News

Billy Bragg Announces New Tour Dates Nov/Dec

• 20th Feb 2013

More UK tour dates announced in support of TOOTH AND NAIL, Billy’s first new studio album in 5 years, produced by Joe Henry

Billy Bragg and his band will tour the UK in November and December, including London Royal Festival Hall. This is in addition to the short run of June dates already announced. Billy’s first new studio album in five years, TOOTH AND NAIL, is released by Cooking Vinyl on March 18.

Presale – 9am Wednesday 20th Feb via link

General Sale – 9am Friday 22nd Feb

Mon 18 Nov CAMBRIDGE CORN EXCHANGE link

Tue 19 Nov DERBY ASSEMBLY ROOMS link / 01332 255800

Wed 20 Nov BRISTOL COLSTON HALL link / 0117 922 3686

Fri 22 Nov CARDIFF ST. DAVIDS HALL link / 029 2087 8444

Sun 24 Nov BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY HALL link

Mon 25 Nov LEEDS TOWN HALL link

Tue 26 Nov MANCHESTER BRIDGEWATER HALL link

Wed 27 Nov GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL link / 0844 844 0444

Thu 28 Nov GATESHEAD THE SAGE GATESHEAD link / 0191 443

Sat 30 Nov SHEFFIELD CITY HALL link / 0114 2789 789

Sun 01 Dec LONDON ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL link / 0844 847 9910

Mon 02 Dec SOUTHAMPTON GUILDHALL link

Thu 05 Dec EXETER GREAT HALL link / 01392 667080

New single – ‘No One Knows Nothing Anymore’ – Cooking Vinyl – available to download from Feb 11th ( FRYDL602 )

New album – Tooth & Nail (Cooking Vinyl) release March 18, 2013

Billy Bragg releases his first new studio album in five years Tooth & Nail on Cooking Vinyl records on March 18 2013. Available formats are CD, LP and a limited special edition CD+DVD Bookpack. The limited special edition Bookpack includes the CD, a 36 page booklet containing exclusive photos and a collection of columns written by Billy originally published in Q magazine between 2008 and 2011, plus a DVD of 10 promotional videos that Billy made for his singles between 1986 – 2002.

Drawing on personal rather than political themes, Tooth & Nail was recorded over a whirlwind five-day session with Grammy Award winning producer Joe Henry (whose impeccable production credits include Solomon Burke, Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello and Hugh Laurie) in his South Pasadena basement studio. With Joe taking Billy out of his comfort zone (all vocals were recorded live without retakes or overdubs) the album features an accomplished crew of musicians, including Greg Leisz (Bon Iver), Patrick Warren (Lana Del Rey), Jay Bellerose (Regina Spektor) and David Piltch (Ramblin’ Jack Eliot). The spontaneous results are, according to Billy, a return to the rootsy sound of 1998’s Mermaid Avenue sessions he recorded with Wilco – drawing on soul, country and folk music influences to explore the ups and downs of relationships that have stood the test of time.

In his own words: “In 2011, I took a long, hard look at who I am and what I do. This album is the result.”

Permanently active beyond music and consistently playing to audiences around the world, this period also saw Billy establish the Jail Guitar Doors initiative and lend support to numerous causes including the anti-fascist campaign Hope Not Hate and the Occupy Movement. In 2010, he began to curate the Left Field at Glastonbury Festival, with the aim of highlighting new political artists. He recently delivered the 2012 John Peel Lecture.