Lucy Spraggan Concert – San Francisco

Last month I photographed English musician Lucy Spraggan.

 (bryan farley)

Lucy performed at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill; Tawnee Kendall and Amina Shareef Ali were also on the September 26, 2018 lineup.

 (bryan farley)

Here are my photos of Lucy from the evening.

 (bryan farley)

Lisa is much more popular in England than she is in the United States. After Lucy played San Francisco, she returned home to larger venues. Those of us who saw her perform on the west coast were fortunate to watch her in an intimate setting. Last month in San Francisco, the small venue was not full.

This week, Spraggan sold out much larger venues during her UK tour.

 (bryan farley)

In an earlier decade, San Francisco might have welcomed Spraggan enthusiastically. I still don’t know the reasons that her Bay Area concert was not better attended. Has San Francisco changed or has the world changed? Spraggan visited during Dreamforce, an annual Salesforce conference. (If you haven’t been to San Francisco lately, the tallest building in San Francisco is the Salesforce Tower.)

Software, for better or worse, runs San Francisco now.


 (bryan farley)

In 2016, Spraggan married her girlfriend Georgina Crawford. Crawford joined her on the tour. (There was time when San Francisco cared about these things.) Even though Spraggan sings about important life moments, I was struck about how she made the difficult topics feel normal. Spraggan’s version of the American road song seemed familiar yet original. She sings about raising kids in a way that reminded me of my two children. I felt as though she knew my family.

I don’t feel as though Bay Area tech companies know me and my family… and I live here.


 (bryan farley)

I drink a lot of tea. Almost every day I start my morning with tea and toast. Throughout the day, I stick the kettle on and brew some tea. Lucy’s song Tea and Toast, provides depth to my morning ritual. It seems like a simple song, in part because of the simple phrase, but the lyrics tell a better story.


 (bryan farley)

If you are interested in learning more about Lucy Spraggan, I recommend her song Stick The Kettle On featuring Scouting For Girls.

The song supports CALM. The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a UK based charity preventing male suicide. Fourteen years ago, my father committed suicide. He lived miserably for many years before he took his life. I try to help others, but I often feel alone. I feel as if I am the only one doing something and the software companies with the big towers want it that way.

When others act, I feel less alone. I feel hopeful.

 (bryan farley)

I hope Lucy Spraggan’s crowds and family keep growing … and that everyone becomes a force to help each other fulfill their dreams.

NOTE: You can view images of Tawnee Kendall HERE.

 (bryan farley)

Tawnee performed immediately before Lucy. I haven’t posted any of Amini Shareef Ali, but Amini played some unforgettable original songs.

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