Updated: 5 Feb 2009
Part 2 - Second leg - 6 February to 28 February
CANCELLED OWING TO BAD WEATHER
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
New World
Another Day
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
The Call To Action
Ghosts
Josephine
A Glimpse of Heaven
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
The Hangman And The Papist
Autumn
Lay Down
We'll Meet Again Sometime
RED LION FOLK CLUB, KINGS HEATH, SATURDAY 10 JANUARY 2009
After a recent lurgy, what better way to start the New Year by blowing away those particular cobwebs by taking in a trip to Birmingham, to see the first acoustic show of the year.
The Red Lion Folk Club always welcomes the boys with open arms and arriving a full hour before the "door" opening time, the queue had already formed and was snaking down the long staircase which led to the performance area. Yes, the public also love to see the boys in Town,and the numbers were swelled and infiltrated by a few from further afield like Dick, Lindsay, Daniel and Steve Pritchards and Neil Lamb and of course me!
By the time I had got in, it was standing room only as the 150 or so chairs had already been taken. So I grabbed the nearest wall to lean against, as by now, even the standing places were filling up quickly.
And what a way to start the year, a perfect show containing some of the most exquisite performances of songs like "Josephine" and "Autumn" you will ever wish to see. All sounding as fresh as daisies and perfection. It is doubtful that I can recall when they might have sounded better. Indeed the enthusiastic and attentive crowd also joined in vocally on "The Winter Long" chorus and that particular "choir" was also well in evidence on "Shine On Silver Sun" and the finale of "Lay Down".
In fact I could have listed the whole set, such was the perfect rendition of the various classic Strawbs songs from their collection, played this evening. What a way to start the year.
As Nigel has got in first with last nights review it leaves me with an opportunity to provide what he didn't - namely the set list.
First, though a few words on the opening act; a male/female duo of similar vintage to the acoustics. Pam and Paul were there first names though I forgot to record their surname.
They opened both halves with self-penned, traditional and "borrowed" material covering the blues, Sheffield steel workers and more. The stand-out songs for me was a self-penned song, "Sail On By", about a WWII incident involving a collision between the Queen Mary and HMS Curacoa in which the navy escort vessel sank with the loss of over 300 lives (Pam's father being a survivor) and where the captain of the Queen Mary had been ordered not to stop for anything; hence the song title; and a borrowed unaccompanied song about Aberfan, both lyrically compelling.
As to the Acoustics I can't add to Nigel's comments. Mention was made of Oliver Wakeman joining and apart from Chas's foot pedals not working for part of "Tears And Pavan" all was of the traditionally high standard the boys always achieve. It was indeed a packed and very appreciative house.
My personal doubts still remain re "Ghosts"/"Autumn" as acoustic numbers but there's no denying the skill displayed in making both those and every other song sound fresh. There's no "going through the motions" with these guys. I look forward to the electrics with relish.
There I was, recovering from a seemingly never-ending coldy fluey thing when I got the call to action (not Acton thankfully) from our Dick, asking whether I'd like to accompany him to The Red Lion to see Acoustic Strawbs on Saturday. After much deliberation I blinked and took him up on the offer, and wow, am I glad I did!
I think was the fourth or fifth time I'd been to this particular venue and its warm, ambient atmosphere (even though it always seems to be icy cold weather whenever I go there - maybe that's why it's always so warm actually, the radiators are on full blast!) is so perfect for Acoustic Strawbs. The place was jam-packed too, more than I've ever seen it, despite only about three people in the UK still earning a salary these days. Great to see several of the Witchwood crowd who had travelled some distance to be there for the opener of the tour - Nigel (trying desperately to out-cough me with his own fluey cold), Steve and Paul, Neil and Sue, Dave and Paul (not forgetting Bob and Lou who had trekked for a whole fifteen minutes to be there).
