The vinyl intrigued me; with sleeve designs reminiscent of paperback classics, albums that played at the speed as a single, these were odd platters. And that was before I stole a listen on my own turntable. But listen I did and, on encountering the sound of one man and his guitar, I soon realised that you don't need to affect an American accent to show you have soul.
This Billy Bragg fella crafted songs that were poignant, political, and lyrically beautiful; I am the milkman of human kindness, I will leave an extra pint, she ran away from home on her mother's best coat, she was married before she was even entitled to vote, the Polaroids that keep us together will surely fade away. A joyous array of words, delivered with a rawness of heart and a powerful belief, all from this guy with a guitar. Albums followed, hits from over artists covering his material, but no compromise.
After more than 35 years of walking his own path, singing his own way, this unlikely troubadour is still delivering songs of power and truth. This year he's bringing it to the people via a marathon touring residency. The One Step Forward, Two Steps Back tour will offer fans the chance to hear different sets over three nights in the same venue.
The tour crosses the pond, with dates in the US and UK over the next twelve months, pitching up at The Wedgewood Rooms from the 5th to the 7th of July, with tickets for this novel tour available either individually or combined in a "season pass". If three nights of Billy Bragg playing on your doorstep tempt your fancy tickets for the Portsmouth residency go on sale here from 10am tomorrow morning priced at £25 per gig, with combined three night packages available via MusicGlue (update: three night packages for the Wedgewood Rooms gig have now sold out).
No comments:
Post a Comment