Billy Bragg is elated to confirm that all is cleared to step foot back into Australia to perform his long awaited “One Step Forward. Two Steps Back” tour, playing some of the most iconic albums released throughout his illustrious career, plus songs from his recent tenth studio Album, “The Million Things That Never Happened”.
The “One Step Forward. Two Steps Back” National tour in January/February 2022 will see Bragg take on Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Fremantle, performing 3 unique shows on consecutive nights in each city.
Fans can expect to hear Billy’s career-spanning set performed on the first night, featuring new songs and plenty of favourites from his catalogue. Night two, Billy serves up songs from his first three albums – covering a selection from his debut, Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy (1983), followed up with Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984), then onto third album Talking with the Taxman about Poetry (1986). The final night will feature Bragg playing songs from his second three albums, Workers Playtime (1988), Don’t Try This at Home (1991) and William Bloke (1996).
Of the forthcoming tour, Billy says, “I’ve just finished a five week tour of UK and Ireland and am delighted to be back playing live again. I’ve been given clearance to enter Australia in January and I’m really excited at the prospect of playing these three night gigs that both showcase my new songs and dive deep into my back catalogue.”
Adding to the run of dates will be a special one-night-only show for Northern NSW fans who can catch Billy in Byron Bay on Saturday February 12 at The Northern.
Amid the disruption of border closures due to the pandemic, Adelaide & Fremantle shows have been pushed back slightly, but will still go on! says Billy; “To accommodate South Australian and West Australian border roadmaps, we have decided to move Adelaide and Perth to the end of the tour, so that it will be safe for me to enter and play. Thanks so much for your patience on this – it’s going to be a special tour!”.
Don’t miss Billy Bragg on his “One Step Forward. Two Steps Back.” National Australian tour in 2022:
SYDNEY | ENMORE THEATRE | JAN 27 | 28 | 29
MELBOURNE | FORUM | FEB 2 | 3 | 4
BRISBANE | THE TIVOLI | FEB 8 | 9 | 10
BYRON BAY | THE NORTHERN | FEB 12 (Just added – one-night-only)
ADELAIDE | THE GOV | FEB 14 | 15 | 16 (New dates)
FREMANTLE | FREO.SOCIAL | FEB 20 | 21 | 22 (New dates)
NIGHT 1
Career Spanning Billy Bragg Set
NIGHT 2
Songs From First Three Albums
Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy (1983)
Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984)
Talking with the Taxman about Poetry (1986)
NIGHT 3
Songs From Second Three Albums
Workers Playtime (1988)
Don’t Try This at Home (1991)
William Bloke (1996)
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15 July 2021
Essentially two years in the making, Billy Bragg’s “One Step Forward. Two Steps Back” tour has been reschedule to 2022.
Billy Bragg will release The Million Things That Never Happened, his tenth studio album, on October 8th 2021 on the Cooking Vinyl label. The album, the first pandemic blues album of our times but also a heartfelt paean to human resilience, features 12 soulful country rock gems.
Bragg today releases the first taster from the album, and a personal favourite, the beautiful love song for our times, ‘I Will Be Your Shield’.
AUSTRALIAN / NZ TOUR DATES 2022
FREMANTLE – FRI 14 JAN – FREO.SOCIAL – NIGHT 1
FREMANTLE – SAT 15 JAN – FREO.SOCIAL – NIGHT 2
FREMANTLE – SUN 16 JAN – FREO.SOCIAL – NIGHT 3
ADELAIDE – THU 20 JAN – THE GOV – NIGHT 1
ADELAIDE – FRI 21 JAN – THE GOV – NIGHT 2
ADELAIDE – SAT 22 JAN – THE GOV – NIGHT 3
SYDNEY – THU 27 JAN – ENMORE THEATRE – NIGHT 1
SYDNEY – FRI 28 JAN – ENMORE THEATRE – NIGHT 2
SYDNEY – SAT 29 JAN – ENMORE THEATRE – NIGHT 3
MELBOURNE – WED 2 FEB – FORUM – NIGHT 1
MELBOURNE – THU 3 FEB – FORUM – NIGHT 2
MELBOURNE – FRI 4 FEB – FORUM – NIGHT 3
BRISBANE – TUE 8 FEB – THE TIVOLI – NIGHT 1
BRISBANE – WED 9 FEB – THE TIVOLI – NIGHT 2
BRISBANE – THU 10 FEB – THE TIVOLI – NIGHT 3
WELLINGTON – SUN 13 FEB – THE OPERA HOUSE – NIGHT 1
WELLINGTON – MON 14 FEB – THE OPERA HOUSE – NIGHT 2
WELLINGTON – TUE 15 FEB – THE OPERA HOUSE – NIGHT 3
AUCKLAND – FRI 18 FEB – BRUCE MASON CENTRE
CHRISTCHURCH – SAT 19 FEB – TOWN HALL
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25 March 2020
Because of everything that is going on in the world right now, I have no choice but to postpone my April-May Tour of Australia and New Zealand. However, thanks to some speedy work by my team over there, we’ve able to reschedule all dates for January – February 2021. Of course I’d love to see you sooner, but right now, we all need to concentrate on doing what we can to support each other through this crisis.
