Billy Bragg, the English singer-songwriter famous not only for his music, but also for his political activism, will enchant the evenings of his fans in North America and Europe, with a tour that will start in June and will go on for the entire summer.

“The Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me Tour “  will start in the U.K., and will see Bragg extensively perform in several cities of Europe for about one month, starting with a performance at the John Peel Centre of Suffolk, UK, on May 4. Subsequently, he will jump into a North American tour for about another month, during which he will hit the roads of States, such as Illinois, Virginia, New York and Maryland, and will also touch Canada. He will then carry on another month of touring, mostly in the U.K., until mid-September.

The tour will be a celebration, with the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of his birth, of the life and legacy of singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie, whose musical interest was also blended with political activism.

The tour follows the release of “Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions” on April 21, on Nonesuch Records. The collection is a further step in the project undertaken by Bragg and alternative rock band Wilco years ago, composing the music to accompany words written by Guthrie. Nora Guthrie, daughter of the folk musician, proposed to Bragg and Wilco to accompany some of her father’s lyrics which were missing music that Guthrie never recorded.

Part of the collection is a re-release, with two of the volumes dating back to 1998 and 2000. The collection includes the original two volumes (the second one is remastered) plus a third volume, with 17 previously unreleased tracks, recorded during the original sessions. Furthermore, the 1999 documentary on the sessions “Man in the Sand,” and a 48-page booklet with notes by Nora Guthrie, lyrics, photos, and facsimiles of lyric sheets and sketches by Woody Guthrie are also included.

The collection has been defined a must-have by specialists and it has received an extremely positive reaction by the industry, with remarkable reviews by BBC Music, Q Magazine, Pitchfork and more. The reaction to the collection sets an, at least, interesting basis for the upcoming Billy Bragg tour.

Here is the entire schedule of Billy Bragg’s tour:

Europe:

May 4   John Peel Centre, Suffolk, UK

May 17 Heimathafen Neukölln, Berlin, GERMANY

May 18 Fabrik, Hamburg, GERMANY

May 19 Faust, Hanover, GERMANY

May 20 Ringkirche, Wiesbaden, GERMANY

May 22 Zeche, Bochum, GERMANY

May 23 Paradiso, Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS

May 25 Handelsbeurs, Gent, BELGIUM

May 27 Manufaktur, Schorndorf, GERMANY

May 28 Club Ampere, Munich, GERMANY

May 29 Viadukt, Zurich, SWITZERLAND

May 31 Volkshaus, Graz, AUSTRIA

Jun 1     Flex, Vienna, AUSTRIA

Jun 3     The Apple Cart Festival, London, UK

Jun 5     Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, Wales, UK

North America:

Jun 22&23 Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL

Jun 24   The Ark,  Ann Arbor, MI

Jun 26   The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA

Jun 28   Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA

Jun 29   Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield, ME

Jun 30   The Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH

Jul 1       Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT

Jul 5&6 Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg, MB

Jul 8       Mariposa Folk Festival, Orillia, ON

Jul 10     Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI

Jul 12     Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Okemah, OK

Jul 13     City Winery (w/ Steve Earle’s “WoodyFest”), New York, NY

Jul 15     Avalon Theatre, Easton, MD

Europe:

Jul 26     Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge, UK

Aug 11  Way Out West, Gothenburg, SWEDEN

Aug 17  Strummer of Love, Somerset, UK

Aug 18  Beautiful Days Festival, Devon, UK

Aug 17  Summer Sundae Weekend, Leicester, UK

Aug 24  Shambala Festival, Northamptonshire, UK

Aug 25  Solfest, Tarns, UK

Aug 26  Galtres Festival, Crayke, UK

Aug 27  Voewood Festival, Norfolk, UK

Sep 11  St. Ives September Festival, St. Ives, UK

Image Courtesy of   http://www.siluh.com

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About the author

Veronica Cinti
Italian native, extremely passionate about music in general. Although she appreciates a wide variety of music genres, her strongest field of expertise is Rock music, Grunge and Punk among its styles. Contact the author: veronica.cinti@toonarimedia.com; Follow Veronica on Twitter: @VeronicaCinti

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