I enjoyed the support act and thought they delivered some very poignant songs, but was surprised when they started off the second set as well as the first - don't think I've seen that before. Anyway, onto the main course - not much I can add to what's been said really, but I was delighted to hear two of my absolute favourites in the first set ("Simple Visions" and "Midnight Sun"), and apart from the little "foot pedals" incident (don't think they were switched on to start with, and Chas managed to get the problem rectified using some highly effective sign language) - the whole gig was absolutely Superb (with a capital S). It was astoundingly good, and difficult to believe it was the first outing in a couple of months.
Whoever is planning to get along to see them on their current form is in for a treat and a half - be sure to book well in advance for some of the venues which may sell out early judging by Saturday. What a winter tonic - ah yes, nearly forgot to mention the "spiritual experience" that was the impromptu singalong to "The Winter Long" - never witnessed that before either, it was one of those inexplicable, unexpected phenomena, like smiling bus drivers and sunshine in England at the moment. Truly amazing!!
Photos by Dick Greener - more photos from Dick
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
New World
Another Day
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
The Call To Action
Ghosts
Josephine
A Glimpse of Heaven
The Hangman And The Papist
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Lay Down
We'll Meet Again Sometime
THE WESLEY CENTRE, MALTBY, FRIDAY 16 JANUARY 2009
Not really a review but scattered moderately random comments.
The gig was sold out, having been listed in the Times' top 5 gigs of the week. Rob Show (of The Rock) said he could have filled the hall two or three times over. The audience obviously felt the gig lived up to the billing as there was a standing ovation at the end!
The set list was the same as the previous gig with the exception being "The Hangman And The Papist" moving to before the banjo songs ("Shine On" and "Cold Steel"). My set list was shared between myself, Lynne and Ella (number 1 daughter), and our combined comments all reflected a difference to several of the arrangements.
The opening "Benedictus/Simple Visions" has the comment "new twiddly bits from DL" and several times we noted that Chas' vocal was much more prominent the we had heard before, adding an extra dimension. Perplexingly afterwards, all three Strawbs denied that there was any change in arrangements or balance, and the sound check had been problem-free. That being the case, we were obviously fortunate to hear a slightly different Strawbs arrangement which gave a new depth and subtlety to the acoustic arrangements of the songs, and resulted in a very successful show.
Highlights:
"Benedictus"/"Simple Visions" with the "new" twiddly bits.
"The Call To Action". DC bleeding emotion into the vocals. ("Proper Bo! Dead Good": comment by Ella)
"Midnight Sun": Chas remix!
"The Hangman and the Papist: Whoops from the other 2 (comment by Lynne)
Only a week now to the Square Chapel in Halifax.
Just a short review of the second date of the tour. I am always early for everything but found, on my arrival very shortly after 7.30, many seats already occupied - some by familiar faces. After quickly grabbing a great seat directly in front of the stage and just between the speakers, I noticed how quickly the hall filled and was really 'bursting at the seams' well before the show started.
It was gratifying to witness the packed audience's response to yet another magnificent performance. It never ceases to amaze me how the Acoustics can always pull something extra out of the bag every time I see them; my son's main reason for attending was the chance to hear "The Call To Action" which I had, apparently, told him the Acoustics would never attempt! Although I could think of dozens of songs I'd love to hear, I, for one, am always ready to listen to "Autumn" and especially "Ghosts", as often as they are played - the cross-played melodies of the latter never fail to entrance and these are surely a great way to gather new converts. (If anything was missing on BHB it was a multi-part, melodic composition employing a DC/ DL 'dialogue'.) I agree that the arrangement and mix sounded different, but not being a musician I couldn't even attempt to describe how and why, although there does seem to be an ongoing 'tweaking' of lyrics of "The Call To Action" - was that 'fight for ever side by side' rather than 'stand for ever..'?
Anyhow, another triumph - as the couple sitting next to me said: the intensity of their playing seems to constantly increase. We mustn't become blasé about such performances as these because we are so fortunate as to have the chance to see them often. Anyone for Wolverhampton or Nottingham??
