UNDERGROUND protest singer Chris T-T is doing a solo run of autumn gigs to places he hasn't done already this year, places such as the Black Swan Inn in Peasholme Green, York, on Wednesday.

"It’s going to be a blast, lots of green songs and red songs, so I hope you’re able to come along," says the Brighton troubadour on his website, making a reference to his tenth studio album, the politically charged 9 Green Songs.

"Because it's a solo tour, I like playing in a folky atmosphere, like the Black Swan, and though I miss playing band shows, as I think my head is still in a rock band [he fronts the Hoodrats], this new album was always meant for solo shows."

This summer's 9 Green Songs comes a decade after 9 Red Songs and it echoes that landmark Chris T-T album. Both have ten songs, despite the title. "You know how there are 'Easter eggs' extras with computer games, so there are a few 'Easter eggs' with Green Songs that hark back to Red Songs, so it had to have ten songs," says Chris.

"And I did a song called Admit One on Red Songs, so I wanted to write Admit Nothing for the new album, as it feels so much more apocalyptic now, so much more dangerous, that now we have to 'admit nothing'."

Chris feels "very pessimistic" at present. "The mood when composing the record was very depressing...and that was before Brexit. I'd written some of the songs before the General Election result," says the writer of Worst Government Ever.

"I'm a big believer in direct action, but I've reached the point where I'm very cynical about protests, especially on social media, where we're just shouting at each other or just bolstering each other with what we say.

York Press:

Chris T-T's album sleeve for 9 Green Songs

"Ten years on from 9 Red Songs, it seems we're sitting in our Twitter bubble and only a minority of people are getting out and trying to change things, but we can't just be hipster liberals.

"I wonder if, in earlier eras, the counter culture was driven by the arts, so that even if we were in a bubble, it was still possible to be the voice of a generation, like Dylan in the Sixties or the Angry Young Men playwrights, who were flag-bearers for the counter-culture movement. The problem now is that the counter culture has moved online."

Chris wonders too whether he is "stuck" because he could be deemed old-fashioned as a "middle-class, verging-on-middle-age musician". "Who uses a drum kit now?! That music is anachronistic, and then someone like Kate Tempest comes out of hip-hop, making her music much more contemporary," he says.

Nevertheless, the Green Party member will fight on, turning his attention to a songwriting project at The Workhouse in Southwark. "History remains really political, especially when you're talking about workhouses," he says.

Chris T-T's Love Me,  I'm A Liberal Tour visits the Black Swan Inn, York, on Wednesday; box office, christt.com/live-events/yorkliberal/. Support acts will be Zak Ford, Helen Chambers and Chris Mather.

Chris T-T will play piano on the Jim Bob Sings Again Tour at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on November 24; sold out.

Did you know?

The T-T in Chris T-T's name stands for Thorpe-Tracey.