Anger, resistance and roots: the return of Ani Difranco

Anger, resistance and roots: the return of Ani Difranco

25 years ago Ani Difranco sang the idea of ​​moving to Canada, to escape a country armed to the teeth (“To the Teeth”, 1999). Today’s America is worst and full of “never seen shit” (“Unprecedenaded Shit”, as stated in the title of her latest album) but the singer -songwriter still uses music as a form of resistance, in her songs and in her concerts – in a more mature way than the angry tones first phase of the career, but not less angry.
“What is happening in America is contagious and even here there are dark clouds on the horizon. This song is for those who resist,” he says, presenting “Do or Die”, at the opening of his concert at the Royal Albert Hall: it is the first date of the European tour; Tomorrow, June 14, he will be in Rome and then the next day in Ferrara, for the first Italian concerts in 8 years.

“I learned to live with my anger. But it is a strange thing, you can write all the songs you want but you risk downloading it on the closest people,” he explains shortly after – telling that the people with whom he is more angry are the “Sleepwalker”, those who have not gone to vote or pretend nothing – to which he dedicates “You Forgot To Speak”, from the latest album: ” So Much Justice/In a World of Broken Men/You Gotta Wonder, Why Begin?/Let Alone, Begin Again/and Tell Me/How The Hell Can Anybody Listeten When You Forget To Speak? “

A concert by Ani Difranco is made of great songs and many speeches – which at Royal Albert are concentrated especially in the first part of the show. But in addition to anger and resistance, there are the roots, the musical ones: on the tour it is accompanied by a “classic” band with drums, double bass, guitar and slide, which gives an almost country touch to some songs, far from the sound experiments of the last album and also from the punk-Folk with which it was known in the 90s.

The roots mean memory: Ani Difranco is the farthest from the red fish that live as if every day it was the first, around the “Little Plastic Castle” in a glass ball full of water. He is one of the classics in the lineup, together with “Dilate” and “Untouchable Fa”: his music over time has softened by approaching a more classic and refined sound, exemplified by the wonderful “Revolutionary Love” of 4 years ago. They were intense years for her: an autobiography, other books and even a part of Broadway in the musical “Hadestown” – winner of a Tony Award, the Oscars in the sector. To open the evening at the Royal Albert Hall there was her friend and colleague of the Anaïs Mitchell label, who of that musical – on the bill also in London – is the author. And so Ani Difranco also puts two songs of that show, “Our Lady of the Underground” and “Why We Build the Wall”.
But the closure, before the encore, is “32 Flavors” sung in chorus by the Royal Albert Hall: “I am a poster girl with no poster/i am 32 flavors and then some/and i’m beyond your peripheral vision/so you might Wanna turn your head”, sings in one of her most beautiful stanzas. In bis, with Anaïs Mitchell, a cover of “All Your Fascist Bound To Lose” by Woody Guthrie summarizes the evening, together with “Revolutionary Love”: love, resistance and revolution.

In Italy, the shows will instead be open by the Duo Gracie and Rachel. The charge and charism of a great singer -songwriter will not change, unique for approach and independence. Seeing her again after so many years confirms how much its voice – artistic and political – is necessary to understand the “unprocessed shit” of a country divided and fragmented like America.