The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Show reviews
    • Interviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Cannes
      • Sundance London
      • Venice
      • London
  • Music
    • Live music
    • Album reviews
    • Interviews
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
    • Fringe
    • Vault Festival
    • Interviews
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join the team
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Culture Music Live music

Billy Bragg at Rough Trade East

Billy Bragg at Rough Trade East | Live review
18th March 2013
Avatar photo
Rita Vicinanza
Avatar
Rita Vicinanza
18 March 2013

Promoting his new LP Tooth & Nail, folk-rock singer-songwriter Billy Bragg performed a one-off short acoustic set in London before jetting back to the US where he’s currently on tour. Despite tiredness due to jet lag, Bragg entertained the audience with tunes from his latest album and a trip down memory lane with Sexuality and Greetings To The New Brunette, which pleased both old fans and new recruits.

Bragg and his acoustic guitar delighted the crowd who sang along to his sometimes funny, sometimes serious lyrics. The singer introduced every song, explaining their origins, with the audience interacting with laughs and shouts. Between chanting “Free Pussy Riot!” and expressing his world-views, such as supporting gay unions, to which he dedicated No One Knows Nothing Anymore, Bragg confirmed that he is unashamedly socially engaged even though he doesn’t like to be labelled as a political songwriter.

Writing songs is often a personal experience (January Song and Handyman Blues are good examples of this) but Bragg understands the power of music as an effective medium of communication. His music is a reminder that lyrics and music penetrate minds.

Bragg paid homage to St. Patrick’s Day by playing On Ragland Road, a Patrick Kavanagh poem originally recorded by Luke Kelly. The last song, Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards, left the audience in a merry mood for a pint of beer before heading home.

★★★★★

Rita Vicinanza
Photo: John kell

For further information and future events visit Billy Bragg’s website here.

Watch the video for No One Knows Nothing Anymore here:

Related Itemslive musicreview

More in Live music

Tom A Smith at Camden Assembly

★★★★★
Taryn Crowley
Read More

Willie J Healey at Electric Brixton

★★★★★
Hannah Broughton
Read More

Bear’s Den at Union Chapel

★★★★★
Emily Downie
Read More

Cian Ducrot at Hammersmith Apollo

★★★★★
Taryn Crowley
Read More

Jessie Ware at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Charlotte Gornall
Read More

The Streets at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Mark Worgan
Read More

Genesis Owusu at Heaven

★★★★★
Charlotte Gornall
Read More

Mystery Jets at SOUND Cafe

★★★★★
Taryn Crowley
Read More

Corey Taylor at Hammersmith Apollo

★★★★★
Hannah Broughton
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Candy Cane Lane
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • “It’s super important to put attention on childhood, it shapes who children become”: Lila Avilés on Tótem at the Belfast Film Festival
    Culture
  • Earth Mama
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Tom A Smith at Camden Assembly
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story at Alexandra Palace
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Earth Mama
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Candy Cane Lane
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Doll Factory
    ★★★★★
    Show review
  • Geni
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story at Alexandra Palace
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Earth Mama
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Fallen Leaves
    ★★★★★
    Uncategorised
  • The Doll Factory
    ★★★★★
    Show review
  • Tom A Smith at Camden Assembly
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story at Alexandra Palace
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
  • Contact us
  • Join the team
  • Subscribe to the mailing list
  • Support us
  • Writing for The Upcoming

Copyright © 2011-2023 FL Media