Billy Bragg is ending the first leg of his 2012 summer tour, but he will hit the road again in less than one month, touching Europe and North America. Toonari Post were there to attend Bragg’s concert in Vienna, Austria, on June 1. The show was presented by PSI2 music, the legendary organizer of some of the most interesting acts in Austria since 1987.

A much differentiated crowd gathered in the Flex club, which boasts the best sound system in Europe. There were no opening act, just a simple stage featuring only Bragg and his guitars: the electric one was the protagonist while an acoustic guitar was used for the song ‘Sexuality.’

Billy Bragg performed a two-hour show, playing his songs and engaging in several conversations with the audience. Among the singer-songwriter’s own well-known tracks, he also played an homage to Woody Guthrie. A few years ago, Bragg composed together with rock band Wilco, the music for some of Guthrie’s lyrics, found by the daughter of the late musician. The songs were recorded and released as the “Mermaid Avenue” collection, which was re-released, including previously unreleased material, in April this year. During the show Bragg performed some of the songs from the collection, such as ‘Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key,’ which also contains the line that gives the title to the current tour: ‘There Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me.’

In the many on-stage conversations, Billy Bragg joked about soccer and the upcoming European Championship, and he told funny stories about his shopping adventures during the tour, among other things. He even talked about his family and his teenage years. However, it was not just light-hearted. Bragg is well known for his deep involvement in political issues. He has written many political songs along with his infamous love songs, hence the talks about the current state of the world were more than expected. He even adapted the themes in his songs to current issues.

This said, you did not have to share Bragg’s political values in order to enjoy his show. The messages he sent to the audience were mainly of respect, and the importance of general commitment to build a better world. The kind of vision portrayed by the singer is shared by people who can claim different political affiliation, or none at all.

He also focused on one of the biggest problems of our time: cynicism. He defined cynicism as the biggest enemy of society. Moreover, he argued about the internet era, and the duality of its usage. Internet, Bragg explained, allows free expression and information, but is also used as an abusive tool by some. In this context, keeping his usual support for freedom, Bragg stated: “Freedom of speech does not give you the freedom to be abusive.”

Towards the end of the show, he also explained the role of music in the process of world change. He said music cannot change the world itself. Instead, what music does is to gather people who feel the same way about world issues. United, those people can change the world. Music is rather a means of encounter and promotion of a collective action, than a tool of change itself.

Bragg was perfect in reconciling the talks and the music, resulting in an extremely passionate and touching show. It was one of those performances that are not easily forgotten. He created a unified feeling that strung together the singer-songwriter and the audience, whom showed a constant enjoyment of the event.

The show ended with Bragg’s infamous song ‘A New England,’ and a singing crowd accompanying it. After the show Bragg met the fans to sign autographs and talk some more.

Billy Bragg will start his North American tour at the end of June. You can find all the dates here.

Image Courtesy  Malcolm McCurrach / Shutterstock.com

The article The Hypnotic Billy Bragg Tour: Concert Review appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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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