Billy Bragg
The Roaring Forty Tour
Punk rocker, soldier, Essex boy, folk singer, Skiffle aficionado, protest singers’ protest singer, patriot, optimist, lefty polemicist, author, soul miner, musicologist, champion of the underclasses, Cockney vocalist and all round decent bloke Billy Bragg returns to Sage Gateshead as he marks four decades of musical magic, socio-political protest and heartfelt empathy.
“The perfect Venn diagram between the political and the personal” The Guardian.
A new career-spanning box-set released this October, ‘The Roaring Forty | 1983-2023’ celebrates the remarkable and enduring musical legacy of a much-loved songwriter, principled activist and alternative national treasure.
“musically mature, international artist who is still bursting with energy.” Rolling Stone
Says Billy: “It seems like just the other day that I was handing John Peel a mushroom biryani and asking him to play my first record. The music business has changed dramatically since then, but my belief in the power of the song is undimmed”
Billy Bragg has been a fearless recording artist, tireless live performer and peerless political campaigner for 40 years. He has released 11 solo studio albums, three albums with Wilco and one album with Joe Henry. He released a mini album Bridges Not Walls in 2017. His performances at the BBC were anthologised in The Best Of Billy Bragg At The BBC 1983-2019 (2019).
“Unquestionably our generation’s finest protest singer…vital and indispensable” Classic Pop
To be expected from a career that has straddled many genres, Billy Bragg has worked with a wealth of celebrated musicians from different musical backgrounds including Eliza Carthy, Norman Cook, Dick Gaughan, Joe Henry, Kirsty MacColl, Ian McLagan, Johnny Marr, R.E.M., Natalie Merchant, Romeo Stodart, Danny Thompson, Robert Wyatt, Pete Seeger, The Philharmonic Orchestra and US alt-Rock band Wilco, with whom he created two critically acclaimed collections setting previously unheard lyrics by legendary American Folk singer Woody Guthrie to music.
“Missing link between Woody Guthrie and Joe Strummer.” Pitchfork
ℹ️ Useful Information
Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Timings TBC
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