Updated: 18 Mar 2006
Part 1 - First leg - 7 to 27 January
Just a huge thank you to the band for yet another superb evening. I've just turned 20, and I've been listening to the Strawbs as long as I can remember. From car journeys when I was young, to the last 10 Strawbs gigs I've been to! I'd love to stay after the shows and chat to the guys, but I'm always reliant on parental transportation, so sadly it's not possible. I'd love it if you could pass on my gratitude and warm-hearted thanks to the band for being the music that I grew up on, and continue to love. With Dave C's superb lyrics and voice, and Lambert's truly stunning vocals... I'm doing my best to introduce the band to my peers and generation, and am actually proud to say that a good handful have now been to and enjoyed Strawbs shows.
Anyway, I'm waffling. Just a *huge* thank you to the whole team for being such a huge and incredible part of my life, and for producing and playing some of the most incredible music I've ever known. Thanks.
Benedictus (acapella)
Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Ghosts
Midnight Sun
Oh, How She Changed
Dragonfly
The Antique Suite
If
Sunday Morning
Lay Down
A Glimpse Of Heaven
SQUARE CHAPEL CENTRE FOR THE ARTS, HALIFAX, SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2006
After surviving 4 months without a live gig of any description, seeing the Acoustic Strawbs at the Square Chapel in Halifax was just what the doctor ordered. Although this was my first visit to the town, the venue was remarkably easy to find - even in the dark - and is apparently the only remaining square church in Britain.
Another near-capacity audience, which is heartening to see, which meant I ended up sitting dead centre quite a way back up the raked seating and a very good spot sound-wise. The only minor problem with the sound was Dave L's vocals were a bit muffled and slightly on the quiet side.
To be honest, the setlist was irrelevant for me tonight as I just enjoyed the thrill of listening to the band live again. The absolute highlight though was the wonderful new arrangement of "The man Who Called Himself Jesus" and it was lovely to hear "Sunday Morning" - I closed my eyes and just pictured the whole scene. Dave C was in fine story-telling form and the evening just flew by.
The only other identified Witchwooder in attendance was Pete Madeley with daughter Ella and her boyfriend Adam (Lynne, sadly, was suffering with 'flu - hope you're feeling better!) and as the show finished quite early, we spent a pleasant, unhurried hour in the bar afterwards.
Superb entertainment once again!
Halifax photo by Alison Brown - more pics from Alison.
Just a few comments to add to Alison's account of the evening.
First, on the downside there were a few problems with the sound. Whenever the volume was turned up there was a distracting crackling from the right hand speaker, which simply did not happen at a lower volume. Also no "Hero And Heroine" in the set list.
Now the good bits:
It was nice to hear "Tears And Pavan" in the set. My daughter Ella made the comment that you could tell the diehard Strawbs fans by the way they clapped the two staccato beats in "Pavan". The arrangement of "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" was a high point in the set for me. The two other high points for me were "Oh How She Changed", and a haunting "Dragonfly".
It is unfair to mention any aspect of the musicianship in particular as the playing was of the highest quality, but the combination of the ebow and bass pedals was mesmeric.
Ella's boyfriend Adam has only recently heard Strawbs music, but enjoyed and was impressed by the evening.
It was really good to see Alison again, and to chat with the band. A really good evening.
Benedictus accapella intro/Simple Visions
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Shine On Silver Sun
Ghosts
Midnight Sun
Autumn
Dragonfly
Oh How She Changed
Cold Steel
If
Antiques Suite
Lay Down
Hero And Heroine
GUILDHALL THEATRE, DERBY, SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2006
ANOTHER great gig last night in Derby.
Refinements have been made to the set which have made some real improvements. "Simple Visions" was as enjoyable as always - I don't want this one to be rested, the poetry of the lyrics is great and it lets Cousins' Joe Cocker impersonation have free rein - "let us conjure magic from the moon" - you can imagine the frenzied arms of DC doing just so.
Not sure about the Benedictus intro - don't get me wrong, it was great, but I think it would have been great to hear "Cut Like A Diamond" again - always a powerful opener in the old electric set. "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" was a revelation - a song that perhaps seemed best resigned to the sixties as a slightly contrived, albeit powerful number, totally reinvented in Bon Jovi, bluesy style. Brilliant!
"Shine On Silver Sun" is always beautiful and was as spellbinding as ever; sounding slightly more polished than previous performances - especially DC's banjo.
