When the tour dates were announced for Bill Bragg's 2021 UK tour, I was surprised to see Bridport not listed on there, with him being a West Dorset resident.

So, when the email came through from Bridport Arts Centre that he was doing a warm up gig there, I jumped at the chance and got tickets there and then - which was lucky as it was a sell-out (no surprise!).

His new album, The Million Things That Never Happened, has a heavy influence of the pandemic. It was produced with Romeo Stodart of my favourite band, The Magic Numbers, so I was even more excited to hear it.

Accompanied by keyboard player Thomas Collison, he performed 'I Will Be Your Shield' and the title track, 'The Million Things That Never Happened', which were so incredibly moving, and a brilliant track co-written with his son, Jack, called 'Ten Mysterious Photos That Can't Be Explained'.

It was also a delight as he played some of his hits from over the years.

Being an activist as well as a singer-songwriter, this has always come through in his songs, and it was also great to listen to him talk so passionately between songs, almost like a conversation with a friend, and to have a deeper understanding of his songs.

Being a warm up gig and essentially practicing in front of a live audience before the tour, it was so relaxed, no special effects, just an evening of great music.

If you missed it, we definitely encourage you to try and catch him on his UK tour.

His new album is due to be released on October 29.

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below!

You can submit your own news straight to Bridport Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page. This can also be done for events on our What's On page and businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page , also by using the 'Nub It' button.

Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us @BridportNubNews on Facebook and Twitter.