onionbagblog
By George!
I was Barbican bound on Wednesday to celebrate St George's Day with Billy Bragg. For a man who tells us to Take Down the Union Jack, the Bard has got a lot of bottle to flirt with the flag wavers. He's also got a new quiff, looking ever more like his alter ego, Johnny CLASH.
But this was to be no evening for Americanisms; no Sireee. St George's Day is all about that uncomfortable culture of Englishness, and all the many and varied components that comprise of this fine country in 2008.
Billed as Still Looking For a New England, you get the idea that the name worked well, even if the concept had a lot of loose threads to try and pull together.
'Welcome to my alternative St George's Day,' beckoned Bill as he took to the stage in front of that most English of Guardianista audiences at The Barbican. The hall wasn't reeking of beer and fags, but broccoli breath.
'We've got an evening of music and stuff,' said Uncle Bill. 'We have to distance ourselves away from racism, my country - right or wrong. St George was an immigrant to these shores.'
A World Turned Upside Down indeed, the song, which opened the show.
With no English National Anthem to speak of, Jerusalem, as sung on The Internationale, was given a rousing rendition with that rarest of English traits, the audience participation number.
'We need to reclaim this song from the public school system,' said Bill. Too bloody right. It might have felt strangely like the closing of the Tory Party Conference, but the fight back begins here, Brothers and Sisters. There was even flag waving from the audience, football crowd style with placards under the seats raised in sequence to reveal the cross of St George. Not a white van in sight, either.
Introduction over, it was time for the first English act of the evening to define their notion of English identity. Hailing from Northumberland, Rachel Unthank & the Winterset's take on Englishness comprised of humming away in harmony with the constant threat of clog dancing being inflicted on the crowd. Dizzee Rascal at the Hackney Empire this most certainly wasn't.
Sounding like The Supremes singing songs about wife beating in the style of Talk Talk, with the added twist of a Darlington accent, the Englishness of the Winterset made about as much sense to me as Zola Budd did back in the day. Out came the clogs and it all went a little New Model Army. Nice girls though.
Bill seemed to be enjoying himself with an Uncle at a Wedding Dance in the wings. He thanked the Winterset, and then gave a speech about how he wanted the evening to reflect 'a strong sense of place,' within each artist.
That place for me isn't Northumberland.
Coventry is a little closer to home, and so I took more of an interest as Tom Clarke took to The Barbican stage. Followers of the popular hit parade tell me that Tom is the vocalist in a beat combo called The Enemy. It means nothing to me, but Tom's music certainly did.
It wasWeller Bragg by numbers: songs about social cohesion, sung by a singer with a smart haircut as well. Cracking stuff.
Bill's musical map of England continued to head South until crikey - here comes the yoof of Kentish Town. I knew nothing of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis before their show, but I left the Barbican wanting to find out a whole lot more. It's a family affair for the North London teenagers, with a proud Mum and Dad relegated to minor roles on rhythm guitar and double bass.
There's no way of escaping this: K, D & L are a skittle band. But a bloody good one at that. They're a sexy version of Mark Kermode and at least went some way in explaining Uncle Bill's quiff for the evening. It was as though Joe Strummer had been locked in a time machine with Lilly Allen, and transported back to Teddy Boy Britain.
Two foxy Camden yoof, one sings, one bashes the drums. Then they swap roles! Don't forget the interchangeable guitar / ukulele / keyboard roles as well. Kitty had the upper hand over her sister in that she managed to shoehorn in a harmonica as well.
This is skiffle pR0n. Very London, very ACE. The ghost of dear old Charlie Cotton stalked the stage at The Barbican. It went a bit Blue Hawaii at the end, but that's no bad thing. K, D & L not only stole the show, they had the cheek to sell it back to you off the back of a lorry at Brick Lane on a Sunday morning.
*edit to add that Kitty is apparently still only fifteen years-old and so I can't get away with calling her a fox. I have since downloaded her album though, WITHOUT the album artwork*
A quick Barbican beer break, and then it was back for the Boy Bragg's turn on stage for the second half of the show. A simple set list should suffice:
Take Down the Union Jack (what else?)
A Pict Song
Farmboy (wouldn't have been my choice from Love & Justice)
John Barleycorn / England Half English (actually forgotten how much fun this song is)
Both Sides Between (Dick Gaughan cover)
Hard Times of New England (Copper Family cover / re-write)
Sexuality (rather limp version)
Greetings to the New Brunette
Billy bangin' on about an English Bill of Rights
O Freedom
Johnny Clash Vs Pinball Wizard (TRUE!)
Old Clash Fan Fight Song
I Keep Faith
Power In a Union ('for our teaching colleagues')
New England sing-along.
'My name's Billy Bragg and I'm from Barking in Essex, ENGLAND!'