"Ghosts" was brilliant, although I can see where those who say it needs resting are coming from. It gives Lambert a great spotlight though and really shows the dynamics of the band well.Midnight Sun really has reached a new peak of acoustic majesty - the perfect song for this lineup.
"Autumn" is always a lovely song - there's a small part of me that cringes when I see DL doing his seagulls, I'm just not sure its necessary. The dynamics of this have improved, and DL's slide playing was spot on, as were his vocals.
"Dragonfly" was fantastic - far more than I would have imagined, not being that thrilled on the original. This reinterpretation was superb, especially DL's ebow work. DC looked really satisfied with this, and its great to see this unearthed.
"Oh How She Changed" is still a treat - DL's vocals on really great form. Perhaps could be rested - I would have loved to have heard "Hard Hard Winter" a bit longer, and it would have fitted in nicely here.
"Cold Steel" was as always, a powerful banjo driven number, but this is my prime contender for being rested, not that its not in any way less good than anything else; just that I'd love to hear some of Lamberts other songs - surely "Don't Try To Change Me" would sound great acoustically - I can imagine DL's vocals on the chorus of that one blasting out (incidentally Les and I were quite concerned at the hammer DL was giving his vocal monitor - lots of red lights!!) "If" gets better and better. "Antiques Suite" is still the highlight of the set - there is simply no-one else who could have written this song but Dave Cousins - a truly unique songwriter at the peak of his prowess on this song.
"Lay Down" really rocked with DL on Townshend inspired acoustic thrashing! "Hero And Heroine" is one song that I've never been sure of in its acoustic setting and I said as much to Les upon sight of the bodhran in its usual place. Words I would regret. This was an astounding performance from all three Strawbs - DL punishing his guitar more than I've seen him before, and DC singing in inspired fervour as ever.
Chas is the rock amongst DC and DL (like Derek Smalls' "lukewarm water" as somewhere between Fire and Ice in Spinal Tap). Stunning harmonies (how does he sing so high with such confidence?) His bass playing really shone on this particular gig too. Nice to chat with Chas for a while after the gig - such an approachable and humble man. Its a crazy world that these guys aren't cherished more by the public at large. One of us needs to nominate the guys for OBE's for services to music!!
Lovely venue - a slightly faded Victorian theatre, very friendly staff etc. It was great to meet up with other Witchwood crew - what a lovely bunch we are! (and modest too!)
Another special night, but lets be honest, they are all special, or why would be all drive for miles to see them? I wonder if DC realises how special the Strawbs flame is to some people. I hope he does.
A grand day out to Derby today, lots of circling round Derby's strange traffic system, eventually got to a great gig this evening at theGuildhall. Fab sound system and mix, giving dramatic full-range Bass for Chas's huge pedal sound. A very near capacity audience again, for a full two-set show, including the magnificent "Antiques Suite", and my current personal favs of "Dragonfly" and "Midnight Sun" ...all the songs are evolving each performance, and subtle little changes are creeping in to enhance these tunes further. Lots of grins and laughs tonight, a happy and confident band for sure.
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Ghosts
Oh How She Changed
Dragonfly
Midnight Sun
If
Lay Down
Hero And Heroine
Sunday Morning
NETTLEBED VILLAGE FOLK CLUB, NETTLEBED, MONDAY 30 JANUARY 2006
The first time that I had been to this venue but village hall gave the impression of a small wooden building, well they were when I was growing up. Not this one which turned out to be a terrific venue and spacious as well.
Arrived in time to start queuing with another fan and although I missed the 1 ,2 , 1 ,2 bits heard everything else and it sounded pretty good. No surprise when the doors opened and Paul Smith emerged as the sound man for the night.
Why queue ? well it was a question I was to ask later, but outside the hall, the bar was for members only who were eventually let in first.
Met up with Gordon and we actually sat together. Just think a Gordon and Bennett in the same row.
A local estimated crowd at 250, which I thought a little on the generous side but it must have been approaching 200 or so.
This was and if not pretty close to the loudest acoustic gig I have been to, even the compere said at the interval that was loud wasn't it !! Hey but all the better for that, no straining to listen tonight and absolutely perfect for the ending of the first of the encores, "Hero And Heroine" and of course much else along the way. DL's ebow resonating my eardrum so much so, that I cupped my hands behind my ear to add to the effect.
