Barry Hyde
The Futureheads’ frontman Barry Hyde performs his sophomore solo album Miners’ Ballads, which is released on 21 March on his own label Sirenspire Records. The concept album, which has been commissioned by Sunderland City council and Paul Emerson, is inspired by the coal mining heritage of the North East with emphasis on Sunderland and Washington.
Hyde announced the album in December 2024 with lead single The Miner’s Life which is, Hyde says, “a traditional colliers song about the dangers, hardships and bravery of those that worked underground.” Hyde used the Cello Suite in G by JS Bach as a harmonic template and inspiration point.
While working on this project, Hyde was astonished to uncover direct past and present connections to the stories he was telling. Previous single Last Dance (At The Landlord’s Ball) is, Hyde says, “a standout track on the album and it follows a narrative that emerged as the album evolved. Following on from the track Collier Laddie; a song about a love struck coal mine owner, the protagonist descends into a jealous rage of madness after being unsuccessful in wooing a local pit village girl, even after offering her unthinkable wealth and privilege. She remains true to her collier sweetheart and the Landlord goes insane.”
Hyde drew on various resources and people for inspiration. His friend Keith Gregson, a retired history teacher, historian and musician, who worked with The Futureheads on their 2012 album Rant, wrote a book with Jim Moreland called Just One Man about songs on experiences in coal mining. Jim, now a teacher, was a miner as a teenager and is credited as a lyricist on the album. When Hyde approached Gregson, who has researched Hyde’’s family tree in the past, Gregson asked him if he’d ever mentioned that while doing his previous research he had discovered that two of Hyde’s ancestors – Thomas, 13 and Joseph, 14 – had been killed in a mining disaster in February 1882 in Trimdon. Suddenly the project became very personal to Hyde. He found a poem, written by The Pitman’s Poet Tommy Armstrong called The Trimdon Grange Explosion about the day his ancestors lost their lives. The final track on the album Trimdon Grange 1882 is dedicated to them.
Musically, the album – which Hyde self-produced, engineered and played most of the instruments on – sits somewhere between his 2016 album Malody and the more acoustic/folk.
“Compelling concept album of life, love and hardship.” UNCUT