’ve helped protect our garden birds. You can sign up or find out more here.

Image by Debra Torrance

Written by Victoria Pearson

Gerry Mulvenna

74247_170399749652318_3079904_n — Gerry Mulvenna

An acoustic session host with an extensive repertoire of eclectic songs, Gerry loves to belt out a song & keep his repertoire fresh.

You can follow him on Facebook, check him out on Reverbnation, or catch him on the first Saturday of every month at the Captain’s Bar, Edinburgh from 3.30 til 7pm.

Attila the Stockbroker

Sharp tongued, high energy, social surrealist rebel poet and songwriter. My themes are topical, my words hard-hitting, my politics unashamedly radical, but I aim to make you roar with laughter as well as seethe with anger……

Inspired by the spirit and the ‘Do It Yourself’ ethos of punk rock, and above all by The Clash and their overtly radical, political stance, I started as a punk bass player in 1977 and took the name Attila the Stockbroker in 1980, blagging spots for my poems and songs in between bands at punk gigs. I quickly got a couple of John Peel radio sessions, a deal with London independent label Cherry Red Records and before very long was on the cover of ‘Melody Maker’. I haven’t looked back since! My 30th anniversary as Attila was September 8th 2010.

I have performed my work across the world at literary and music festivals, rock venues, arts centres, pubs, universities, schools, folk clubs and punk squats in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Belgium and the Basque Country – and more improbably in Romania, Bulgaria and a hotel basement in Stalinist Albania.

I can, and do, gig just about everywhere: I’ve created my own global network, and organise most of my hundred plus performances a year myself, as well as running regular spoken word/music events and the Glastonwick Beer Festival here in my native West Sussex. As well as all my solo gigs, where during my songs I accompany myself on mandola, I play violin, bass guitar and a variety of early music instruments and from time to time gig with my band, BARNSTORMER, a unique and energetic mix of punk and early music!

Myself and the band have 4 songs and live footage in a major German feature film, ‘DoppelPack’ which was released across the German cinema network on August 17 2000. My latest album with Barnstormer, ‘Bankers and Looters’ was released in 2012. ‘Zero Tolerance’ was released in April 2004, following on from ‘Just One Life’ (2000) and ‘The Siege of Shoreham’ (1996) and a live DVD of the band has just been released (2006). In addition to my solo DVD, ‘Live at the Heartland Café’ recorded in the US, and album ‘Live in Belfast’ I currently have two solo ‘Best Of’ CDs on release, ‘Poems Ancient and Modern (A Live Anthology 1980-1999)’ which is my definitive spoken word release to date, and ‘The Pen & The Sword’ (Selected Songs 1981-1995)’ which documents my best songs up until the formation of my band, now the main vehicle for my songwriting. My latest solo CD release is ‘Live in Norway’ (2007)

I am official Poet in Residence/PA/Announcer/DJ at my beloved Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. and (as the leader of ‘Seagulls Ska’) got to Number 17 in the Top 40 on 9th January 2005 with a new version of the Piranhas’ ‘Tom Hark’ – part of the campaign for the Albion’s new stadium….

I have published 7 books of poems: ‘Cautionary Tales for Dead Commuters’ (Unwin, 1985) ‘Scornflakes’ (Bloodaxe, 1992) ‘The Rat Tailed Maggot’ (Roundhead, 1998) ‘Goldstone Ghosts’ (2001) ‘My Poetic Licence’ ( 2008) ‘The Long Goodbye’ (2010) and the latest, ‘UK Gin Dependence Party’ in December 2013.

Attila released his autobiography in september 2015. An autobiography like no other, ‘Arguments Yard’ bounces effortlessly from frontline tales of touring East Germany, the first ever punk performance in Stalinist Albania, being thrown out of one of his own gigs and the ongoing fight – often literally – with the fascist thugs who targeted him in the early 80s to more homely anecdotes: his coastal upbringing and love of his home in West Sussex, his passionate involvement in the battle to save his beloved Brighton and Hove Albion FC and his path from punk bass player into a career which has lasted decades longer than the ranting verse fad which spawned it.

Full of humour and intellect, and peppered with encounters with notable figures, ‘Arguments Yard’ demonstrates a depth rarely found in the everyday performer’s autobiography, and relates an important social history, being a left wing activist’s eyewitness journey through the great political battles and movements of recent times.

You can find out more about Attila on his website

Or follow him on facebook

And twitter

Or read his column in Morning Star

Liberty or 2016..!

Download FREE on iTunes or Podbean

The death of a year of deaths… and we look at Liberty!

It’s a bumper December episode… take your time, savour and reflect and then troll us on Twitter – where we are opening our Activists Advent…

On this episode, themed around Liberty, we have the former guitarist with Stiff Little Fingers, Henry Cluney, on the politics in his and the bands songs, Debra Torrance on Takin’ a liberty, Eric Joyce and Neil Scott with very different takes on Fidel Castro and Matt Geraghty with “A Monster Calls”.

Dr Bruce Scott talks to us about Free Speech and the Liberation of the Psyche, Joe Solo on a song that should be in your Christmas songlist, and on liberty. Julie Bindel discusses the international sex trade, Chuck Hamilton talks about bisexuality from the point of view of a bisexual, Amber Daniels on the liberation of extreme self consciousness, Mara Leverkuhn on fake news.

We have Raiph talkin aboot tryin tae lissen tae uvvars views oan twittar, an no jus bein insultin!, Steve McAuliiffe with A Full Scale Apocalyptic Meltdown, Ruth Hopkins gives us an update on the stand off in North Dakota between Native American water protectors and the state working on behalf of the oil companies, Fuad Alakbarov speaks about the dreadful reality of the immigration crisis, Tommy Ball on the disasterous 2016 and the rise of racism and the right, and Victoria Pearson asks what it means when we say “It’s a free country”, and Atilla the Stockbroker treats us to Prince Harry’s Knob.