"Midnight Sun" was a close your eyes job, stunningly beautiful and atmospheric. If I have seen it better, it always has been excellent in the past, then I very much doubt it.
No "Antiques" tonight, but we did get a double and much demanded second encore, which calmed everyone down nicely and sent everyone away having witnessed a remarkable night of powerful and as well as subtle delivery, enthralling and captivating the gathered throng.
What a fantastic evening. from meeting Dave at the bar beforehand to chatting with all three of the boys for ages after the gig, and what a gig, fantastic. Musicianship of the highest order, great songs, stories from Dave as always and a great atmosphere.
SO pleased we made it, hadn`t seen the band since the 70s in Oxford, missed them in Newbury a couple of years ago as we were away at the time. Every one of the songs brought back such great memories. Dave remembered one of the previous times I had seen them in the New Theatre as we had a Chinese in the restaurant opposite with some of the band beforehand.
Queuing beforehand another chap said if you haven`t seen them since then you have to allow for their voices having dropped a bit with age!! Didn`t matter a scrap, they were great, Dave`s voice, Chas pedals and Dave`s playing were up with the very best. Favourite of the evening, probably "Lay Down" and my voice is still croaking from singing along all evening.
Dave said he hoped to be back in 25 years, if it was 25 days I for one would be there and so I`m sure would most of the audience of around 200.
More more more please, and soon
Do please thank the boys for a great evening and for all the time they spent with the likes of me afterwards.
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Ghosts
Midnight Sun
Dragonfly
The Antiques Suite
Oh How She Changed
If
Sunday Morning
Lay Down
A Glimpse Of Heaven
WYCOMBE TOWN HALL, HIGH WYCOMBE, THURSDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2006
Having been off sick for half of January, I'd managed to miss out on most of the tour so far, other than the first show in Kings Heath, when none of the newly arranged songs were ready for the set. So, it was odd for me, this far into a tour, to come fresh to the setlist. For me the two stunners were definitely the new arrangement of "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" and the introduction into the set of a third track from Deja Fou, "Sunday Morning".
"Jesus" to me had reflections of the "Strolling Bones" style arrangement for "On My Way" – whereas that was a light poppy song, rocked up acoustically, "Jesus" as released back in 1968 was a full on rock number (with heavy friends much in evidence), which has been stripped back to its roots and given a Lambert riff to underpin it, which takes it beyond the folky-ballad style which has been its acoustic clothing in previous acoustic outings. Don't get me wrong, I'd enjoy hearing "Jesus" on paper and comb, but this version is superb, and worth the trip to High Wycombe alone.
"Sunday Morning" was simply stunning. I'd been at the studio mixing session for this track and always enjoyed its stark simplicity, all of which comes over in spades when it is performed live. I'd heard it had been introduced as a final encore after "Hero And Heroine" (which didn't seem quite right to me), but her in the set, just before "Lay Down", seemed perfect positioning, and it shone like a diamond.
The other new "re-entrant" is "Tears And Pavan", re-arranged for the Chas line-up which Mr Cronk on 12-string. Pretty and accomplished, but no substantial breaking of new ground here. The second set these days is simply perfect, with that blissful run of early Strawbs material from the first, second and third albums.
Story-wise Dave C was in sparkling form – a few anecdotes which were new even to me, which always is enjoyable. And, despite arriving minutes before the show was due to start, I was in a prime position for photos, sitting at the front in a seat kept for by my mate Kevin – thanks Kevin !!! So plenty of pix for the website – this tour was beginning to look pretty thin on photos.
HIGH BARN, GREAT BARDFIELD, FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2006
It really was a stunner yet again, I couldn't agree more. Wonderful venue too and the owner was a lovely guy, a Strawbs fan since he was young too. Had a little chat with him and he was over the moon to have had the band there. DC adored the place and said it's the kind of venue they love to play; it really does suit what the Acoustic Strawbs are doing so perfectly, the ambience was... well there I am lost for words again. Strangely enough we'd been reminiscing about Jack Hargreaves and "Out of Town" and the fact that the hot new dvd of the tv series from the 60s has just been released while in the car on the way up (what racey conversations we girls do have!!) - at High Barn you kept expecting to see old Jack puffing away on his pipe in amongst all the old farming implements and, er, things.