BILLY BRAGG ‘ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK’ Australian Tour 2021
Freo Social, Fremantle WA
. Tickets purchased for Friday, 24th April 2020 are now valid for Friday, 29th January 2021
. Tickets purchased for Saturday, 25th April 2020 are now valid for Saturday, 30th January 2021
. Tickets purchased for Sunday, 26th April 2020 are now valid for Sunday, 31st January 2021
The Gov, Adelaide SA
. Tickets purchased for Thursday, 30th April 2020 are now valid for Thursday, 4th February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Friday, 1st May 2020 are now valid for Friday, 5th February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Saturday, 2nd May 2020 are now valid for Saturday, 6th February 2021
The Forum Theatre, Melbourne VIC
(Please note change of venue from Croxton Bandroom to The Forum Theatre)
. Tickets purchased for Wednesday, 6th May 2020 are now valid for Thursday, 11th February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Thursday, 7th May 2020 are now valid for Friday, 12th February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Friday, 8th May 2020 are now valid for Saturday, 13th February 2021
Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
. Tickets purchased for Tuesday, 12th May 2020 are now valid for Wednesday, 17th February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Wednesday 13th May 2020 are now valid for Thursday, 18th February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Thursday, 14th May 2020 are now valid for Friday, 19th February 2021
The Triffid, Brisbane QLD
. Tickets purchased for Monday, 18th May 2020 are now valid for Tuesday, 23rd February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Tuesday, 19th May 2020 are now valid for Wednesday, 24th February 2021
. Tickets purchased for Wednesday, 20th May 2020 are now valid for Thursday, 25th February 2021
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30 July 2019
Billy Bragg will be returning for a very special tour entitled “One Step Forward. Two Steps Back.” In each city Bragg will perform three unique shows on consecutive nights. The first night’s performance will feature Bragg’s current set, which ranges across his 35 year career. The second will see Bragg perform songs from his first three albums: his punk rock debut Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy (1983), its similarly raw follow-up Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984) and Talking with the Taxman about Poetry (1986). The third performance will see Bragg perform songs from his second three albums: the positively jangled Workers Playtime (1988), the pop classic Don’t Try This at Home (1991) and the back-to-basics William Bloke (1996).
Says Billy: “After more than three decades of travelling around the world in a van, or spending all day flying vast distances to play a gig, I’m looking forward to having some time to explore cities that I usually only get to see between the soundcheck and the show. And this three night stand format is a way of keeping things interesting, both for me and the audience. I tried it out in Auckland recently and had a lot of fun revisiting my back pages.”
Billy Bragg has been a fearless recording artist, tireless live performer and peerless political campaigner for over 35 years. Politicised by a Tory government operating without love or justice, this previously adrift young man from Barking, whose failure at national exams had reduced his career opportunities to two, eventually bought himself out of the British Army in 1981 (‘the best £175 I ever spent’), determined to make a living out of song.
Don’t miss the orator, entertainer, rabble-rouser, negotiator, pamphleteer, the fabled ‘Bard of Barking’, Billy Bragg, across three extraordinary evenings.
BILLY BRAGG ‘ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK’ Australian Tour
Freo Social, Fremantle
Friday 24th April
Saturday 25th April
Sunday 26th April 2020
The Gov, Adelaide
Thursday 30th April
Friday 1st May
Saturday 2nd May 2020
Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne
Wednesday 6th May
Thursday 7th May
Friday 8th May 2020
Metro Theatre, Sydney
Tuesday 12th May
Wednesday 13th May
Thursday 14th May 2020
The Triffid, Brisbane
Monday 18th May
Tuesday 19th May
Wednesday 20th May 2020