Billy Bragg returns to Montreal after 13 years, playing Jazz Fest finale Saturday
The British folk-punk activist plays Club Soda on July 4 as part of the Festival international de jazz de Montréal, followed by a Quebec City appearance the next week.
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Billy Bragg is back. The British folk-punk activist and songwriter hasn't performed in Montreal since May 2013 — a 13-year gap his fans have been loudly protesting on social media. On Saturday, July 4, he plays Club Soda as the closing act of the Festival international de jazz de Montréal.
Bragg, who turns 70 next year, said the absence wasn't indifference. "Vivre réellement une vie de famille, être un bon compagnon et un bon père, ça a une incidence sur la vie de tournage," he told the interviewer — family and fatherhood took priority. But with his son Jack now pursuing his own music career and touring opportunities aligning, Bragg decided the time was right to return to Canada for a proper two-month tour, including dates south of the border.
He believes his songs are needed again. "Je crois que mes chansons peuvent être à nouveau utiles," he said, pointing to global upheaval and the urgency of activism. In January, after ICE raids and killings in U.S. cities, Bragg released "City of Heroes" — a defiant track mirroring Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Minneapolis."
After the Jazz Fest show, Bragg heads to the Festival d'été de Québec on July 14, performing outdoors. For Montreal fans who've waited over a decade, both shows are worth the calendar block.