Gill has declared that she is going to buy every Strawbs cd she can get her hands on, incredibly gratifying for me to have turned her onto Strawbs when she'd hardly heard of them - without doubt I used to mention them to her when we first met, about 15 years ago, but it wasnt until these recent acoustic tours that I first suggested her coming along and now she's giving up her day job to become a full time groupie. Well maybe not quite as much of a groupie as Nigel - naughty, but nice, of him to fool us like that and by the way the suspension made it home Nige (I think, havent dared look yet and it's still making very funny noises).
My most unexpected find in a wonderful buddy ever, all thanks to Strawbsweb's find-a-friend service, that's Carole of course, and I did a great job of navigating there and back didn't we Carole. Carole?? Are you still speaking to me??
Another superb evening, this time at High Barn in the depths of rural Essex. A splendid venue, the sound was perfect, atmosphere relaxed and friendly, chips rather special. It was heart-warming to see so many people. It seems to me that audience numbers are steadily on the increase which can only be good news.
If I had to choose, my highlights they would be "Tears And Pavan" what a treat, I haven't heard this live for quite some time and hope to hear it a lot more. "Midnight Sun", I love this song for no other reason than it is a beautiful song. "Oh How She Changed", a very moving performance. And of course "Simple Visions", such an uplifting song. Chas' pedals bring a deep richness to the sound, DC's sparkling banjo playing is magical and DL's vocals so strong and emotive.
The dear Mr Bennett surprised us all by greeting us on arrival, we thought he was snuggled up by a crackling fire swigging a bottle of red, certainly another highlight of the evening. Oh err sorry Nigel, we ate your Galaxy egg, I did say you only get one chance at them. Thanks to Gill for driving and to Lindsay for the torch, where would we have been without that? How lucky am I to find such a special bunch of people who share my passion for Strawbs music.
There was only one downside which has already been sadly reported, Lindsay took some great shots throughout the show and after, but somehow (and it wasn't me guv) the whole big panoramavision screen on her newly acquired camera cracked into smithereens and all is lost. A great shame.
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Ghosts
Dragonfly
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
Antique Suite
If
Lay Down
A Glimpse Of Heaven (High Barn)
Sunday Morning (Wimborne)
HIGH BARN, GREAT BARDFIELD, FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2006 and
TIVOLI THEATRE, WIMBORNE, SATURDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2006
First stop of the weekend and a long trip across to The High Barn praised by experts, as "one of the oldest and finest timber framed barns, in the world. It is a stunning contrast of the old and the new, with an incredible atmosphere and state of the art facilities. The High Barn is an inspirational venue for live music", so said their web site and so it proved on this particular Friday.
Atmosphere in abundance, a sell out crowd, that included fellow Witchwooders, Carole, Lindsay and of course me, plus recent convert Gill who has pledged that she will be buying everything that the guys have ever done. Deep pockets that girl and an insatiable appetite for great music.
Now there are many tales to be told from the night, but the over riding one is the fantastic performance we saw. Sound was crystal clear, the ambience of the building turned it into one of those intoxicating nights (that's another tale) where everything in the world seemed perfect, even the chips, until they were whipped away from under our noses.
"Midnight Sun" transcended the perfection that went before, transporting everyone to a place far away from where we sat. Yes, yes, I know I have said it before but "Antique Suite" was sensational, moving, evocative and note perfect, can you ask for more? Well, tonight the audience showed great affection for "If" and they were soon demanding the encore.
This was a truly exceptional night, I even temporarily forgot missing out on the Galaxy choccy eggs, on the way home. I have already been promised a boxful for missing out on those. All I need to discover now who was it that ran off with the half empty packet of Haribo Strawbs - same person no doubt, who managed to filch and glug, DC's glass of wine late on in the evening.
Chas, thanks for keeping my little secret from earlier in the week !!
And so to Wimborne - the shortest trip of the tour for me and a venue so different from the night before being an old yet lovely theatre with room for 500. This is the third time I believe that the Acoustics in one form or another, have played the venue.
Sound wise the clarity was certainly good, but felt that the audience would have benefited from a little more volume in the large auditorium, although from "Autumn" onwards this seemed to be addressed. "Cold Steel" got a very good reception as again did "If". In fact the audience played their part in the evenings entertainment with their appreciation of the performance and "pin drop" attention, as well as a hearty rendition of "Lay Down".
