Daily Variety
November 12, 1996
Billy Bragg; Robyn Hitchcock
by Phil Gallo
Two of Rock's great monologuists make for a superb evening of songs and stories. The two come from such distinct realms the metaphysical Pop tunesmith Robyn Hitchcock and the grounded leftist folkie Billy Bragg that the lengthy show is a marriage of balm and brick. That they are musically treading well-covered ground hardly matters: both are at their best performing without bands. They should subtitle this tour "Charm And Anger". Bragg's stories hinged on the usual (Brit-American differences, language, love, and politics). Hitchcock, who says he "has no faith in anything, especially human nature," teetered between existential whimsy and questions of mortality.
Bragg's direct "Folk Music" provided a stark contrast to Hitchcock's dreamy soundscape as the former surrounded himself with the dense sound of electrified guitar, driving his lyrics at full-tilt.
Hitchcock, whose solo past has included some dreadfully boring shows, packed his stream-of-consciousness songs and banter with charisma. His melodies often hang on touches of The Beatles at their dreamiest, and the otherworldly version of "Beautiful Queen" -- with hypnotic textures added by violinist Deni Bonet -- was the evening's highlight. When he throws in a Blues, such as the new "The Devil's Radio", he flashes a foundation that makes the ethereal material all the more special.
Both are promoting new albums -- Bragg's William Bloke on Elektra
and Hitchcock's Moss Elixir on Warner Bros. -- though neither disc is
expected to lift them beyond the cult status they have cultivated for more
than a decade-and-a-half. A packed house is seemingly enough reward.
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