Song shows Wigan has plenty of balls!

Chonkinfeckle’s new song Wigan’s Got Lots of Balls! pays tribute to the town’s interest in round or oval objects, whether they are the ones passed around the field by the borough’s successful football and rugby teams or swallowed by fans of Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls.

The humorous ukulele duo, made up of Tim Cooke and Les Hilton, even got behind-the-scenes access to Wigan’s most famous sweets factory to film a video to accompany the single.

The song also provides the group’s fans with a sneak preview of Chonkinfeckle’s ninth album Learning on the Job, which is about to be released.

Band member Tim said: “It’s a nod to the football and rugby and also to Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls. I saw a poster at the Christmas market in Manchester which said something about Wigan’s sports teams and sweets.

“I showed it to Les and he already had a song written which we’ve now resurrected. It also starts with the miners because they used to take mint balls downthe pit to help their breathing and clear their noses.

“For the video I went to see the managing director at Uncle Joe’s and explained the situation and he said pick a date to come in.

“We got the grand tour. We saw all the machinery, some of it pre-war and still churning out sweets, saw the new bagging system and even got to try a mint ball fresh off the press, which was a completely different experience because it was still warm and chewy.”

Wigan’s Got Lots of Balls! provides the ideal way to introduce music fans to the full album, which features 12 Chonkinfeckle songs alongside a guest performer’s rendition of a track Les wrote for her.

The group once again takes a wry look at ordinary North West life, with many of the band’s tales deriving from Les’ previous job as a taxi driver.

The new album includes songs on topics as varied as families without much money proudly buying a new second-hand car, the decline of Wigan’s drinking scene and the loss of many famous pubs and clubs and the sayings and proverbs Les’ dad was very fond of repeating.

Wigan’s Got Lots of Balls! by Chonkinfeckle is out now and the video is available to watch on Youtube. For more information visit chonkinfeckle.co.uk