Billy Bragg’s Got a New (Old) Spell

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“We’re in this temple of art, and we’re having a punk rock of a time aren’t we?” Billy Bragg asked midway through his concert at the picturesque Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco. After 40 years of being Britain’s ornery, politically progressive troubadour in the style of Woody Guthrie and Kirsty MacColl, Bragg still stays true to form. A Billy Bragg show mixes plenty of pop with his politics, with long monologues between tried-and-true hits. At his Bay Area stop, he talked about everything from the flood levels in Florida to, of course, the upcoming U.S. presidential election. He even mentioned his support of the hotel workers’ strike currently going on in the city. The audience, fully seated in this scenic venue, whooped and hollered in approval. And of course, he fit in “There Is Power in a Union” in his set.

At 66 years old, many of Bragg’s fans have grown up with his music. But he made it clear with his words and music that he welcomed people of any age. From love songs laden with ‘80s and ‘90s pop hooks, to country-inflected crooners, Bragg is still the progressive. He mentioned that he’s updated some of his songs to keep up with the times. Thus, the lyrics for his pop hit, “Sexuality”—which appeared on his 1991 album, Don’t Try This at Home, and featuring lyrics like, “Just because you’re gay/ I won’t turn you away…”—now supports trans rights and the trans community.

I have fond memories of various Billy Bragg shows that felt like raucous pub singalongs, but tonight’s performance was more stripped-down, with just one backing keyboardist, instrumentalist, and vocalist, JJ Stoney, and Bragg switching off between his electric and acoustic guitars. (As someone who had just spent the past week reliving my ‘90s glory days and dancing my arse off at all four of ‘90s britpop band Pulp’s West Coast shows, I was grateful for the respite that Bragg’s seated performance provided.)

Bragg talked about having played recently in Vancouver on the same night as Johnny Marr and Paul Weller, joking that Canadian fans of ‘80s indie rock had big choices to make that night. Then, he tickled the crowd by singing a bit of each artist’s tunes, paying his respects. Ever the political antagonist, Bragg even dropped in a lyrical dig at Marr’s former Smiths bandmate, Morrissey—who’s stirred up plenty of controversy these days with his nationalist rhetoric—during “Sexuality,” replacing “Don’t threaten me with misery” with “Don’t threaten me with Morrissey…” “Whatever happened to that guy?” Bragg joked afterwards.

As for the music, Bragg had something from his expansive catalog to please everyone, crooning decades-old pop hits like “She’s Got a New Spell,” “Shirley,” and “The Milkman of Human Kindness” to “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key,” from his collaboration with Wilco. Bragg’s voice is as pleasing and plaintive as ever, and even stripped down, stirred the crowd.

And his wit was in fine form, as well. He talked of playing cruises with Lyle Lovett, and different festivals with all different genres of music, declaring himself “genre-fluid.” Anyone new to Bragg’s live shows might not be used to his lengthy discourses on the state of the union, but, like his heart, he still wears his politics on his sleeve, calling socialism “organized empathy,” and telling the crowd before the encore, “I want to make you go home not just entertained, but with your activism recharged and your cynicism kicked to the curb.” Walking off into the San Francisco night, with the Golden Gate Bridge twinkling in the distance, my hope and spirits felt lifted for the week.