BILLY BRAGG

VOGUE THEATRE – APRIL 5, 2013

Billy Bragg’s last couple of Vancouver shows have been solo gigs, but his latest local appearance found the veteran folk-punk activist backed by a full band. These backing musicians helped the British songwriter to interpret the country-tinged material from his latest album, Tooth & Nail, but even more interestingly, they put a new twist on some old classics.

Throughout the set, the band switched between an electric rock setup and an acoustic configuration that included pedal steel and upright bass. The lineup turned “The Space Race Is Over” into a gorgeous country ballad and added some punch to the tear-jerking “Valentine’s Day Is Over.”

As beautiful as these full-band arrangements were, the real highlight of the show was, as always, Bragg’s storytelling and impassioned left-wing banter. His between-song speeches were frequently as long as the tunes themselves and he told extended anecdotes about everything from his band’s love of Breaking Bad to his experiences campaigning against the right-wing British National Party. His also spoke at length at Woody Guthrie and his Mermaid Avenue collaborations with WIlco, and performed several vintage folk songs written by Guthrie.

The set ended with a rousing version of “Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards,” which saw Bragg forgoing of the lyrical revisions from recent years (including the ones about “smart bombs in the hands of dumb people”) and culminated in a rousing singalong. This accomplished what any good Billy Bragg show should by sending the crowd home filled with positive vibes and a sense of leftist political zeal.

By Alex Hudson
Photos: tiina liimu