Paul Frear is a singer-songwriter from Alston, Cumbria, in the upper South Tyne valley. His political stance and direct, guitar-based delivery have prompted comparisons with Billy Bragg, an influence Paul readily acknowledges along with another political and musical inspiration, The Clash. Paul is instrumental in organising the annual Alston Live Festival (https://www.facebook.com/AlstonLiveFestival).
Paul is active in the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (https://otjc.org.uk/) and in 2024 he toured venues in County Durham and Yorkshire as part of the 40th anniversary commemorations of the 1984 miners’ strike and the confrontation between miners and police at Orgreave coking works in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Re-examined in 2024 in documentaries on Channel 4 (Miners' Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain) and the BBC (Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story), the strike and Orgreave are now seen as marking a change in perceptions about the impartiality of the police and their excessive use of force against lawful protest, the role of the Thatcher Government in provoking the confrontation, and media manipulation of public opinion.
Paul is featured on the 3tynespodcast jukebox on YouTube – go to https://youtu.be/jsFINYhpqHc.
Paul performs as Uncle PAF. His Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/737797032914454. His 2020 album The Miner And His Son is available on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/album/1yu0PFSHF4TN6IS4AOTNAK?si=uWH4EK9qSgK7xI9zzn3Fhw) and his 2015 album A Different Kind O’ War is on Bandcamp at https://unclepaf.bandcamp.com/album/a-different-kind-o-war.
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