You could almost believe that Hannah White was on her way to a red carpet event but for the urban art in the background. It provides the backdrop for the cover of her latest single "Working Shoes". With 2025 already shaping up to be a most challenging year both home and abroad, Hannah is preparing for what will no doubt be a busy year. Whether it be Sutton council or those in power home and abroad, she is bound to be the voice of reason in an unreasonable unfair world.
"Working Shoes" is about picking up that gauntlet, seeing this as a time to be
"Active with the activists not sleeping with the sleepers" to use a line from the Bard of Barking Billy Bragg.
All of which is fine but does it come attached to a single you can tap your toe too? Well as a matter of fact yes it does!
The opening verse may be played out over just an acoustic guitar, however that just acts as a scene setter - it acknowledges that you could just give in and give up in the face of an unrelenting challenge or you can go out and face the oncoming storm.
"There’s a town on fire,
Lord what a fire
Babe you’ve got the blues
You can fall apart
Or you can put on your working shoes"
Once Hannah slips on her shoes she's ready to go to work, the music becomes soulful country with the addition of a piano from Lars Hammersland and some slight percussion. Given the nature of the lyrics it may come as a surprise to find that Hannah has dug down to dig out her most soulful of deliveries.
"You can hear people crying
Hungry and afraid
For all they’ve got to lose
Get it together
And put on your working shoes"
The chorus becomes a rally to assemble and additional voices form a supporting choir
"Cos baby who will win
If we begin to turn our backs on tomorrow
There’s just no way
To face a day
If we’re giving up on showing up for more"
Complete with a Kieron Marshall guitar solo, this is a perfect match of music and social relevance. The final verse is Hannah addressing herself but in essence she is addressing the nation if not the world to rally against injustice wherever it is and not just let it pass by unchallenged.
"So what you gonna do now?
Hide away and break down?
Baby time to choose
You can fall apart
Or you can put on your working shoes"
As much as we'd love to hope that Hannah may able at some point in the next year to sit back, put her feet up and take a well earned rest - we're sure the world has other plans and that those shoes may need resoling before we hit 2026.