Music Review
Looking for a New England
Billy Bragg and Guests
23 April 2008
A review by Allan Taylor for EXTRA! EXTRA!
The Progressive Patriot himself, Billy Bragg, staged an alternative St. George’s Day celebration to try and reclaim what is usually associated with the nationalists for the left wing. Along with the help of Rachel Unthank and The Winterset, Tom Clarke (of The Enemy) and Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, Bragg puts together a celebration of Englishness and what it means to be English in today’s England. Firstly, I have to apologise, Mr. Bragg. When the house lights came up and everyone had to join in a ‘rousing’ sing-along of ‘Jerusalem’, and you saw me in the stalls, tight lipped, there was a reason. This reason totally justifies the whole intention of staging this St. George’s celebration; I have never heard Jerusalem sung all the way through before. Sure, I’ve heard of Jerusalem. I’ve even heard comedians mocking the hymn, but I have never heard a full and proper rendition all the way through, and so I didn’t know how to sing it. It is this that made me realise his noble intentions. Where is our cultural identity as a nation of Brits? I went to a politically correct state school where religious hymns were forbidden and removed from school assembly. Bragg’s folk-fest revels in the songs which we should be proud to call ours; the ballads and the old wives tales, the protests and the politics, as well as the literature and the loves. Somewhere in-between all of those lives a forged identity of what it is to be English. Rachel Unthank and The Winterset start the evening off with haunting, dark yet real melodies with excellent piano work from Stef Connor - her use of the instrument lies somewhere between experimental and jazz. The Unthank sisters take us through a range of treats from singing in the round to dancing in English clogs and encouraging the audience to sing choruses. Rachel and Becky Unthank have the kind of harmonious quality that only siblings can have, and with their Northumberland accents add to the London atmosphere the richness of diversity we have in one country, let alone the celebrated multiculturalism. Tom Clarke does a laudable set without his band The Enemy. All shiny guitars and ‘the voice of the people’, Clarke reminded me of The Libertines, Dogs and Paul Weller. Gruff voiced but with polished performance and heartfelt music, it was an honest performance. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis had the toughest time of the evening when, after pulling out a toy guitar and a wreath of flowers, they sang a song that wouldn’t be out of place at a luau, someone cried, “What’s Honolulu got to do with England?” “Think about it,” they replied. And as Bragg rightly points out later, Hawaii’s state flag incorporates the Union Jack, showing a little bit of Brit in other countries. Their rockabilly, jazz filled, old rock ‘n’ roll type skiffle provided an upbeat 50’s feel to the evening. Refreshing to see with a lack of bands trying to revive the genre, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis successfully swap instruments and bang out the Lindy hop madness fluidly. When the same guy later cried out, “Is this July 4th or something?” inferring it was Independence Day due to the American heritage of the genre of their music, they looked bewildered. To which the whole audience cheered and applauded. Already I was laughing at the Englishness of the crude and kind mixed together in one breath, and a forum for debate had opened up in a middle of a concert hall at The Barbican - unspeakable! And yet, somehow on St. George’s Day, it was acceptable because it meant we were all in it together. After an interval, Bragg himself took the stage and guided us through a variety of compositions; from the words of Rudyard Kipling set to music, to Billy Bragg’s own repertoire with songs such as I Keep Faith and England, Half-English, Bragg acts as not just a singer-songwriter, but a public speaker. Though occasionally cloying in his statements, the heartfelt undertones and his passion for inclusion, diversity and anti-discrimination are the authentic gems that shine through his music and his politics. Finishing up with classic sing-along A New England, he rounds the set off perfectly with the audience singing every word. Billy Bragg said he wasn’t looking for a new England, but he’s probably found it right here. From the girls with short black bobs and glittery red shoes, the dads who loved the Clash to the Hoxton heroes with asymmetrical haircuts, it’s clear to see that England is not the same place it was. But the most important thing that Bragg has done this evening is highlight that, and to try and make us proud of what that really means. It’s something that’s a million miles away from the immigration debate, political correctness or nationalism. It’s about remembering England’s rich past and, very hopefully, a glorious future.
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