In a show combining songs and images, People’s History Museum ‘songwriter in residence’ Matt Hill (Quiet Loner) tells the story of the men and women – reformers, revolutionaries, chartists and suffragettes – who fought for our right to vote, finally achieved in 1928.

Drawing on historical source materials and first hand testimonies, Hill worked alongside museum curators to examine objects and artefacts in the collection and craft 10 original songs that bring back to life voices from the past.

In his work as ‘Quiet Loner’, Hill draws from the storytelling traditions of American folk and country music (he’s a previous recipient of Americana UK Album of the Year) but has a British, personal and political edge to his writing. This radical element led to Hill being invited by Billy Bragg to perform at Glastonbury Festival, appearing in a songwriters circle alongside Bragg and Amanda Palmer.

Since 2014 Hill has been curator of The Defiance Sessions one of the few regular UK music nights dedicated to songwriting with a political or conscientious aspect. In 2015 he helped set up ‘We Shall Overcome’ an anti-austerity movement using live music to offer support and solidarity with those hit by cuts, poverty and homelessness.