Didn't spot a single Witchwooder, anyone claim to be hiding from me? Did overhear others in the audience saying "we've got to go to Southampton for electric show" and they weren't talking appliances.
Last to leave (again), if truth is known "ejected" out of the back door, by the "locker upper" into some dark alley, as the front doors had been locked. The rest of the guests had disappeared long before.
THE PLATFORM, MORECAMBE, FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2006
Last night we saw the Acoustic Strawbs for the second time, having seen the gig at Leicester Cathedral which, in itself, fulfilled a long-time ambition fuelled by listening to our complete and continually growing collection of Strawbs material on CD, LP, and DVD.
After the supreme musicianship of the Leicester concert our expectations were riding very high, and this time we invited the parents along - also life-long fans. We managed to get there in time to have pick of the tables and chose one in the centre of the front row which gave us an excellent view of everything that Dave, Dave, and Chas were doing.
At first, it seemed as though there was quite a bit against them on this particular night. The venue was cold to start with, and the temperature fluctuated quite a bit between draft and warm throughout the night. There was also the fact that the sound engineer was clearly not listening at times in the first half, making some pretty bad judgements on balance. Chas Cronk's pedals threatened to swamp the mix a little at moments, and there were times when Dave Lamberts AWESOME guitar playing (and his very powerful vocal performance in 'Cold Steel') needed a bit more gain and (in the case of those particular vocals) considerably less reverb.
However, in spite of these factors, the Acoustic Strawbs gave an absolutely supreme performance from start to finish. All night, the humanity and genuine emotion of these great songs came soaring through on a whirlwind of beautiful vocal harmonies, intricate and complex guitar textures and extensive evidence of the sheer musicianship of all three performers. Lambert's involvement and commitment really is an experience to behold. This man clearly still loves performing and refuses to let age diminish either his astounding technical ability as both guitarist and singer, or his innate ability to communicate through his music making. We had seen Richard Thompson (who is quite rightly celebrated for his brilliant guitar skill) only two nights before and could comfortably describe Dave Lambert as his equal in every way. Many of these qualities are shared by Dave Cousins whose voice is really undiminished from the prime days, and whose intelligence, understanding of human nature and gentility are central to the quality of the band's output. His guitar and banjo playing was so much more fluent last night than in Leicester - somehow he seemed a lot more at ease with his instruments. (Although, understandably, I don't think he was hugely fond of being interrupted and questioned by a slightly inebriated member of the audience who thought it would be fun to sit and play air guitar at various rousing moments!)
Chas Cronk has now really settled into his role within the acoustic outfit and his playing is better than ever - especially on the 12-string and bass parts which add a huge amount to the overall sound and textural interest of the songs.
The set list was very well chosen and it was wonderful for us to hear Autumn again, performed with such conviction. This song has helped us through a difficult time and means so much to us that hearing it performed live again moved us, quite literally, to tears.
How many other bands combine supreme song writing and incredible musician with such humility and humanity as the Strawbs? The answer is very few, and I hope that they continue to make music for many years to come. Maybe, one day, they might even get the recognition they so richly deserve.
Hit the A34 on Friday afternoon, and heading north with a company car full of good intentions, ideas, CD's, chocolate, and ultrasound machines. Did Kerouac start out in similar fashion?
Time approx. 3pm. Also at this departure time, I was impressively adorned with NONE of the following:
a) a ticket for the performance
b) any idea whether it was sold out
c) any idea of where it was
d) any idea of whether my Northern relatives were at home
e) any idea of whether there was any room at their house for the night
Claridge planning at its best.
Whilst heading north, a man, who for the porpoises of this dribble will be known as Les Nylon, gives me another Witchwooder's mobile number. This person, for the poproises of this dribble, will be called Nigella Bonnett. Of course Nigella doesn't know who the series of txts that he will receive over the nxt 2 hours are from. The txts take the form of travel reports from a caller named Jim Wilson, working for the Gilt-Edged Invitations Company!!! I would like to say he was fooled by this..... and so I shall - he was fooled! Who cares, it relieved my bordom and spread happiness throughout the Swindon area (and boy does the Swindon area need spreading)..