Photos by Alison Brown - more photos from Ali
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
New World
Another Day
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
The Call To Action
Ghosts
Josephine
A Glimpse of Heaven
The Hangman And The Papist
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Lay Down
We'll Meet Again Sometime
SQUARE CHAPEL CENTRE FOR THE ARTS, HALIFAX, SATURDAY 24 JANUARY 2009
Tonight's performance at the Square Chapel in Halifax was packed and the audience were rewarded with an excellent performance. The set list was the same as at Maltby, but tonight it seemed to fly by and was over far too soon. The playing was excellent, as were the vocals of course, although Chas' vocals had resumed their place back in the mix. The new sound system, recently installed at the Chapel, was excellent and enabled us to hear the subtle interplay between guitars more clearly than at Maltby.
A special mention must be given to DC who performed with a very inflamed and infected right index finger which made him wince several times whilst playing. Despite this his playing was excellent (what a superb multi-instrumentalist he is).
It's nights like tonight that make being a Witchwooder so special. Numbers like "Josephine", "Shine On", "Midnight Sun" and "Autumn" really made the goosebumps come up, and "Hangman" was haunting.
On a sartorial note, we wonder if Mr C and Mr L have had a misadventure with their suitcases. Mr C wore black both at Maltby and Halifax, whilst Mr L was brightly attired, at least for the first half.
This time we took Holly (number 2 daughter) and young male accessory. Holly has grown up with the music of the Strawbs and commented especially on how much she enjoyed "Cold Steel". Accessory is new to their music and was bowled over by "The Call To Action". Considering 17 year olds rarely speak, and then only to mumble unitenlligbly we consider this praise indeed...
Photos by Alison Brown - more photos from Ali
Photo by Les Cotton
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
New World
Another Day
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
The Hangman And The Papist
Ghosts
Josephine
A Glimpse of Heaven
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Lay Down
We'll Meet Again Sometime
THE HOY AT ANCHOR FOLK CLUB, LEIGH-ON-SEA, TUESDAY 27 JANUARY 2009
Just a few words to record how enjoyable last night's gig at The Hoy was, only a few miles along beach from me as the seagull flies. The Hoy is a really traditional folk club,situated upstairs at The Ship pub in Old Leigh. With the windows open you can smell the cockle sheds and the stalls selling mussels and winkles on the promenade opposite while listening to the clinking boat masts - always real "Another Day" (which was played) territory in my mind. The last time I'd been upstairs there was a couple of years' ago for a (Fisherman's) friend's private party, and prior to that I'd been a couple of times to see Derek Brimstone and Christine Collister there - you could say I am not exactly a regular folk club goer but I enjoy the friendly atmosphere immensely whenever I do make it along nonetheless.
In recent years Acoustic Strawbs have played at Club Riga a few times which is less than a couple of miles' to scuttle shyly along the shore - the Riga is much more of a "rock" venue and I suspect the majority of the hugely appreciative folk-oriented audience at The Hoy were very unlikely to have seen the band on those occasions. Hopefully when Strawbs next play The Riga (very soon, hopefully!!) a large proportion of Hoy folkies will venture along to hear again what delighted them so much last night. The comments all around the club at the end were of amazement and awe at the band's talents, and rightly so.
This was a rare occasion for me, driving myself to a Strawbs gig, and I met Dick and Gill downstairs in the bar as previously arranged while we waited for Carole to join us. I was bemoaning the lack of punters, which had been stuffed to the rafters when I visited last summer as it had always been on previous occasions, and assumed that Tuesday night + credit crunch tales were to blame. However, after a chat we wended our way up to the folk club and were surprised (nay, delighted!) to find that virtually every seat in the place had already been taken, as people had been making their way upstairs without us noticing. Doh! The evening started with various traditional floor spots by locals, all enjoying themselves and getting everyone in the mood for what followed. By the time Strawbs took to the floor the place was heaving with very little in the way of standing room, let alone spare seats or sofas (the hall has a mixture of both).
