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Songs for International Workers Day
STEVE JOHNSON relishes the inspirational nature of an event which combined great songs with historical narrative
(L to R) Billy Bragg, Francy Devine, Jennifer Reid, Nick Hart, Jackie Oates at Songs for Workers [Pic: Josie Sommer]
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KEVIN DONNELLY outlines how the bourgeois institutions inhibit our ability to to view art in revolutionary ways, and suggests some tactics to overturn it
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Songs for the Workers
Cecil Sharp House
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MUSIC has always played a part in the struggles of workers and the labour movement and in keeping with this tradition this concert at Cecil Sharp House to celebrate International Workers Day brought together different artists to sing a variety of industrial, agricultural and protest songs highlighting the value of collective solidarity.
Compered by Irish singer and labour historian Francy Devine, the event also featured an impressive backdrop of photographs showing scenes from past and present struggles from Britain and internationally.
The first half featured songs from Devine and younger folk performers Jennifer Reid, Nick Hart and Jackie Oates. Starting with Reid’s performance of a mill girl’s song, other highlights included Hart’s performance of the Ewan MacColl song Jamie Foyers in tribute to volunteers of the International Brigade, a miners song from Reid, Th’ Coaler, and Oates’s rendition of the classic American Labour song Joe Hill. The coming together of all the artists to then sing Raise Out the Banners was an uplifting moment before the interval.
Peggy Seeger was to have headlined the second part of the concert but unfortunately due to illness was unable to attend with Billy Bragg acting as her replacement. However, after starting with his own Between the Wars he paid tribute to MacColl and Seeger with their song Kilroy was Here. Assisted by the other artists and with particular emphasis on the 1984 miners’ strike we then got to hear songs like Power in the Union, A Miner’s Life and Solidarity Forever culminating in The Red Flag sang to Jim Connell’s original tune.
The concert ended with the other artists joining Bragg in singing his version of the Internationale, one which may not be to the taste of many Star readers, including this reviewer. However this does not take away from the inspirational nature of an event which combined great songs with historical narrative.