Caught in traffic so managed to get to Ron Devu with Les Nylon very, very late. I was to meet Les at a Shell garage, and full directions were given. Only, I didn't listen, and so parked outside a different Shell garage (no one told me there were two of 'em). Suitable diversions taken, I meet with Legendary Les, hug, kiss, swap stories of Witchwooders, home recordings, breasts, etc.
Get to gig. no idea what the first half was like as they hadn't had the common courtesy of waiting for us- must speak sternly with Chas Crank about this.
But the bit we did see was the usual superb stuff - "Antiques And Curios" a particular highlight, as it always is for me.
After gig, Mr Crank rasied a hand high at twenty paces and exclaims "Ah, Mr C." He enquires that I am way off territory, to which I exclaim "Yeah, and it's grim up north!" Not wise in a hall full of 'Up Northerners'. I expand on tales of traffic problems and his eyes glaze over. Les Nylon and I leave, after a brief stop with Mr Lambert and Butler.
But a curious thing happened this evening......just as the band finish playing "Antiques And Curios". As the final sustained chord echos off into the rafters high above the stage at The Platform, a single feather meets the rising note, and drifts down softly, floating from side to side, until finally resting on the hard tiled floor in front of me. I alone notice this and am tranfixed for a brief second. This curiosity gives me pause for thought. A higher order is at work maybe, as I am reminded........ "Where the bloody 'ell am I going to get that budgie from!" [DG - Witchwood reference, too complex to explain here, just be relieved you don't know what he means !]
Sunday morning..............
I find a pet shop this morning and speak with an incredibly camp young chap regarding budgies. I point to the particular bird I want, and he huff's and sighs and minces his way into the cage. Ten minutes later and he is flapping more than the bl**dy birds, and I am bored. Budgie is eventually caught and placed in a travelling box. I buy cage, stand, food, treats etc. and head off for my 88 year old Nan's bedsit. She is absolutely pleased-as-punch. Seriously - I have never seen her so delighted. My Nan now has some company, and I have a Budgie named after me!
Photo from Ron Kirkley
Benedictus (acapella)
Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Ghosts
Midnight Sun
Oh, How She Changed
Dragonfly
The Antique Suite
If
Lay Down
Sunday Morning
TOWN HALL, SELBY, SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2006
Selby Town Hall is a lovely, compact venue holding about 150 and it was a very well attended concert. The BBC recorded the show for broadcast alongside an interview on BBC Radio York's North Yorkshire Folk. It'll be well worth a listen as this was another cracking performance. Great sound, enthusiastic audience - just loved it all from start to finish. Good to meet up again with Ian and Sandra and also Dave Passmore, who hadn't seen this line-up before.
Only 19 days to the first electric gig...... :o)
The show, along with an interview, will be broadcast on BBC Radio York on their Folk Show on Wednesday 22nd Feb and 1st Mar. Looks like it starts at 19.00 GMT, though Ali has asked them for confirmation.
After a five month break a trip down to Selby was "just the ticket". The venue was a small hall holding about 150 and was just about full. This was a superb gig emphasizing everything good about the band. The set allowed for the considerable talent of Dave, Dave, and Chas to shine through.
My highlights included "Simple Visions", "The Antique Suite", "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" (and the rest), however "Midnight Sun" shone out. Worth the journey for this alone.
After seeing the lads many times over the last few years this was one of the best I've seen. The sound system was perfect, the relaxed atmosphere emanating from the stage, and the inclusion of landmark songs made for a memorable evening.
Already looking forward to my next gig.
Selby photo by Alison Brown - more pics from Alison.
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Ghosts
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
Dragonfly
The Antique Suite
If
Lay Down
Sunday Morning
A Glimpse Of Heaven
ASHCROFT ARTS CENTRE, FAREHAM, SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2006
The trip to Fareham wasn't an intuitive one for me - staying with friends over near Hastings but with a pass-out to see the show - a round trip of nearly 200 miles, 2 hours each way. But as I'd not seen much of this tour (only Kings Heath, where nothing new was played and High Wycombe), it had to be done. I was looking forward to hearing the new entrants to the setlist, particularly "Jesus" and "Sunday Morning", both of which were absolutely stunning at High Wycombe.