As you may already have gathered, the gig was another absolutely superb showcase of musical talents. I had been told earlier that the PA was not of the highest quality, but there were no real worries. Dave Lambert's vocals could possibly have been slightly louder, while Chas's were not too loud, not too quiet, but juuuuuust right in my opinion. I asked Dave Cousins how his swollen finger was after the gig and he said it still hurt, but it didn't seem to affect his playing to me. His story-telling complemented the surroundings to perfection, with emphasis firmly on the folkier aspects of the band's history.
Hopefully Dick may have noted the setlist (sorry, I didn't think..) - "The Hangman And The Papist" went down particularly well with the audience I'd say, and "We'll Meet Again Sometime", as the encore as usual, left everyone around me speechlessly awestricken by what they'd just witnessed. A triumphant evening then, and I was even indoors before midnight struck, still wearing both glass slippers and my ballgown (anything goes at these folk clubs doesn't it).
It's a while since I went to a folk club myself, I kind of missed the smoky atmosphere they used to have in pre-smoking ban days! Great place, though, nice pub, nice room, everything about it was great, apart from the PA which was indded not the best in the world. I wonder if the boys would ever consider playing genuinely acoustic, with no amplification? It could have worked well there, the local artists that played before the band were perfectly audible.
I was accompanied by a very old friend who actually lives in Leigh, who likes the Strawbs while not being a 'fan' as such, which was very interesting for me as it was the first time he had heard most of the songs, enabling me to listen with a fresh ear, as it were. He was particularly knocked out by 'The Hangman and the Papist'.
I also chatted briefly (well, it was in the toilet, you don't want to be too friendly, do you?) with a guy in his late 20's, who said he discovered the Strawbs about 10 years ago, was blown away by DC's vocals then, and amazed at how powerful they still are. Nice to know that younger converts continue to be made!
A belated bus, tardy train and an "I'm not going anywhere in this weather" car made me all the more determined not to miss Acoustic Strawbs at the Hoy Anchor Folk Club in my neighbouring town Leigh-on-Sea. It's been ages since I've seen them. A taxi ride later I arrived at the folk club which is perched above "The Ship" pub and commands a breathtaking view of the Thames estuary (breathtaking probably due to the cockle sheds nearby). As we say here in Essex "Looks pretty at night dunnit?"
The folk club itself is cosy and intimate and the regulars very friendly. I found my dear pals Lindsay and Gill lounging on a sofa near the door (the bar was downstairs). The floor spots were most entertaining particularly a talented but invisible accordian player; well we couldn't see him, possibly he was laying on floor whilst playing. The session finished with a chap (wish I could remember his name) on guitar and harmonica singing a raucous song about Myrtle the Turtle, huge fun and it's amazing how many words rhyme with "turtle".
Then it was the turn of the Chaps. Of course, I don't have a set list and my memory is quite horrible, however I almost whooped with joy when they played "Simple Visions". I've always loved that song, so a great treat for me. "Midnight Sun", "Oh How She Changed" also favourites, it was happening too fast. The"Hangman and the Papist" was one of the most dramatic perfomances I have seen, the atmosphere in the club was charged. The overall sound was very good, all vocals strong and the music ambrosia to my ears. The locals and club members were lapping it all up and enjoying every minute - lots of raised eyebrows and smiles and "when are they coming back?"s. Even more good news is that they're coming to the Riga in Westcliff on 22nd February and I'm counting the days......
Photos by Dick Greener - more photos from Dick
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
New World
Another Day
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
The Call to Action
Ghosts
Josephine
A Glimpse of Heaven
The Hangman And The Papist
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Lay Down
We'll Meet Again Sometime
THE RONDO THEATRE, BATH, THURSDAY 29 JANUARY 2009
Almost 12 months to the day after their last visit to this small but very friendly theatre, the boys returned to the elegant city of Bath full of Palladian and Georgian architecture. Some may say there is an excess of Baroque in the City, but for us Strawbs devotees a spin of Baroque and Roll never goes amiss. Indeed the return of the Acoustics to the theatre saw them perform with a return to their classic principles and a virtual sell out audience was there to witness it.
