Pete Morton - Flying An Unknown Flag (Harbour Town)

I’d forgotten just what a truly great song Another Town is. It’s 15 years old and while I’m not usually a fan of an artist recycling previously recorded work, I’ll happily grant a dispensation in this case. I simply can’t think of a better anthem for perseverance in the face of adversity – for hope. It’s a theme that runs deep in Pete Morton’s work. All the more remarkable for the fact that Morton tackles head on some of the bleaker realities of our age, such as the plight of North African refugees in leaky boats (The Shores of Italy), global bullies (Corruption Country), or ordinary, marginal lives worthy of Alan Bennett or Mike Leigh (The Post Office Queue). The stand out for me is The Busker’s Son where he simultaneously absolves a friend and former fellow traveler (who long ago left the path for a sedentary existence) and celebrate his peripatetic life in music: “It was good to see you after all this time, your story is golden and so is mine.” Good to see you too Pete.