"Jesus" to me had reflections of the "Strolling Bones" style arrangement for "On My Way" – whereas that was a light poppy song, rocked up acoustically, "Jesus" as released back in 1968 was a full on rock number (with heavy friends much in evidence), now stripped back to its roots and given a Lambert riff to underpin it. It's way beyond the folky-ballad style which has been its acoustic clothing in previous acoustic/acoustic set outings. Don't get me wrong, I'd enjoy hearing "Jesus" on paper and comb, but this version is superb, and worth the trip to Fareham alone. It starts out with a pretty little guitar intro, before Lambert slides off into the riff which backs the first half of the song, aided and abetted by judicious use of the bass and the pedals from the multi-talented (and limbed) Mr Cronk. Cousins takes vocals on the verses, building nicely through the first few, Lambert and Cronk joining in on the choruses. There's a lull round about verse three, which brings Cousins in on strummed guitar for a verse, before the riff returns and then the bass and pedals. By the time they get to the last verse, it's so powerful you don't notice that there's this is "just" the acoustic version.
"Cold Steel" also stood out in the first half, particularly fine tonight, with Lambert driving the guitar hard, and belting out the lyrics, with the banjo picking adding a superb counterpoint, and the swelling pedals adding a touch of menace. Earlier in the set it was nice to hear "Tears And Pavan" now arranged for 2 x 6 string and 1 x 12-string guitars - both Lambert and Cronk doubling the mandolin-like part in Pavan gives it an even more authentic sound.
The second half starts out with the non-standard tuning songs, opening with "Ghosts", a tour de force as ever. "Midnight Sun" really sounds fantastic these days, Cousins' plaintive vocal, blending perfectly with the jangly 12-string backing and Lambert's polished e-Bow work. The backing vocals fit together perfectly too, with DL in very restrained mode. And the three songs from the first three albums, "Oh How She Changed", "Dragonfly" and "The Antique Suite" - sheer delight, though the latter looks quite hard work - caught a look from Cousins to Lambert as though saying "phew!" at the end of the last of these. Also very fine was "Lay Down", the accapella opening no doubt being polished up for the electric tour and the DVD filming.
"Sunday Morning" when it came was simply marvellous - I sat there with a stupid grin on my face throughout. I'd been at the studio mixing session for this track and always enjoyed its stark simplicity, all of which comes over in spades when it is performed live. I'd heard it had been introduced as a final encore after "Hero And Heroine" (which didn't seem quite right to me). Here they played it as a first encore with "Glimpse" to follow, which seemed better, though at High Wycombe it was in the main set, just before "Lay Down", which I think was probably better still - perfect positioning. In any event, it shone like a diamond on both occasions.
Cousins was in tip-top storytelling form for this show - lots of stories on an incredibly wide variety of topics travels in Italy, parties at Spike Milligan's, his thatching friend Jake, Tromso drinking chums, long-legged girls in Richmond, antique-collecting doctors - as ever the receptive audience were transfixed to hear about the background of many of the pieces played.
A joyous trip and glad I made the effort for it. Stopped off in Brighton on the way home for fish'n'chips at the late night fish shop on the front. Caters for the post-pub and pre-club trade, a lively old place and some rare sights (!). But nothing to match the rare sounds of a yet another masterfully presented Acoustic Strawbs show.
Photo by Dick Greener - more pics from Dick.
Sadly this was to be my last Acoustic gig of the tour, although some may say I have been lucky enough to have had, more than my fair share anyway.
The present line up had played the same venue on Chas's Acoustic debut tour with the two Dave's. This time it was different, notably because they were playing in a different theatre within the same complex. Apparently, a staffing issue it made it easier to "corral" the audience, (as if we need managing !) and "man" the bar at the same time. If that sounds like a bit of a downer, nothing could be further from the truth. A lovely place, the sound guy delivered a crystal clear immaculately balanced sound and an enthusiastic and large audience witnessed a great performance from the guys. The only glitch being the till jamming temporarily, at the bar just prior to the start, (Strawbs were not responsible for this !) It was soon resolved and we all managed an ale well ahead of the 8 pm start. This delay was more than compensated by the fact, it remained open after the gig and there was never any intention from the friendly and helpful staff, even at that late hour, to send us on our way sooner than we wanted to.
Thanks to Chas, for introducing me to new Witchwooder Martin and although we didn't have long to chat, will no doubt bump into each other at The Brook. Martin was sporting a 2000 tour t-shirt, one of two at the event, any one claim the other one ? There were also some very enthusiastic people sat in the front rows, one of whom sounded as if they had been "encouraged" to come along for the night. I managed to catch the words as they were leaving "I'm so glad that you badgered me to come, that was fantastic " I really must stop eavesdropping conversations its always getting me into trouble. Much audience participation with "Winter Long", "Hey It's Been A Long Time" and "Lay Down".
