We are proud to announce our first publication through their new ‘The Bird Is The Word’ imprint.
‘All You Can Do Is Hum’ is a collection of lyrics from across the Joshua Idehen musical catalogue. An 80 page paperback.
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Joshua’s hugely acclaimed debut album ‘I know you’re hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying’, you have got to try was released on Heavenly earlier this year. Soon after that, it became a soundtrack to Britain’s bleached out summer. The record seemed to find the spirit of country as the sun refused to stop shining, becoming an incredible crutch for music lovers in 2026 as it took their hands and lead them through the good times and the bad with huge doses of both optimism and humour – what The Guardian described as “fighting hate with hope”.
‘All You Can Do Is Hum’ is very much the world according to Joshua Idehen. The book collects together the lyrics for ‘I know you’re hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try’ as well as pieces from ‘Mum Does The Washing’, ‘Learn To Swim, A Mixtape’ and ‘Stretch to the Stars’, and presents them in a beautiful book with a foreword written by Yomi Sode. Yomi Ṣode is an award-winning Nigerian-British writer. His debut collection Manorism was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2023 and the T S Eliot Prize 2022.
In addition to those lyrics, some songs come with notes from both Joshua and his studio partner Ludvig Parment (aka Saturday, Monday) that talk through the process of writing and producing the songs. All You Can Do Is Hum is the small and perfectly formed companion piece to any Joshua Idehen record. Finally, you get to know exactly how all those mums did the washing.
• ‘I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Trying You Have Got To Try.’ • Purchase here. •
Joshua and Ludvig play a huge tour of the UK and EU this autumn, and have collaborated with Apples & Snakes to bring poets along to support. Apples and Snakes is the home for performance poetry in England. They support poets to develop, grow and champion performance poetry for everyone.
Live Dates with poets:
03/11/26 – London, Here at Outernet (with Repeat Beat Poet)
04/11/26 – Cardiff, The Globe
05/11/26 – Brighton, Corn Exchange (with Tia Zakura)
07/11/26 – Bristol, O2 Academy (with Bradley Taylor)
08/11/26 – Norwich, The Adrian Flux Waterfront (with Bradley Taylor)
10/11/26 – Manchester, New Century Hall (with Danny Pandolfi)
11/11/26 – Leeds, Project House (with Danny Pandolfi)
12/11/26 – Liverpool, Arts Club (with Tia Zakura)
13/11/26 – Birmingham, O2 Institute 2
14/11/26 – Sheffield, Electric
16/11/26 – Glasgow, SWG3 (TV Studio)
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