Review: Billy Bragg & Joe Henry, St George’s

A sold out St George’s played host to Billy Bragg and Joe Henry on a wintery night and all present enjoyed a moving, inspiring, amusing, educational and empowering three hours of songs, broadly based around their Shine a Light project. Railroad Bill opened the proceedings with The L&N Don’t Stop here Anymore and John Henry following in quick succession, both tunes providing Bragg with an opportunity to put the project in context with some apposite background to the tunes explaining the significance of the railroad in the States and the relationship between freight & passenger travel (no really, it was funny and informative). He also managed to seamlessly link railroad building to our current (so-called) immigrant crisis. Of course. After the opening trio of tunes Henry revealed the agenda for the evening: a couple more songs together then he would herald the intermission with a solo set. His pal Bragg would open part two with his own solo set and the evening would close with a final duo set. And they made it so…

The three opening cuts set the tone for the Shine a Light tunes – Bragg and Henry harmonising beautifully with Bragg laying down the lower tones and Henry dancing around in a melodious higher register. In the Pines really gave the fellas chance to show off their vocal chops, drawing on the Louvin Brothers’ version rather than Ledbelly’s. The guitar playing meshed superbly too, Bragg laying down the chords and playing the equivalent of rhythm guitar whilst Henry picked out the melodies and slipped in some tasty solos as the nominal lead guitar player. The overall effect of the pair complementing each other, serving the songs selflessly and meshing like a machine brought to mind (hipsters look away) an acoustic Malcom and Angus Young.

Further tales from the tracks were shared including the recording of Waiting for a Train in the Gunter Hotel, San Antonio – the famous location for Robert Johnson’s only recording sessions – and by spooky coincidence Bragg was allocated the very room concerned. He claimed to have spent time seeking out the devil to either sell his soul for guitar playing skills or a top spot in the Premiership for the Hammers, but alas only received the ability to yodel. This Satan spawned skill was demonstrated beautifully on the Jimmie Rodgers tune and Bragg claimed afterwards to be “…the first Englishman to have yodelled on record since Morrissey…just wait ‘til Weller’s doing it…”. Early Morning Rain closed out the first duo set and also allowed a more contemporary tune to show the railroad ballad was thriving in the sixties.

Henry’s solo set was a delightful mix of styles, a coupla numbers with his acoustic before swapping to the piano for a pair of captivating tunes (and oh boy, were the lyrics to Our Song bittersweet). Whilst opening cut Trampoline, was a beautifully sung folky number jazzy chops were on display too – Henry conjuring up both Cole Porter and Frank Sinatra as he admitted he shamelessly pretended to be Ole Blues Eyes when performing certain tunes. Freedom for the Stallion was a suitably stirring conclusion to the set, uplifting and whetting the appetite for the second set.

The Bragg solo segment started with Everywhere, dedicated to songwriter (and friend of Bragg) Greg Trooper, a moving moment given that his death had only been announced earlier in the week. The delivery was poignant and stirring – and lyrically pertinent given the current parlous state of the world after the political upheavals of 2016 and their potential consequences in the months and years ahead. Next up a new tune receiving its second public airing, a rough and ready cut alive with potential that led beautifully into Accident Waiting to Happen, dedicated to The Donald and presciently nailing the buffoon despite being over twenty years old. The musical evisceration of Trump and his ilk continued with an exceedingly powerful cover of Why We Build the Wall (Anaïs Mitchell), a song so on point in this post-Brexit / post-truth / post-Trump world of bigotry it was painful. Closing his set with Between the Wars Bragg’s tunes reminded us that he’s a masterful song writer (stellar mini-selection – think about all the great tunes he left out) and has matured in to a consummate performer: at ease with his material, warm and captivating.

Henry returned for the Carter Family’s Railroading on the Great Divide and Hank’s Lonesome Whistle before Bragg used Rock Island Line (Lonnie Donegan style) as an opportunity to both share his theory that skiffle was the original punk (“…never mind three chords and form a band, you had to make yer own instruments…”) and that he was “genre-fluid”. He also stated that this was the closest they could get to an English railroad song as “…we just don’t seem to write ‘em”. During the song though the thought did spring to mind that there is a classic English railroad song he could consider but would his genre-fluidity extend to covering this classic tune? The set closed out with a lovely Hobo’s Lullaby and Midnight Special (from which the project is named) and the pair departed to a standing ovation.

The encore was never in doubt and the pair nailed it with three killer sides – Gentle on my Mind, Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You and (inevitably) a Woody Guthrie cut, a rambunctious Ramblin’ Round. This truly was a memorable evening, two musicians at ease with each other and their material, a finely paced set (with an engaging format and generous running time) and a fabulous selection of tunes. Roll on Volume 2…