Your lyrics tackle a wide array of social and political issues from sex workers to fascists to Brexit to the Spanish Civil War to toxic masculinity. Did acts such as the Manic Street Preachers and Billy Bragg provide you with the blueprints for where you wanted to take your songwriting?
I have Billy Bragg lyrics tattoo’d on my arm, so aye, the guy’s a hero to me. But in terms of the political stuff, it comes from all sorts. I love Rage Against The Machine. Kate Tempest is killing it. Phil Ochs is another person I love. Gil Scott Heron. All these folk were huge inspirations. Manics are class too, though. I don’t really think I deliberately tried to write political stuff, it just sort of happened. I write what I know and feel so if I’m reading a book or watching the news it comes through.
Read more at….DECLAN WELSH AND THE DECADENT WEST – INTERVIEW
Celebrating Phil Ochs 
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