News: Billy Bragg Announce “Bridges Not Walls”

Solo Tour Including Date At The Brook In Southampton

Fresh from touring the world with Joe Henry and galvanised by “events, not least the worrying rise of popularism, Billy Bragg is dealing with it in the best way he knows how, by strapping on his electric guitar and heading out on tour across the UK and Europe in November, under the title “Bridges Not Walls”. Billy, in one-man Clash mode, will perform songs from his 30+ year career, some pertinent covers by his heroes and mentors and some freshly minted songs about the state of the world.

Says Billy: “Music can’t change the world, but it does have the power to bring people together. In such divisive times, it seems a good place to start.”

The full list of shows is:

November
3 REYKJAVIK, Iceland Airwaves
5 BEXHILL, De La Warr Pavilion
6 LONDON, Islington Assembly Hall
8 CAMBRIDGE, Junction
10 OXFORD, O2 Academy
11 BIRMINGHAM, Town Hall
12 SHEFFIELD, The Leadmill
14 LIVERPOOL, Philharmonic Hall
15 EDINBURGH, The Queenís Hall
16 NEWCASTLE, Wylam Brewery
18 NOTTINGHAM, Rock City
19 CARDIFF, Tramshed
21 SOUTHAMPTON, The Brook
22 LONDON, Clapham Grand
25 ANTWERP, De Roma
27 COLOGNE, Gloria Theatre
28 BERLIN, Heimathafen
29 FRANKFURT, Batschkapp
30 HAMBURG, Fabrik

Tickets go on sale from 10am GMT on Friday 31st March from here.

Billy Bragg and Joe Henry will play the final shows of their acclaimed “Shine A Light” tour in Australia in April. Billy Bragg has been a fearless recording artist, tireless live performer and peerless political campaigner for over 30 years. Among the former Saturday boy’s albums are his punk-charged debut Life’s a Riot With Spy Vs Spy, the more love-infused Workers Playtime, pop classic Donít Try This At Home, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee-timed treatise on national identity England, Half-English, and his stripped-down tenth, Tooth & Nail, his most successful since the early 90s.

The intervening three decades have been marked by a number one hit single, having a street named after him, being the subject of a South Bank Show, appearing onstage at Wembley Stadium, curating Left Field at Glastonbury, sharing spotted dick with a Cabinet minister in the House of Commons cafeteria, being mentioned in Bob Dylan’s memoir and meeting the Queen. At their best, Billyís songs present ëthe perfect Venn diagram between the political and the personalí (the Guardian).

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