BILLY BRAGG

Billy Bragg. Pics by Jo Rowe. 

BILLY BRAGG

WOMADelaide 2014

Stunning WOMADelaide sunset.

Words by Allison O'Donoghue
Pics by Jo Rowe

It’s been over 25 years since I’ve seen Billy Bragg live. I’m looking forward to tonight like a teenager going to her first gig. It’s a nice, strange sense memory kind of feeling. Watching him do a sound check was a big event. The first and last time I saw BB he raged against Thatcher letting loose a string of vocatives at the, "shockingly out of touch PM ruining England”. So it’s not a leap to expect a great deal of commentary on the state of world current events. Lets face it, there’s so much to talk about.

I knew he’d attract a huge crowd, especially those who have grown up with him and lived through decades of turmoil and change, but he’s pulled a sizable younger crowd too. Not surprising I suppose, I’m sure they’ve raided their parent’s record collection years ago and stumbled across a BB album. I get the sense that they too long for change and hope to find a voice for their generation speaking their language as we did with BB. I think Russel Brand is giving it a good go.

At last he hits the stage, wearing a western shirt and a full beard, beginning with Chasing Rainbows a song from his recent release Tooth & Nail recorded in the US, which broke a 5-year recording draught. He does three more unfamiliar songs in the same slow melodic country and western style, helped by slide guitarist CJ Hillman. I like country, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. He hasn’t spoken to us yet either. Right on cue, as if he read my thoughts, “People say I’ve gone country”, he quips. “I’ve always been a bit country”, then launches into California Stars, a Woody Guthrie number he recorded with Wilco.

BB belting it out.

Its a hot humid night. Not a breath of fresh air, no breeze, the flags stopped moving, eerily still. We dripped in sweat, hair clung to our faces, clothes stuck to our skin. Not nice. But this didn't stop the gig slowly building momentum. This is a very different man on stage than the angry, abrasive, socialist who encouraged us to fight the establishment and status quo. Age has mellowed him he’s much softer nowadays. And still no anti–fascist, anti-government rhetoric. He chatted to us about spending time in Perth, but I wasn’t quite sure which angle he was coming from. “Ever spent any time in Perth?” he asks, “Yeah well, you know what I mean then.” Nope, I’ve got no idea what you mean, before he sings the praises of Adelaide and “this lovely festival WOMAdelaide”.

Handyman Blues is a song he wrote for all those who are as inept as he is with anything DIY. His father was a good handyman, a gift his brother inherited, while he thankfully took to pen and paper and wrote songs. He dedicated Tank Park Salute to his father who died an early death due to smoking. Hence the reason BB wont play any festival or event that promotes smoking or sponsored by tobacco companies. He's a man of conviction and sticks to it.

BB doing a sound check.

Someone in the front shouts out, “play that hit of yours,” he laughs, then launches into A New England and all that sense memory floods back. A great song that still holds its own today. In between songs he told funny stories made funnier with his strong Essex accent. He brings attention to his beard by saying, “it hides a multitude of chins” and reflects on his age, “well, I am 55, its bound to happen”.  Ah, the magical mellowing age for men.

He then played hit after hit; Ideology, Milkman of Human Kindness, Between the Wars, No One Knows Nothing Anymore, and Sexuality with a mention of love “knowing no boundaries” but no mention of gay marriage, a very raw current issue which this song could easily attach itself to. In the meantime, he  proved to the heckler and reminded us that he's had more than one hit throughout his career.

BB playing a medley of hits.

Finally he mentions Thatcher. He tells us a story; one day his phone goes berserk and rings off the hook with the media wanting to know if he would attend Thatcher’s funeral and any final thoughts since he was so outspoken about her. “No, I won’t be going to the bloody funeral, I’m not that big a hypocrite” and “There’s nothing to celebrate here. What’s to say? She was a dreadful PM who did so much damage that England is still suffering from the fall out today. I won’t celebrate her life or death. We should all reflect on what a disastrous legacy she’s left”.  And with that, he left us on a high with Great Leap Forwards then he was gone.

The WOMADelaide crowd were not going to let him go quietly. Encores aren’t the done thing at WOMADelaide, as they run to a very tight schedule, bumping in and out bands at lightening speed, but tonight was an exception. A 10-minute encore sent a clear message to the well-oiled WOMADelaide machine that we wanted more. Give the crowd what they want. We want MORE.

He came back out to a rapturous applaud and said, “I hear you’ve got an election (SA) coming up. Well, if you vote for Abbot it’s an” - Accident Waiting to Happen. A perfect song with a very clear message. I wonder if that statement swayed the fence sitters, coz the election was so close it almost felt like those who were in two minds made a decision that night.

The man started out mesmerizingly slow but deceptively built the gig into an event. What a pro. What a perfect ending to a great gig. Don’t take so long to come back BB. You’re always welcome.

Main stage.

Femi Kuti & the Positive Force

One more band to go then its over for another year. Its such a great festival, you don't want it to stop, but its also very exhausting. And Femi Kuti & The Positive Force were positively exhausting to watch. Its still hot, so it was a little daunting when they hit the stage with such gusto. And more dancing. Your body is compelled/impelled to move, whether you want it to or not. But when the girls started to dance, that was it, you couldn't take your eyes off them. What the? Was the thought that kept repeating itself, over and over. Unbelievable! The way these three girls moved their bumbs was quite amazing to witness.  Now I get where all booty bounce craze started in the US - it got its origin in Africa.

Amazing bumb dance.

The Positive Force play an hypnotic Afrobeat, with pulsating rhythms and as I've said, fabulous dancers. Singer saxophonist Femi Kuti is the eldest son of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti who pioneered the Afrobeat sound, and is continuing on with his fathers mission of sending a message through the power of music. He would introduce a song, "this is Africa" it would start off differently but somehow sound the same by the end, but it could be a lack of concentration with all that booty being thrashed around. Its mesmerising. Its impossible to take your eyes off the dancers.

So to get a good idea of their sound I moved out of the crowd and sat on the fringe, laid down to listen without the constant distraction of the extraordinary movements of the women. Yep, the same thing happened, the song started off differently but the longer it went on the sound would settle into the same pulsating rhythms. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just found it a little repetitious.

I could not believe the stamina of these women, they kept up the pace for the whole gig. Worth seeing for them alone. And a fitting end to another good festival and the best opening night I've ever been to. Hope they can pull a similar set of musicians and sounds for next year as WOMADelaide 2014 had continuity with a funk, jazz, reggae, dub, techno beat as well as R&B themes this year. It rocked.

Remember when I said to check out the food quarter on your way out to get yourself some cheap eats? That's exactly what I did on my way out and scored a slice Spanikopita and a honeycomb muffin for $6.00 - 1/2 the price. It was delicious and a perfect end it to a great weekend. If you've never been to WOMADelaide before then get yourself there for next year. It is totally worth the effort.

Bye WOMADelaide. See you in 2015.