I needed no introduction to Dick, Bob and Louise Richardson, neither of them had aged much since our last get together and we managed to claim seats in a prime position. If you are wondering Dick, yes Bob, Lou and me spent about an hour freezing and talking on the in the street (in the rain) after the gig [DG - that comes as no surprise!!!]. Only after first, taking the precaution of checking my car wouldn't be locked in the car park when we returned. A fate we had nearly suffered before. Nice new car by the way B & L keep it clean !!
Tonight's set followed much the same format as the rest of the tour, with the fortune of a double encore of "Sunday Morning" and "A Glimpse Of Heaven". The first may have been as a result of a little audience request. By whom ? All guesses on the identity of the " requestor" (is that in a legal dictionary?), to the (D)irector (G)eneral.
With another gig on the Isle of Wight tonight perhaps it is premature to review the whole tour, but I will. The playing has been exceptional, the emotion high and the audiences, turning out in far greater and very encouraging numbers than I can remember on previous Acoustic tours. Audiences have also been extremely enthusiastic about every show that I have attended. The ethereal "Midnight Sun" with its mystical feel has been one of the real highlights. Last night it was noticeable how the interwoven emotion of "Antiques" changed the whole mood persona of the audience from enjoyment to reflection and back again as we moved into the final songs in the second set. This set has certainly delivered some wide ranging emotions. The new intro to "The Man who…….." was refreshing and bright - it was good to hear that song again.
And downsides - yes we all have different wish lists and a huge catalogue of choice, but the loss of "Barcarole" after one tour, little seen of "Hero" although that delivered another highly amusing and cherished moment at Nettlebed.
Though the thought of a sunny February day on the island, had crossed my mind and I must admit was enticing, but with the electric stuff just round the corner had to give it a miss. Weather wise that was a good decision particularly looking out of the window now as the thought of having "a stormy night at sea" in the Solent would have taken me through "the low of deep depression" into the theatre and then onto "to the high of ecstasy". Ah, let it rain, (it is today) isn't that what that Silver Sun is for.
Electric tour ? Now where did I put that new notebook?
Photo by Martin Tyle
Benedictus/Simple Visions
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Tears And Pavan
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Ghosts
Dragonfly
Oh How She Changed
Midnight Sun
Antique Suite
If
Lay Down
Sunday Morning
A Glimpse Of Heaven
QUAY ARTS CENTRE, NEWPORT, IOW, SUNDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2006
See http://www.wightvibe.com/ for pics by Debs Allan. Click on "profiles and reviews" and then "Acoustic Strawbs" in the list of reviews.
Got to the venue and seated with ten minutes to spare. The Quay is a pleasant and intimate venue for this type of low key show, although I must say I struggle with the leg room afforded by the seating arrangement.
A sell out concert with attendees being mainly, ahem, middle aged and beyond… more discerning doncha know!! The theatre was nice and clean, with good acoustics.
The Strawbs played a magnificent acoustic set, and seemed to be enjoying themselves; Dave Cousins was enigmatic introducing the songs with the stories behind them and telling anecdotes of past members (which include Sandy Denny & Rick Wakemen) that lent nice warmth to the show. You realise what a rich tapestry of a life the band have lived in the 40 or so years of their career. The setlist (see below) included songs from the first album to right up to date, with some old favourites being given the acoustic treatment. It is interesting to hear how different some of them sound played this way; I was particularly taken with "Shine On Silver Sun" which included Dave Cousins playing banjo.
Dave Lambert was playing a new Dean six string acoustic which apparently is a Dean "Key Largo" model, and was truly superb both in playing mastery and vocal contribution. The ebow sounded fantastic, and I was impressed at the 'attack' of his playing, almost banging out 'power chords' on the acoustic!
Chas Cronk alternated between twelve string and acoustic bass, and also enhanced the sound with a foot pedal operated synth… (looked a bit like the old Moog Taurus bass pedals), and helped out with the impeccable three part harmonies.
All in all another great gig right on our doorstep.
BTW - The full electric Strawbs are at The Brook, Southampton on March 3rd. Go see em!
Thanks to Nigel Foster for the above.