Still Looking For a New England finished off with a Jools Holland style jam of Swing Low. Sounds horrendous, but it was rescued with the returning rockabilly from K, D & L. If these Camden kids are the future of England, we needn't take down those flags just yet.
technorati: billy bragg
| Thursday 24 April, 2008 |
I was Barbican bound on Wednesday to celebrate St George's Day with Billy Bragg. For a man who tells us to Take Down the Union Jack, the Bard has got a lot of bottle to flirt with the flag wavers. He's also got a new quiff, looking ever more like his alter ego, Johnny CLASH.
But this was to be no evening for Americanisms; no Sireee. St George's Day is all about that uncomfortable culture of Englishness, and all the many and varied components that comprise of this fine country in 2008.
Billed as Still Looking For a New England, you get the idea that the name worked well, even if the concept had a lot of loose threads to try and pull together.
'Welcome to my alternative St George's Day,' beckoned Bill as he took to the stage in front of that most English of Guardianista audiences at The Barbican. The hall wasn't reeking of beer and fags, but broccoli breath.
'We've got an evening of music and stuff,' said Uncle Bill. 'We have to distance ourselves away from racism, my country - right or wrong. St George was an immigrant to these shores.'
A World Turned Upside Down indeed, the song, which opened the show.
With no English National Anthem to speak of, Jerusalem, as sung on The Internationale, was given a rousing rendition with that rarest of English traits, the audience participation number.
'We need to reclaim this song from the public school system,' said Bill. Too bloody right. It might have felt strangely like the closing of the Tory Party Conference, but the fight back begins here, Brothers and Sisters. There was even flag waving from the audience, football crowd style with placards under the seats raised in sequence to reveal the cross of St George. Not a white van in sight, either.
Introduction over, it was time for the first English act of the evening to define their notion of English identity. Hailing from Northumberland, Rachel Unthank & the Winterset's take on Englishness comprised of humming away in harmony with the constant threat of clog dancing being inflicted on the crowd. Dizzee Rascal at the Hackney Empire this most certainly wasn't.
Sounding like The Supremes singing songs about wife beating in the style of Talk Talk, with the added twist of a Darlington accent, the Englishness of the Winterset made about as much sense to me as Zola Budd did back in the day. Out came the clogs and it all went a little New Model Army. Nice girls though.
Bill seemed to be enjoying himself with an Uncle at a Wedding Dance in the wings. He thanked the Winterset, and then gave a speech about how he wanted the evening to reflect 'a strong sense of place,' within each artist.
That place for me isn't Northumberland.
Coventry is a little closer to home, and so I took more of an interest as Tom Clarke took to The Barbican stage. Followers of the popular hit parade tell me that Tom is the vocalist in a beat combo called The Enemy. It means nothing to me, but Tom's music certainly did.
It was
Bill's musical map of England continued to head South until crikey - here comes the yoof of Kentish Town. I knew nothing of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis before their show, but I left the Barbican wanting to find out a whole lot more. It's a family affair for the North London teenagers, with a proud Mum and Dad relegated to minor roles on rhythm guitar and double bass.
There's no way of escaping this: K, D & L are a skittle band. But a bloody good one at that. They're a sexy version of Mark Kermode and at least went some way in explaining Uncle Bill's quiff for the evening. It was as though Joe Strummer had been locked in a time machine with Lilly Allen, and transported back to Teddy Boy Britain.
Two foxy Camden yoof, one sings, one bashes the drums. Then they swap roles! Don't forget the interchangeable guitar / ukulele / keyboard roles as well. Kitty had the upper hand over her sister in that she managed to shoehorn in a harmonica as well.
This is skiffle pR0n. Very London, very ACE. The ghost of dear old Charlie Cotton stalked the stage at The Barbican. It went a bit Blue Hawaii at the end, but that's no bad thing. K, D & L not only stole the show, they had the cheek to sell it back to you off the back of a lorry at Brick Lane on a Sunday morning.
*edit to add that Kitty is apparently still only fifteen years-old and so I can't get away with calling her a fox. I have since downloaded her album though, WITHOUT the album artwork*
A quick Barbican beer break, and then it was back for the Boy Bragg's turn on stage for the second half of the show. A simple set list should suffice:
Take Down the Union Jack (what else?)
A Pict Song
Farmboy (wouldn't have been my choice from Love & Justice)
John Barleycorn / England Half English (actually forgotten how much fun this song is)
Both Sides Between (Dick Gaughan cover)
Hard Times of New England (Copper Family cover / re-write)
Sexuality (rather limp version)
Greetings to the New Brunette
Billy bangin' on about an English Bill of Rights
O Freedom
Johnny Clash Vs Pinball Wizard (TRUE!)
Old Clash Fan Fight Song
I Keep Faith
Power In a Union ('for our teaching colleagues')
New England sing-along.
'My name's Billy Bragg and I'm from Barking in Essex, ENGLAND!'
Still Looking For a New England finished off with a Jools Holland style jam of Swing Low. Sounds horrendous, but it was rescued with the returning rockabilly from K, D & L. If these Camden kids are the future of England, we needn't take down those flags just yet.
technorati: billy bragg
| #permalink |
