Billy Bragg and Joe Henry’s Shine A Light is a resolutely low-key but completely fascinating project; a collection of songs about the American railroad recorded in pit stops on a cross-country train journey the pair made last year. These are simple, rough-hewn melodies, but on the likes of ‘Railroad Bill’ and a deeply felt ‘In The Pines’ they feel vibrant and fresh, with the pair’s obvious love of the source material shining through.
If old standards, campfire folk and 12-bar blues seem somewhat unlikely inspiration for the politicised pair, they make clear that these are no mere nostalgia pieces, but songs of social mobility – quiet anthems for those seeking a better life. As such, they remain relevant even as they sketch out a slower-moving world. Bragg and Henry are both chatty, intelligent, funny performers, and their stories behind why they were drawn to these songs is often richly interesting – not least when they recount staying in San Antonio’s Gunter Hotel, where Robert Johnson famously made some of his most seminal recordings.
The show is arranged in four parts, with the Shine A Light songs bookending short solo sets from Henry then Bragg. Henry’s solo section includes the poignant ‘God Only Knows’ and the piano-based lament of ‘After The War’, a mild-mannered, wistful reflection on the lost ideals of the American dream that prompts one punter to complain loudly then storm out, angered by its “political messages”.
It’s probably a good thing said punter doesn’t stick around after the intermission for a typically fiery Bragg performance, which begins with a topical rewrite of Bob Dylan’s era-shaking ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ and includes Anais Mitchell’s simple yet powerful protest song ‘Why We Build The Wall’. There is also ‘The Warmest Room’ dedicated to all the “softies” in the audience and a spirited version of ‘Between The Wars’.
The duo reunite for ‘Rock Island Line’ and a lovely, almost haunting ‘Hobo’s Lullaby’. While Bragg has always been known as a lyricist more than a singer, his voice drips with warmth here and the pair’s harmonies fit together snugly. The set proper ends with a rousing ‘The Midnight Special’, and after Henry deals with an audience interjection in the classiest way possible, the night concludes with ‘Ramblin’ Round’ – a song from the man whose music initially brought Bragg and Henry together, Woody Guthrie.
Billy Bragg and Joe Henry played the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday April 19. Photo by Prudence Upton