I observed the first set from the third row and must admit was a little disappointed that the in house sound did not seem to quite do full justice to their playing and endeavours. Not that it was bad, in fact far from that, but there was a noticeable PA buzz in between songs which suggested things were not quite as they should be.
Perhaps I just got misled by that buzz as the clarity on the songs was there and the set was performed with their usual ability, raging from finesse of "Tears And Pavan" and "Midnight Sun" to the sheer "anger" and passion of the delivery in "The Call To Action".
For the second set, I moved to one of the very few spare seats in the back row and have to say the second half took on a totally different ambience (I later learned the sound volume had been turned down a little). An albeit quieter set because of that, but despite preferring personally "full on Strawbs" this was a slightly different offering, but no less enjoyable all the same. Indeed, even the slightly irritating PA buzz between songs had disappeared.
The second set conjured up an absolutely magical "Josephine", honestly I do not know if I had heard better and DL seemed to add some flourishes and little runs that for some reason I had not picked up on before – superb.
Ahead of "Autumn" there was a rather unusual "introduction"….which had fits of giggles on stage ( and off) before yet another super rendition of that classic.
All in all this was a good night with some memories to carry forward and a good attendance by more than a few friends (including the pre gig pub meet) including Witchwooders , Phil Gregory and party, Gordon Hughes and Chris down from Croydon, Sandy and Roy –(thanks for the yummy cider). Only two days to Trowbridge, wonder if anyone will miss me in the meantime ?
Benedictus/Simple Visions
Tears And Pavan
New World
Another Day
Midnight Sun
Oh How She Changed
The Call to Action
Ghosts
Josephine
A Glimpse of Heaven
The Hangman And The Papist
Shine On Silver Sun
Cold Steel
Autumn
Lay Down
We'll Meet Again Sometime
THE ARC THEATRE, TROWBRIDGE, SATURDAY 31 JANUARY 2009
Ah yes, one thing as you get older naturally your eyesight starts to deteriorate and you go from the phase of the first set of glasses to, using them infrequently, to using them more and horribly squinting to read stuff when you can't be bothered to put them on.
And so it proved tonight and two gigs in three days may seem a great pleasure but having safely tucked my ticket in my back pocket as I entered the arena, I took it out just to look at the number where I was to be seated.
C4, unlike Sinclair with his C5, I remember it well, but someone was already in my seat, so I became the centre of attention as I tried to find what had gone wrong. It was only when I squinted again and saw the name Rondo…that I realised that I was trying to sit in the seat I sat in on Thursday night… so to much embarrassment I found the right ticket for tonight still in the other back pocket and safely negotiated where I should have been sitting ! In that lies a lesson.
Where are the Witchwood, you should be crying right now, fancy missing this one…. Fred and Mrs Wedlock didn't (don't worry Fred we'll look after her at Frome in May).
The Strawbs history with the area, goes back a long way and the memory of the late Alan Briers was remembered in the introduction to the show, with the Village Pump festival growing under his jurisdiction with friends, from the early days in a pub to one of the most friendly summer festivals around on the calendar today.
Yet another virtually sold out venue .. the Arc is a great place to enjoy music, whether from the floor or in the gallery.
The lack of Witchwooders, except maybe Graham who might be a "lurker" and me, didn't cast a cloud over the evening, as once again the Acoustics delivered a manna from their own particular "Glimpse Of Heaven".
This was a great show, much appreciated by the crowd and with many heads a nodding and a promise from the organiser that it wouldn't be 25 years before their return. Any chance for the festival this year?
Even if not, do yourself a favour get down to the Village Pump festival this summer, you will definitely enjoy the experience.
Once again it was a terrific night and if Pete Madeley had been here I am sure he would have said Chas's vocals were well forward in the mix. Next it's off to Swindon !