Billy Bragg • singer songwriter and activist

“The frustration of seeing nothing that spoke to me on Top Of The Pops in the early 80’s made me realise if I wanted to hear music that had something to say about the state of the world and real life, I’d have to make it myself. 18 months later I recorded my first LP. To mark the 40th anniversary of Life’s A Riot with Spy vs Spy, I’ve compiled a number of commemorative releases that trace the arc of my career since those fateful Thursday nights.” Billy Bragg 2023

‘The music of Britain’s foremost protest singer gets an evocative overview in this nuanced compilation’

Album Of The Week

The Guardian

‘…a musically mature, international artist who is still bursting with energy.’

Rolling Stone

‘A British institution.’

Clash

‘One of the great human beings of Planet Earth…while the world changes by the minute, Billy’s empathy remains steadfast.’

Brooklyn Vegan

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Billy Bragg

Wed Dec 13th, 2023

Been home for a few days and, having unpacked my bags, I’m now in the process of unpacking what happened on the tour. I had a great time, the shows went really well - most of them completely sold out - and the audiences were brilliant too. Thanks to everyone who came along. One thing I didn’t really have time to reflect on was the passing, on the last day of November, of Shane MacGowan. Caught in the momentum of the last six dates of the tour, I had but time to sing a song for him that night in Manchester - ‘Another Man’s Done Gone’ from the Mermaid Avenue session - and pay brief tribute on the platform formerly known as Twitter.It’s been a while since I last saw Shane, but we both came through around the same time and I shared many a bill with the Pogues at places like the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden. I loved their fiery mixture of punk and folk, and their ability to switch for raucous to sentimental at the twist of tune. Most of all, I admired Shane’s lyricism. Their success, along with bands like the Smiths and REM, turned the spotlight onto songwriting, opening a door for those of us who were more about words than haircuts. Since I got home, if been listening to my favourite Pogues song ‘The Broad Majestic Shannon’. It’s not the most celebrated of their canon, but it has all the best attributes of MacGowan song: the cherished memory of an evening’s carousing peppered with a fistful of references to places in rural Ireland and a touch of the Erse - “And a fiddle playing "Sean Dun Na Ngall”. But the heart of the song is that beautiful chorus:Take my hand and dry your tears, babeTake my hand, forget your fears, babeThere’s no pain, there’s no more sorrowThey’re all gone, gone in the years, babe.The descending passing note that James Fearnley plays on the accordion between the word ‘pain’ and ‘there’s’ has always tugged at my heart-strings. And that gear-change at the end of the song, where he “walks, as day was dawning” to the Shannon, which I had never noticed before now is sung over the tune of the chorus, rather than the verse, takes you with him to stand overlooking that broad, majestic river.Of course, since Shane’s passing that chorus has taken on a much deeper meaning, so I was moved to come across this cover of the song by Liam Clancy, of the great Irish folk group the Clancy Brothers. Apparently MacGowan had written the song for them to record, but it never came to pass. Instead, Clancy recorded it for his final solo album, ‘The Wheels of Life’ released in 2008, a year before he died. A man known for his roaring singing style, he forsakes the uptempo approach taken by the Pogues to sing it softly as a ballad. Most touching of all, he replaces the word ‘babe’ in the choruses with ‘Shane’. Sung by someone who had lived the roaring life to his younger fellow traveller, it was a touching tribute when released. Now, with Shane’s passing, it’s almost unbearably poignant. ... See MoreSee Less

Liam Clancy - The Broad Majestic Shannon

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The Broad Majestic Shannon Written by Shane Macgowan Performed by Liam Clancy Ly...

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Billy Bragg is in Nevada, United States.

Wed Dec 13th, 2023

Sometimes an offer comes in that’s just too hard to resist: Las Vegas + Punk Rock + Bowling + Devo + Madness = count me inPunk Rock Bowling 🔗 punkrockbowling.com ... See MoreSee Less

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Billy Bragg is at Hmv 363 Oxford Street.

Tue Dec 5th, 2023

Tickets going fast for my event at the recently re-opened HMV 363 Oxford Street store this Friday. I’ll be playing live at 6pm as well as signing albums both new and old. How to attend: https://hmv.com/Live/Billy-Bragg ... See MoreSee Less

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