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Billy Bragg

Venue: The Sage
Town: Gateshead
Date: 28/11/13
Website: http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

Billy Bragg is well known for his outbursts of strong political views interpreted through the use of his lyrics and punctuated by punk rock music.

Looking at him you would not believe that he has been in the music industry for 30 years and to celebrate this Billy Bragg performed live at the beautiful venue that is The Sage Gateshead.

The gig started with Kim Churchill Australasia's answer to Billy Bragg as support act, he was amazing. I loved his song Smile As He Goes, a song that had a deep personal connection to his family life that when he played it the audience silenced, it was so quiet that you could almost here a pin drop.

The English singer songwriter and left - wing activist played songs from his 30th anniversary edition of Life's A Riot with Spy Vs Spy and it was much better hearing it live instead of through my CD player.

Billy has been influenced by artists such as Woody Guthrie, Lou Reed, Rolling Stones and The Ramones and you could hear that through his own performance.

The acoustics in Hall One were impressive as Billy Bragg and his band finely tuned their instruments between songs they were determined to get the sound quality just right.

The audience were able to connect with Billy as before each song he would give us a little anecdote allowing us understand why he wrote a certain song and what his inspirations were behind it. So it was nice to have that relationship between audience and Billy Bragg.

He opened with Ideology a song that is the epitome of Bragg, taken from the album 'Talking with the Taxman about Poetry it was a good choice of song to start the show. It was from then on that he had the audience in the palm of his hand or guitar.

There was a real theme of "proud to be British" feel that was created in the room. He really got the audience passionate about music and the messages that it put across. The ginger fox from Essex was still up for a laugh even when he was suffering from a bad case of man flu and he forgot the opening lyrics to The Milkman Of Human Kindness (from Life's A Riot) like a trooper that Billy Bragg is he kept calm and carried on.

The gig was brilliant it was such a good night and that's what Billy Bragg really wanted to achieve from the fans of Gateshead.

Gemma Hirst