STRAWBSWEB MAIN PAGE

LAST UPDATED 18 MAY 2026
What's new on site

BANGOR UNIVERSITY CELEBRATION CONCERT NEW

Bangor University hosted a very special concert celebrating the life and music of David Cousins, singer-songwriter and founding member of Strawbs. Very special guests Blue Weaver (Amen Corner, Strawbs, BeeGees), Cathryn Craig (Righteous Brothers) and Brian Willoughby (Strawbs, Mary Hopkin), will join the Bangor University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir performed David’s timeless songs that helped shape British folk-rock.

All proceeds to support the David Cousins Music Scholarship at Bangor University.

David Cousins – Celebration Concert – Bangor University – 29 Feb 2026 Review by Pete Rand, photos by Alison Brown

My first glimpse of the stage drew my eyes immediately to the red Gretsch acoustic guitar at centre stage. As I took my seat, I wondered whether it stood there as a tribute to its absent owner. I was wrong.

The guitar played a vital role in what became an uplifting and inspiring evening. Yes, the concert showcased some of the finest work of a remarkable songwriter and poet. Yes, it gave those of us long in the tooth the chance to revisit songs that have soundtracked much of our lives. But most importantly, hearing these familiar pieces renewed and reinterpreted by a new generation of talented musicians and singers proved to be the evening’s most surprising—and wonderful—gift.

The night opened with Brian and Cathryn performing “Alice’s Song.” They were joined by Blue Weaver for “There Will Come the Day,” with Blue at the piano, which flowed seamlessly into “The Winter Long.” From that point onward, the students took on piano duties—freeing Blue to command the magnificent organ that graces the hall—as well as lead vocals, bass, drums, and lead guitar. Brian contributed on guitar, while Cathryn provided backing vocals.

Two songs in the first half stood out. We all know “Lay Down,” but this arrangement felt fresh: a gentle piano introduction followed by the chamber choir entering with a powerful quasi-gospel delivery. It was magnificent. To close the first half, the mighty church organ introduced “A Glimpse of Heaven,” leading into a stirring performance with choir and lead vocalist front and centre.

For the second half, the orchestra joined the stage, adding new depth to a series of beloved classics. “Benedictus” continued with the grand organ introduction, “Witchwood” benefited from a beautifully crafted string arrangement, and a personal highlight was “The King,” performed by three vocalists alongside choir and orchestra.

The closing trio of songs before the encore maintained the high standard. I never imagined hearing “Grace Darling” begin with a choral introduction alongside piano, the choir echoing the responses as on the album version—it quite literally made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“Blue Angel,” always a favourite of mine, was delivered with excellent guitar work, while Blue—positioned at the rear of the hall—once again drew commanding sounds from the organ, which by this point seemed almost crowned with a rotating star.

The main set concluded with “Down by the Sea,” featuring full orchestra, choir, and band, bringing the evening to a rousing climax.

Yet the most emotional moment was still to come. The encore—a moving blend of “Journey’s End” and “Beat the Retreat”—was performed with tenderness and grace, providing a fitting and heartfelt conclusion to a truly memorable celebration.

Thank you so much to the Bangor University team – I have listened to musicians who I know will definitely be around for at least another 30 years!

STRAWBS: A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN: RADIO & TV 1966-1984 NEW
5CD/1 BLURAY BOX SET, RELEASED 24 APR 2026

Official 5CD and Blu-ray video box set featuring all of the surviving British radio and television appearances by the legendary Strawbs between 1966 and 1984.

The roots of Strawbs go back to 1963 when Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper founded the bluegrass duo The Strawberry Hill Boys. The first Strawbs’ album was issued in May 1969 and saw the band embark on a wonderful career which produced a series of classic albums. Dave Cousins was the visionary, gifted musician and songwriter at the helm of many line-ups of the band which at various times featured such notable members as Ron Chesterman, Tony Hooper, Rick Wakeman, Richard Hudson, John Ford, Blue Weaver, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, Rod Coombes, and John Hawken. Cousins' musical vision saw Strawbs evolve their style from their folk roots to become one of Britain’s foremost progressive rock groups.

Between 1966 and 1984 Strawbs recorded many memorable radio and TV sessions for the BBC and other broadcasters in the UK. This remastered box set gathers all the surviving BBC radio and TV sessions by the band, along with several tracks recorded for other broadcasters, notably including three complete BBC Radio In Concert shows, appearances on The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top Of The Pops, and a reunion performance by Strawbs at the 1983 Cambridge Folk Festival.

It is a wonderful tribute to the musical legacy of the late Dave Cousins.

Full track listing and more images on the A Glimpse Of Heaven pages.

You can order the album from Cherry Red from the Cherry Red website. Also available on Amazon, Ebay and elsewhere

COUSINS AND WILLOUGHBY: THE BRIDGE 2025 NEW

One of Dave Cousins' last wishes was to see this album reissued, and here it is, released on 28 Nov 2025, remastered by Blue Weaver, with four bonus tracks from a live Cousins & Willoughby show in 1994.

For info about the release see The Bridge 2025 page.

