I went to see Billy Bragg last night, horrifyingly having to leave before the end (babysitters, I ask you) but it was still a wonderful show – I went in worried there was going to be a lot of Mr Love and Justice which I’m not generally speaking a fan of, to be honest, but there wasn’t, it was almost a ‘write yourself a dream playlist’ night. And they played ‘What’s Going On’ (the album) whilst we waited. The one strange thing, although it worked perfectly well after the first shock of it, as that we were all sat around tables laid out on the floor of the civic hall – it was strangely civilised, even if the first thing Billy said when he came on was “So are you all just gonna sit there and look at me or what!”.
He was supported by Otis Gibbs who made me think of seeing Billy supported by Ted Hawkins several times back in the day, and that, of course, is a huge compliment to Otis Gibbs who was very very good indeed. His site is here and is full of goodies (“I come not in consumerism but in fellowship – if you head over to my place you’ll find lots of songs you’re welcome to for free”) but he finished with this one as a taster for you here…
Otis Gibbs – I Wanna Change It mp3
And then Billy played and talked and talked and played – the horrors of bumping into Alistair Darling in the BBC’s green room, the even greater horrors of George Osborne walking in next, shouting ‘Billy Bragg!’ and starting to sing ‘A New England’, life and love and on and all. He played Levi Stubbs Tears and The Warmest Room and World Turned Upside-Down and Ideology and The Saturday Boy (“I don’t try and sing the trumpet solo at the end anymore because market research has shown that a Billy Bragg fan will automatically hear it in their head anyway”) and Brown to Blue and Greetings to the New Brunette and Sexuality, and I had to go just after he played this which is the only song on love and justice that really really does it for me, but then it was around for a couple of years before that album came out, so I don’t really think of it as belonging to there. And a live version of The Saturday Boy too, from a couple of years back, as it’s so lovely.
Billy Bragg – I Keep Faith (live) mp3
Billy Bragg – The Saturday Boy (live) mp3
June 19, 2009 at 9:56 am
It’s always a crackin’ night out with Bill – never mind the babysitter, last time I saw him I hit the boozer afterwards in an elatory mood and missed my last train home and everything, oh yes that is how seriously rock and roll I am.
Glad you had a good time.
Bloody George Osborne and Cameron and their bloody hijacking of our music! KOFF!
June 19, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Worse still is that it was an in-law babysitting, we left and got back not horribly late as a favour to them, but they still left a huge and terrible mess behind them. Shouldn’t have bothered getting the earlier train.
June 19, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Adam, you lucky sod. For Billy I would’ve let the sitter stew, family or not.
June 20, 2009 at 2:12 am
At least the show was good!
June 20, 2009 at 7:05 am
I’m not that keen on Mr Love & Justice either, my mate, however loves it, the same guy who all those years ago caught Ted Hawkins hat when he threw it into the crowd at the Barrowlands which I was quite miffed about at the time. Bragg live is always an uplifting experience. I wish Osborne would just fuck off.
June 20, 2009 at 7:19 am
I didn’t like Mr. Love and Justice at first, but came to love it in the end. He played quite a bit of it here last year when he came as well as the old standards. Funny, it was that gig that was one of the things that prompted me to start blogging. I was so elated afterward and had no one but my sweetie to share it with! Then I found all of you, what a day that was, xoxo
June 23, 2009 at 11:51 pm
I’m finding that the solo version of Mr Love & Justice is quite listenable. A Billy Bragg live gig must be one of the most enjoyable experiences you can ever have on this planet. Must have seen himn 20+ times over the years in Glasgow alone (probably at 20+ different venues!!!), and I never get tired of him.
Did you get tears in your eyes and a lump in your throat when he played ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’?? Happens to me every time….