I stumbled inadvertently into an incongruous setting this evening. I booked a ticket a few weeks ago for a concert at the Barbican, and I swear the premise changed in between me booking it, and now.
My ticket says Billy Bragg and Special Guests...Songs of Protest.
Fantastic. Billy Bragg! Songs of Protest! Fantastic.
By tonight it had morphed into Folk Britannia. Folk! Me! It's going to be on telly. February 24th. BBC4. I'd seriously recommend watching it, actually. I think I might record it and fast forward through the Boring Bits.
I must admit I hadn't heard of all the guests. And some I'd only sort of heard of, like Neil and Callum MacColl, the sons of Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger.
I got chatted up in the interval. Go me! I was explaining to the chap that I'm not a folkie, but I came to Billy Bragg via Red Wedge. But even I've heard of Donovan and Martin Carthy.
"They're gods...!" he said, transfixed.
I think my face gave the wrong answer. Diplomatically, I said "They're certainly more than names."
I think at the start of the evening I would have said "I sort of like folk, but not greatly..." I think now I can define it more closely: I like a great many songs of protest and I have unknowingly been a great admirer of Woody Guthrie for many years.
Highlight of the eveningwas of course hearing the wonderful Billy sing the superb "Between The Wars"
And I'll give my consent
To any government
That does not deny a man
A Living wage
Biggest disappointment - this was the first time I've ever heard him perform it live without a mass audience singalong.
I kind of had a Ghost of Christmas Future moment with Bill. He's forty eight now, but looking exactly the same as he did in 1987 at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham. He's a good story teller, but I suddenly had this insight - he's on the precipice of his anecdotage, and I can imagine in about thirty years, turning on the TV,and Billy's there as the old geezer who reminisces about the Old Days. The bloke who chatted me up said he's turning into the Cliff Richard of British Folk. Which is a terrible thing to say. I want to emphasise that I think Billy is wonderful.
I'll write a bit more tomorrow. But Billy says you really should watch the documentary that opens BBC's Folk Britannia season tomorrow night.
Althogh it's not on his site, he's playing the Shepherd's Bush Empire on 3 May. Tempting, tempting...but the night before the London elections...I'm not sure...