With music this episode from Pauline Bradley, Steve White and the Protest Family, Derek Stewert Macpherson, Grace Petrie, Joe Solo and the Hatfield Main, Gerry Mulvenna, The Girobabies,
Jackal Trades, Ms Mohammed, Thee Faction, Roy Møller,
John McHarg, David Rovics The Just Joans and Atilla the Stockbroker.

A bumper episode to get you through the festive period! If we’ve inspired you to try and some good this Christmas and you aren’t quite sure where to start, check out our Activist Advent calendar for simple ways to make the world a better place everyday.

Times shown may vary slightly depending on your device’s clock.

Ms Mohammed

Ms Mohammed, aka Dana Jade, was born on the island of Trinidad, spent her teenage summers in NY, and finally moved to London Town to pursue her rock n’ roll ambitions. This unique blend of influences is evident in her music. From classic punk to riot grrrl and NYC queercore all the way to the warmth of her island roots, she isn’t afraid to fuse soca with punk, or rock with reggae, with spectacular results! Her distinctive voice makes for a rather eargasmic rollercoaster ride.

From the sultry moans of Shudder to the head splitting chaos of The End Of The Line, she thrills with subtle vibrato and heavily distorted vocal styles that will leave you breathless. Her live set is astonishingly powerful stuff, too good to miss!

Think Grace Jones in a bar room brawl with Polly Jean Harvey, egged on by the riot grrrls of Olympia, delivered with a post- punk slap to the face!

You can follow her on facebook or on twitter, Or find out more about her music on her website.

Grace Petrie

Grace Petrie is a folk singer, songwriter, and activist from Leicester, UK. She first exploded on to the national protest scene in 2010 with the emotive anthem Farewell to Welfare, which captured perfectly the spirit of the new wave of dissent in austerity Britain. Since then, she has written, recorded and toured relentlessly. Her unique takes on life, love and politics, and the warmth and wit with which they are delivered have won over audiences everywhere, and she has quietly become one of the most respected and prolific songwriters working in the UK today.

Her latest release, Whatever’s Left (2015), charts the journey beyond protest singer, through political and personal change to emerge through shades of folk, Americana and country as a more mature songwriting voice. The result is a collection of songs that provide a soundtrack to the modern struggle, with politics and with love, that will resonate with listeners everywhere.

Grace’s young career boasts four studio albums, a dedicated fan base and national tours supporting Emmy the Great, Billy Bragg and comedians Robin Ince and Josie Long, as well as a string of festival appearances including regular visits to Latitude and Glastonbury. She has collaborated with some of the most respected names in folk, including Leon Rosselson, Roy Bailey and Peggy Seeger. In 2015 she completed a Canadian tour, culminating in a hugely successful performance at the main stage of Vancouver Folk Festival. She is a frequent guest on BBC Radio 4’s the Now Show and has appeared on Channel 4’s Random Acts, and has been featured in The Guardian, Diva Magazine and the Independent on Sunday’s 2013 Pink List of influential LGBT figures.

You can find out more on her website

You can follow Grace on Twitter

Grace’s Facebook fan page can be found here

Pauline Bradley

Pauline Bradley an Irish born singer/songwriter who has travelled extensively, picking up musical tips, styles, songs and tunes on the way. She writes songs about social issues, love, pain, injustice, human struggle, poverty, happiness, joy and everything else!

Pauline sings songs from artists who may not be well known as well as classic sing along songs. She generally writes and sing songs to inspire, give hope, understanding and educate; She steers away from singing trivial songs unless its for children.

Pauline has been in various bands including a punk band, jazz band, folk band, several duo’s and she sings solo.

Pauline worked as a social worker for 20 years and she uses this experience to help vulnerable people build their skills and confidence, with her knowledge and music.

You can find her CDs on her website

Or check her out on Reverbnation

Or follow her on Twitter

Four

If you’ve been following Ungagged for a while, you’re well aware of the UN condemned atrocities happening at the Standing Rock camp in North Dakota.

Or regular contributer Ruth Hopkins has spoken to Ungagged from North Dakota in several of our podcasts (which you can find here and here), and you can read our written updates, Peace Pipes vs Pepper spray by Debra Torrance and Battle of Backwater Bridge by Victoria Pearson.

You can find details of how to support the water protectors directly – via donations or by sending supplies – in the Battle of Backwater Bridge article.

Today thousands of US veterans will be joining the water protectors to form a human shield and protect the protesters from the brutality they have been experiencing. Now would be a brilliant time to remind Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier that the world is watching how they are treating people.

You can write to Morton County Sheriff’s office at:

205 1ST AVE NW
MANDAN, ND 58554

Or call them on (001) 701-667-3330

Or leave a message about your thoughts on their Facebook page

They won’t listen to one of us – alone we are a drop of water. Together we are powerful. Together we are a raging river that can cut through rock. Get together and tell them the world is watching. Tell them that #WaterIsLife

Image by Debra Torrance

Written by Victoria Pearson

Three

Argh, it’s the first Saturday in December! time for a mad dash round the shops, overheating in the queue and freezing outside, longing to get home and put the kettle on.

Spare a thought today for one who can’t go home for a cuppa in the warm. Being homeless at any time is no fun, but when the frosts have started and the nights are long and bitter, it can be deadly.

While you’re rushing around doing your shopping, consider adding a hat, scarf, gloves and thermal socks to your list, to donate to your local homeless shelter. They are expecting their busiest Christmas yet. For around a fiver from the pound shop, you could save a life.

You can find details of your local homeless shelter here or here.

Image by Debra Torrance

Written by Victoria Pearson