This, it
must be said, is a fantastic venue for a gig. RTM hasn’t been here for about 25
years – then our teenage selves were more concerned with messing about with the
binoculars than we were with actually watching “Romeo And Juliet”, but now, as (definitely)
older and (hopefully) wiser, we find ourselves with a quite stunning view of
proceedings.
Possibly
Wes Finch was a touch overawed too by it all too. Because he seems just a
little timid during his opening numbers, with “Pinch of Salt” in particular,
you feel, having the potential to be a decent melancholy folk song, but lacking
something.
Then midway
through his 45 minute set, something happens. He plays a gritty, bluesy, Robert
Johnson cover and all of a sudden he’s off and running. “Ring On The Riverbed”
is a tale of lost love and “The Punchline” is likewise, a fine song. You can
almost see the confidence flooding through him and Finch’s set is one that
ended up way better than it started.
If Billy
Bragg has ever lacked confidence he’s never shown it in all the times RTM has
seen him. And – backed with a band for more than half two hours he’s on stage
tonight – he is pretty unstoppable.
This jaunt
(tonight at the RSC is the first date on his UK tour) is in support of his new recprds
“Tooth and Nail”. In RTM’s opinion it is a real return to form after the patchy
“England Half English” and “Mr Love And Justice” albums that he’s put out in
the last decade. That is reflected in tonight’s performance, which sees around
half of it played. Bragg hasn’t sounded this good – or appeared this energised
- in years.
Beginning with
one of his political numbers in “Ideology” he is soon aplogising to the bard
for his grammar in the track “No One Knows Nothing Anymore” by track three is
playing one his many Woody Guthrie songs in “Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key” –
and that in a nutshell is Bragg summed up. No one else can shift so
effortlessly or so well between different styles, from singer/songwriter to
Folk to Rock to almost punk, so easily well and no one can do political songs
and shift to love songs quite so skillfully.
There are
those who think that Bragg has gone soft in his older age and that he doesn’t write
scathing attacks on the right wing political beliefs anymore. He plays “Between
The Wars” (dedicated to Margaret Thatcher) and as if to prove he has still got
the fire, he follows it up with his condemnation of the modern tabloid press “Never
Buy The Sun.”
More than
anything, though, tonight is a fun gig with a real warmth at its heart.
Encoring with the lead track from “…Nail” “Handyman Blues” a tale of his
hopelessness at DIY (which contains the fabulous line “I know you think I’m
just reading the paper/But these ideas I will turn to goldust later” ) before
singing off with the classic “Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards” this really
has been a night to remind yourself that Bragg is still absolutely, totally
relvant.
Like the
tea towel (no, really) he is selling in the foyer says, Bragg is marmite. You
love him or hate him. Of course, we are in the former camp. And to paraphrase
his most famous song (one which is not played tonight) Bragg doesn’t want to
change the world, he’s just looking for a better England – and entertaining
while he does it. And he is superb tonight.
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