12th December - Bristol
Returning to Hackney Empire after a dozen or so years was a revelation. The theatre was built in 1901 and some of the great music hall acts played there, among them Charlie Chaplin and Marie Lloyd. By the time I started doing my annual New Years Eve shows in 1988, the place was pretty run down. Although the auditorium itself retained the atmosphere of a live theatre - with two balconies and a high gallery - the dressing rooms were pokey and damp. Although having re-opened in 1986, the Empire remained a fading gem and any money that could be raised was understandably spent on the fabric of the auditorium.
In its centenary year, the Empire closed for a £15m full refurbishment, re-opening in 2004 restored to the grandeur of its heyday - and with a brand new backstage area. Hooray! The show on 10th Dec marked the first date of the tour to feature a support act, Nizlopi, who put in a brilliant set and came on during the encore to perform ‘Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key’ with me. This meant that rather than do a two set show, I condensed the songs into one set.
On the following morning I took part in the unveiling of a plaque at the London headquarters of the Public and Commercial Services Union. The inscription read ‘In memory of the men and women of Battersea and Wandsworth who fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War 1936 -1939. Their courage inspires our continuing fight against racism and fascism. ¡NO PASARAN!’. This area of south London was known for its left wing radicalism - in 1922 Battersea North elected England’s first communist M.P, the Indian-born Shapurji Saklatvala - and sent a high number of volunteers to fight in the International Brigades alongside the Republicans against General Franco’s fascists.
Performing the unveiling with me was Jack Jones, former general secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union and a leading figure in the Trades Union Congress, now in his 90s and one of the few surviving members of the International Brigade.
The gig in Cambridge was a rowdy affair. The Damned had played their the night before and some of their old skool punk vibe remained. It seeped into my set and I consequently delivered a corker, for a Monday night anyway. The audience were up close and personal during the gig and, afterwards, the first appearance of Billy Bragg tea-towels on the merch stall sent them into a frenzy of signing and photos. We finally signed everyone’s everything and got out of the venue around 12.15am.
The Bristol show was an odd one. Perhaps it was the fact that the gig was in a converted church, which still had a massive altar-piece above the stage from which Jesus and attendant angels stared down at the audience. Or maybe it was the congregation of Christians kneeling in the wet dark street outside the venue, seemingly praying for the souls of the audience as they filled in. The presence of the altar-piece prevented us from flying our Stop the BNP! No Pasaran! Banner so I had to describe it to the audience in the intro of ‘Jarama Valley’, explaining that No Pasaran translated as ‘They Shall Not Pass’ and came from a speech made by Dolores Ibárruri, La Pasionaria, during the defence of Madrid against Franco’s fascists in 1936. The audience contained numerous members of a Welsh left wing choir who all wore t-shirts baring a hammer and sickle and the slogan In Bragg We Trust. They claimed to sing my songs in Welsh.
After the OSP experience in Cambridge, this one felt a little subdued, like a Monday night gig, 24 hours late. We later learned that the prayers being said outside the venue were directed at the abortion clinic across the road and had nothing to do with the gig,
Getting back to the hotel, I found, to my frustration, that the blog site wouldn’t let me post this entry. Until now.
6 Responses to “12th December - Bristol”
By sryan1 on Dec 27, 2006
Billy, I thought you might be interested in a memorial unveiled in my own city of Waterford Ireland to 11 members of the XV International Brigade. The volunteers were all from my own city of Waterford. The memorial was unveiled by Jack Jones, Michael O’Riordan and Moe Fishman. You may be aware that Mick O’Riordan has since passed away. One of those Waterford voluntteers was my own grand uncle Peter O’Connor. This link is from my own Blog and recalls the day in Waterford.
http://seamusryan.blogspot.com/2006/07/tomorrow-is-70th-anniversary-of.html
Cheers Billy and keep up the great music - Seamus
By patteran on Dec 31, 2006
Hackney Empire - rising from somewhat seedy eminence to become one of the great London venues. But for all the refurbishment done & its conspicuous successes, it needs continuous support to stay afloat.
My Dad was a Battersea boy & a keen member of the ILP during the ’30s. He agonised about going to Spain, but, having just got married, he stayed at home & took the flak from fellow party members for having yielded Marxist obligation to bourgeois values. When I was a kid & Dad, as a businessman, had crossed the floor into the liberal camp, we motored our way through Europe, part of the first vanguard of Brits Abroad. But he wouldn’t countenance crossing the Spanish border until Franco was dead & gone.
The Cambridge gig was, indeed, a corker. Long live the spirit of ‘76! I didn’t stay for the tea towel signing, though. Maybe next time.
By nottsbob on Jan 11, 2007
We also have a memorial to those from Nottinghamshire who fought in the International Brigade on the wall outside County Hall. It was unveiled by the Spanish Ambassador in September 1993 at a ceremony attended by about 50 members of the International Brigade.
It consists of a sculpture depicting bombarded buildings similar to the ones that still remain in the Spanish town of Belchite and plaques on either side of the sculpture. One with the text “In honour of the volunteers who left Nottinghamshire to fight in the International brigade, Spain 1936-1939. They went because their open eyes could see no other way. No Pasaran.” The other plaque lists the five who died and were buried in Spain, and the thirteen who returned.
By sryan1 on Jan 14, 2007
I came across a book some time ago that had details and photographs of all the Spanish Civil War memorials in Britain and Ireland. If anyone knows the name of it they might let me know
By Sailmariner on Jan 16, 2007
My main reason for posting here is to learn whether you have a 2007 tour schedule that might include a venue in the northeast U.S.
But, I cannot resist asking, have you ever looked into the song called The Rising of the Moon? It was done by Peter, Paul and Mary back in the 1960s. After a mere 40 years or so, I recently looked up the references to the events of 1798. For me, one of the finest parts of the whole story is the courage and commitment of the poet/songwriter, JK Casey, who naturally makes me think of you, Billy, as well as Phil Ochs. And a worthy heir to the tradition here in the U.S. is John Flynn.
By jocksy on Jan 22, 2007
i think this is what you may be referring to sryan1:
Memorials of the Spanish Civil War - A book of photographs and stories of all the memorials in the British Isles (up to 1996). Edited by Colin Williams, Bill Alexander and John Gorman; Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd.; 1996.
cheers,
jocksy