SRTRAWBERRY SAMPLER NO. 1 - VINYl RE-ISSUE NEW

Release date: 18 Apr 2026 Italian label Bonfire Records are releasing a Record Shop Day special – a vinyl reissue of the impossibly rare Strawberry Sampler No. 1, which has all the tracks rejected by A&M from the very first Strawbs album and some others. Only 99 copies of the original were made, and I’m aware of the fate of about 12 of them – the last one from folk singer Brenda Wootton’s collection sold for £2000!

Available in record shops on Record Shop Day and from various online shops as well. Search for Strawberry Sampler. (I’ve ordered mine from rarewaves.co.uk on Ebay.)

For info about the release see the Strawberry Sampler page.

SANDY DENNY - A PEOPLE'S HISTORY - LIMITED NUMBERED HARDBACK EDITION NEW

Pub. date: 14 Aug 2026
Pages: 288 (hardback) 234 x 156mm (illustrated in colour & B&W)
RRP: £25.00 / $32.50
ISBN: 978-1-915858-52-8

This book celebrates the life and music of Sandy Denny , bringing together over 200 personal memories from people whose lives were touched by her work — stories of seeing her in concert, meeting her, or discovering her music in the years since her untimely death in 1978. Compiled by Sandy’s daughter, Georgia Rose Lucas, the book features contributions from an extraordinary group of artists and collaborators, including Richard Thompson, Rufus Wainwright, Mary Black, Barbara Dickson, Joe Boyd, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Linda Thompson, Joan as Policewoman, Richard Digance, Iain Matthews, and many more.

Sponsor your name in the book

Pre-order by 24 February 2026 and your name will automatically be printed in the book as a sponsor. If you’d like someone else’s name included instead, simply leave a note in the “Add note regarding dispatch” box at checkout. You can also order additional copies to include multiple sponsor names.

Today (30 Jan) is launch day, and we’re also in the final days of gathering stories, so please do share this with anyone who might want to be part of this collective remembrance.

Thank you, always, for keeping Sandy’s music and memory alive.

More information about the book can be found on the BurningShed site and you can pre-order from there.

Final call for stories

We’re now in the very final stages before the cut-off for entries, but we’re still keen to gather more memories — truly, the more the better. If you have a story of Sandy, or if you know someone who does, please pick up the phone and ask them. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have their story heard and preserved as part of Sandy’s living legacy. Send your memory to: sandydennybook@gmail.com

DAVID JOSEPH COUSINS, 1940- 2025

David Cousins Funeral Service

Wednesday 6th August 2025
Hawkinge Crematorium, Kent
A celebration of the life of David Joseph Cousins

David wanted his funeral service to be held at the Crematorium in Hawkinge and he hoped it would be possible to make it available online, to family, friends and fans, wherever they be. We are, therefore, pleased to be able for you to do so, thanks to the hard work of Blue Weaver and his team. Click on the image to see the video on YouTube, or follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmLRXngr8UQ

MAGIC FROM THE MOON

The long-awaited Blu-Ray with segments from the 40th Anniversary celebrations has now landed. It's a smart piece of work, some excellent filming and the music sounds clear and strong, Included:

Acoustic Strawbs' performance, including 4 songs from the All Our Own Work album with the legendary Sonja Kristina providing vocals

Several items from the closing sections of the weekend with the Royal Artillery Orchestra conducted by Robert Kirby

the delicate, intense "Evergreen"

the pomp and power of "The River"/"Down By The Sea" (orginally orchetrated by Kirby for Bursting at The Seams)

possibly the definitive performance of "Heavy Disguise" with John Ford and Dave Lambert and the brass section

Cousins' anthemic song from 2009's anniversary album "Where Silent Shadows Fall"

There's also a revealing and endearing interview with the late Robert Kirby about his long association with the Strawbs, both as arranger and keyboard player.

Brings it all back .... - there are reviews/comments by Les Cotton, Bjorn Nilsen and me - and some links to external reviews - on the reviews page and you can watch a 60 second trailer on YouTube by clicking on the image below.

You can buy it from Amazon:

or search in your local Amazon on Ebay. Enjoy .....

THE MAGIC OF IT ALL

You can read the Cherry Red press release and see the track listing and other info on Strawbsweb on the main Magic page

Singles

Two singles have been released as downloads - you can listen to them online at the Cherry Red website via various streaming services (including Spotify and YouTube Music):

Ready (We Are Ready)

Everybody Means Something To Someone

Interviews and reviews UPDATED

Various reviews on the Magic reviews page - feel free to send any further reviews or comments comments to Dick Greener

Best Ever - Garry Stoller interviews Dave Cousins

American Songwriter review of Magic

Progarchives review of Magic

Dave Cousins interview

John Ford interview

Video clips

And there are still videos online of Dave's solo living room performance of two of the new songs on the album, intended to promote the 2022 Chiswick show

Video 1 - The Magic Of It All
Video 2 - The Time Has Come For Giving Back

Main; Newly Added; Upcoming gigs; Live; News; Albums; 45s; Video; Books; Lyrics; Gallery Features; Interviews; Tributes; Memorabilia; Timeline/History;
Downloads; Related bands etc.; Sessions and cover versions; Links; get Strawbswebnews; Facebook Help Search site book Strawbs;