CityLife

Billy Bragg

BILLY Bragg is one of life’s good guys. A fervent supporter of worthy causes for more than 25 years – from the ill-fated Red Wedge campaign in the 1980s, to his wholly admirable Jail Guitar Doors project, which engages British prisoners by teaching them to learn musical instruments – the Bard Of Barking can always be relied upon to fight the good fight.

Yet despite all his efforts, for a number of years the Essex protest singer’s own musical career has been somewhat stranded – with any new material failing to create any sizable ripples in the mainstream.

The last 12 months have seen something of a sea change though, his 12th studio LP, Mr Love & Justice, saw him break the UK top 40 for the first time in a decade and collaborations with the likes of new firebrand Coventry trio The Enemy and London songstress Kate Nash have brought him to younger, hipper audience.

This was evident at a packed out Bridgewater Hall last night too, where intrigued teenagers and twentysomethings were liberally scattered among the beery blokes who tiresomely wasted no time in bellowing out their requests repeatedly.

Bragg had, as ever, more important issues on his mind though and sprinkled among passionate renditions of cuts from his latest offering (the title track and I Have Faith epitomised the hopeless optimist a large chunk of the nation has come to love) plus a plethora of old favourites, were rabble-rousing homilies on the dangers of political complacency.

Everyman charm

It could all sound so sanctimonious too, if it wasn’t for the everyman charm the 50-year-old delivered his cutting wit with (“you can’t see if from down there, but they put my tea in a Labour Party campaign mug – someone’s having a laugh aren’t they?”).

Thankfully, Bragg never hammered home the point long enough as to sideline the music.

So we got rousing deliveries in his trademark estuary drawl of Sexuality, Accident Waiting To Happen (preceded by a vociferous rant about the BNP) and a tender Milkman Of Human Kindness before things took a surprise turn in the encore.

Fresh back from a pre-Obama win American tour, it’s a brave, brave man who takes on Sam Cooke’s stirring civil rights anthem A Change In Gonna Come – particular one who can, at times, sound like a man who is hollering into a bucket - yet Bragg had a bash with heartening gusto, while an onstage union with a clearly moved Badly Drawn Boy (who brings his own tape recorder on to document the moment) was a nice touch too.

Inevitably though, it was his lovelorn signature tune New England, which brought the house down with the chorus still ringing his ears as he vacated the stage thumping his heart and pointing to the galleries.

Half a century in and the Bard appears to have found a new lease of life.

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