Billy Bragg ‘Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me’ Tour
Modern day troubadour Billy Bragg comes to Australia this October with a special new two part show: the first half celebrating the legacy of Woody Guthrie, the original alternative musician, and the second exploring Billy’s own extensive repertoire, highlighting the songs that have made him famous over his almost three decade, 14-album career.
2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woody Guthrie, folk singer and ‘dust-bowl troubadour’, a prolific writer whose songs, ballads, prose and poetry championed the plight of the underdog. Billy Bragg has a special musical affinity with Woody – when Woody’s daughter Nora unearthed a treasure trove of her father’s unrecorded lyrics after his death, Billy Bragg and Wilco worked together setting these to music, creating the critically acclaimed Mermaid Avenue albums. The Complete Sessions has just been released, including Mermaid Avenue Vol. III. Billy will play songs from Woody’s extensive repertoire as well as the Mermaid Avenue albums, giving audiences new insights into one of the most influential figures in popular music, a man who inspired artists from Bob Dylan to Joe Strummer, as well as Billy himself.
In the show’s second half, Billy Bragg will take a trip through his back catalogue in his own inimitable style. In nearly three decades of performing and activism, Billy Bragg, described recently by the London Times as a "national treasure", has crafted an incredible collection of songs traversing both the personal and the political. A guardian of the radical dissenting tradition that stretches back over centuries of political, cultural, and social history, Billy is a consummate performer and gifted raconteur. His live shows, like his songs, are funny, warm, sad and true. Billy Bragg, ‘the Bard from Barking’, famously started out as a tank driver in the British Army. Things didn’t work out – “When you’ve driven one tank, you’ve driven them all”– and in early 1982 he found himself back on the streets of Barking, writing songs. Drawing inspiration from the DIY ethos of punk rock, he decided to take on the world single-handedly, armed with only an electric guitar. His first album, ‘Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy’ came out in 1983.
Don’t miss Billy Bragg in Australia this October and November.
*Please note: For the Melbourne Festival, Billy will perform in a slightly different format with two separate shows – the first dedicated to Woody Guthrie, and the second an evening exploring of his own musical oeuvre.
TICKETS ON SALE 9AM, WEDNESDAY JULY 11
My Live Nation pre-sale begins 1pm Friday July 6 until 5pm Sunday July 8
Billy Bragg ‘Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me’ Tour - Tix on sale Monday August 6
Sunday 21st October – Hobart, Federation Hall - tickets from TSO
Tuesday 23rd October – Canberra, Canberra Theatre - tickets from Canberra Theatre
Thursday 25th October – Brisbane, QPAC - tickets from Qtix
Friday 26th October – Brisbane, the HiFi - tickets from the HiFi
Saturday 27th October – Sydney, Enmore Theatre - tickets from Ticketek
Sunday 28th October – Sydney, Enmore Theatre - tickets from Ticketek
Tuesday 30th October – Melbourne, Prince Band Room - tickets from the Prince Band Room
Wednesday 31st October – Adelaide, Town Hall - tickets from Bass
Friday 2 November – Perth, Astor Theatre - tickets from Show Ticketing
Saturday 3 November – Perth, Astor Theatre - tickets from Show Ticketing
Plus Melbourne Festival shows:
Friday 19th October – Melbourne, Hamer Hall – Billy Bragg Celebrates The Legacy Of Woody Guthrie - tickets from Ticketmaster
Saturday 20th October – Melbourne, Recital Centre – An Evening With Billy Bragg - SOLD OUT
2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woody Guthrie, folk singer and ‘dust-bowl troubadour’, a prolific writer whose songs, ballads, prose and poetry championed the plight of the underdog. Billy Bragg has a special musical affinity with Woody – when Woody’s daughter Nora unearthed a treasure trove of her father’s unrecorded lyrics after his death, Billy Bragg and Wilco worked together setting these to music, creating the critically acclaimed Mermaid Avenue albums. The Complete Sessions has just been released, including Mermaid Avenue Vol. III. Billy will play songs from Woody’s extensive repertoire as well as the Mermaid Avenue albums, giving audiences new insights into one of the most influential figures in popular music, a man who inspired artists from Bob Dylan to Joe Strummer, as well as Billy himself.
In the show’s second half, Billy Bragg will take a trip through his back catalogue in his own inimitable style. In nearly three decades of performing and activism, Billy Bragg, described recently by the London Times as a "national treasure", has crafted an incredible collection of songs traversing both the personal and the political. A guardian of the radical dissenting tradition that stretches back over centuries of political, cultural, and social history, Billy is a consummate performer and gifted raconteur. His live shows, like his songs, are funny, warm, sad and true. Billy Bragg, ‘the Bard from Barking’, famously started out as a tank driver in the British Army. Things didn’t work out – “When you’ve driven one tank, you’ve driven them all”– and in early 1982 he found himself back on the streets of Barking, writing songs. Drawing inspiration from the DIY ethos of punk rock, he decided to take on the world single-handedly, armed with only an electric guitar. His first album, ‘Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy’ came out in 1983.
Don’t miss Billy Bragg in Australia this October and November.
*Please note: For the Melbourne Festival, Billy will perform in a slightly different format with two separate shows – the first dedicated to Woody Guthrie, and the second an evening exploring of his own musical oeuvre.
TICKETS ON SALE 9AM, WEDNESDAY JULY 11
My Live Nation pre-sale begins 1pm Friday July 6 until 5pm Sunday July 8
Billy Bragg ‘Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me’ Tour - Tix on sale Monday August 6
Sunday 21st October – Hobart, Federation Hall - tickets from TSO
Tuesday 23rd October – Canberra, Canberra Theatre - tickets from Canberra Theatre
Thursday 25th October – Brisbane, QPAC - tickets from Qtix
Friday 26th October – Brisbane, the HiFi - tickets from the HiFi
Saturday 27th October – Sydney, Enmore Theatre - tickets from Ticketek
Sunday 28th October – Sydney, Enmore Theatre - tickets from Ticketek
Tuesday 30th October – Melbourne, Prince Band Room - tickets from the Prince Band Room
Wednesday 31st October – Adelaide, Town Hall - tickets from Bass
Friday 2 November – Perth, Astor Theatre - tickets from Show Ticketing
Saturday 3 November – Perth, Astor Theatre - tickets from Show Ticketing
Plus Melbourne Festival shows:
Friday 19th October – Melbourne, Hamer Hall – Billy Bragg Celebrates The Legacy Of Woody Guthrie - tickets from Ticketmaster
Saturday 20th October – Melbourne, Recital Centre – An Evening With Billy Bragg - SOLD OUT