"Even if I got rid of all my problems, I'd just go out and get new ones..."

Greetings to the new duet
1:18 p.m. on 2004-03-22

I'm not sure if there is anything which can be described as 'the perfect gig.' But if there is, then I went to it last night.

Billy Bragg. With my dad. For the third time. At the Lowry Centre, a smallish theatre with some very high seats but a nice atmosphere.

We arrived a little early, and wandered around the merchandise stall. I immediately started bouncing up and down when I realised I recognised the support act - a wonderful singer and person named Jill Sobule who I know from the Women Live From Mountain Stage compilation CD, for singing "I Kissed A Girl." Bought her CD, and a new one by Billy which was actually a rerelease of stuff he'd done in the 70s with a punk band named 'Riff Raff.' Dad bought a Billy Bragg t-shirt (not like he hasn't got one already!) for the novelty factor - for some unknown reason Tommy Cooper was pictured on the front.

Went in, took our seats, and Jill wandered onto the stage, armed with only a guitar and her, *grimaces at the phrase* 'trademark' voice. I wanted her to sing "Kissed a Girl" but doubted she would, since it's an old song, but she did - making my night - and a mix of new tracks and slightly older ones, including her attempt at a war protest song which in the end, turned out to be about a war correspondent falling in love with a local.

Her act was finished off with Billy arriving on stage for a duet of "All The Young Dudes." However, the highlight of Jill's time on stage was probably when she attempted to do a bluesgrass version of Missy Elliot's 'Work It,' complete with a pony-tailed, tattooed biker to hold her lyrics. Fantastic.

Then there was an interval, when we could get our albums signed. I headed off alone, and it's at this point I should point out I was wearing a Billy Bragg t-shirt dating from a tour which probably took place, oh, 1987, something like that. I handed my CD to Jill, and explained I was one of the few people who had heard of her.

ME: Yeah, I have the women live from stage mountain CD.
JILL: You have that? Wow. That's the one with Kissed a Girl on, right?
ME: Yeah. You singing that made my night.
JILL: Wow. How did you get that?
ME: My dad bought it for me.
JILL: Your dad has great tase. Hey! Is that a vintage Billy Bragg t-shir? (turns to assistant) Can I have one of those? Where do I get one of those?
ME: I'd give you this one, but I'm only wearing a bra underneath.
JILL: Where did you get it?
ME: Uh, my dad.
JILL: Okay, your dad has GREAT taste.

Hee. She signed my album, and then I hung around until my dad appeared to get his signed, and completely embarrassing by grabbing him and announcing "This is my dad," to which Jill rather nobly replied: "Ah! Here's the dad with great taste."

Or something like that.

Hee.

Billy was great, as per usual. On his own, not that that mattered. He rattled off about various political points, from the relationship of Eastern European countries to capitalism and the hypocrisy of the Daily Mail and the British government, to the anniversary of the miner's strikes. But it was mostly about the music, and some strange anecdotes about recent gigs he'd played in Europe. He started with one of my favourites, "Sexuality," played "Waiting for the Great Leap Forward", with new, modernised lyrics to fit in a few jibes about Alastair Campbell, amongst others, and finished his second encore with "New England," one of my favourite tracks of all time and made all the better by the audience singing along to it. After a standing ovation, Billy buggered off at about 11.15, having been on stage for about 2 hours.

You certainly get your money's worth at a Billy gig.

*sighs happily* It was fantastic. Jill Sobule and Billy Bragg. Any future gig I go to has a lot to compete with.

Note - please Santa, for next Christmas I wanted a mini-Jill Sobule, about 6 inches high, to stand on my desk and sing for me. Thank you!

Listening to: "Heroes" by Jill Sobule

Quote: "Why are all our heroes imperfect? .... Heard Babe Ruth was full of malice, Lewis Carroll I'm sure did Alice, Plato in the cave with those very young boys..."

Just to annoy Cass... mwhaha... Laura + Elijah Wood CLICKE

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