Poverty in the UK will be out 10am on Friday 9th April and I hope it will raise some much-needed funds for Shelter and Andy’s Man Club :)

Poverty in the UK is essentially a frustrated rant about the desperate poverty that unfortunately exists on a large scale in many parts of the UK.

It is a damming indictment of the state of the nation, born out of frustration from witnessing the tragic situations in which many people are living, and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness due to the immense structural and societal challenges that contribute to their problems.

Many countries around the world (and a lot of sheltered people in our own country) regard the United Kingdom as a prosperous, wealthy nation of tailored suits, country manor houses and afternoon tea - this track is about the other side of that grubby coin.

There are a lot of people in our country who are living on the breadline in extremely vulnerable and precarious circumstances. I’ve seen it, it’s rife, it’s depressing.

Equally as depressing is the amount of people unfortunately looking down on them, judging them and writing them off as wasters, scroungers, losers, smackheads etc etc… saying “why don’t they just get a job” or “if it was me I would just…”, offering seemingly simple solutions to complex problems, gleefully slapping down their flippant and damaging opinions on people who have drawn the short straws and need support.

This is not a political song, I am politically-neutral and have no affinity or loyalty to any political party. What I do have is love, compassion and empathy for my fellow human whatever their situation.

In my experience having worked for years with many vulnerable people who are living in poverty there are always numerous factors at play. The majority of the people really struggling have been brought up in unstable environments, they’ve suffered traumas, they’ve had incredibly bad luck, they’re doing their best but they don’t have the tools, mental or financial stability, education, access to services or appropriate support to get out of the difficult situations they find themselves in. Debt, addiction, prostitution, poverty etc. are all endemic and it’s easy for those of us living in relative comfort to blame the victim and turn a blind eye.

I’m not attacking any individuals or groups or laying the blame at anyone’s door, these are multifaceted problems and all any of us can do is try to look out for each other whenever we can. Hence the chorus of this song is the line “Just keep on trying to breathe and do your best in a world you know is rotten to the core.”

Housing and mental health support are two areas that lack funding but can make a significant difference in people’s lives. For this reason I’m supporting Shelter and Andy’s Man Club with this track, two excellent charities that are positively influencing the lives of the people who need it most.

If you feel like supporting these causes you can purchase this track on iTunes for 79p (pre-order and it’ll be available April 9th), or if you’d prefer you can make a larger (or smaller) donation on Justgiving, all proceeds will be split equally between the two charities: iTunes pre-order

If you can’t afford it or don’t want to – don’t worry about it! Look after yourself first, you can still help me spread the word and you’ll be able to enjoy the track for free on Spotify, Youtube etc.

As with most of my work, there is a message of hope and positivity in amongst the despair, one that urges us all to look out for each other and to speak up if we need help, hopefully before things reach crisis point.

The track itself has some cracking lyrics and some of my hardest bars yet, if you like what I do then I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

If you have it in your heart, it would be great if you could give this post a share so that I can reach more people who may be interested in supporting these causes.

The charities:

Shelter

Andy's Man Club