Part 1 - Swindon (15 Jan) to Haywards Heath (23 Jan)
Part 2 - Winchester (24 Jan) to Leek (31 Jan)
Part 3 - Hastings (1 Feb) to Birmingham (9 Feb)
Photos.
RED LION, KINGS HEATH, BIRMINGHAM, 9 FEB 2002
It's sad that some people had particularly noisy neighbours as I thought the atmosphere of the Red Lion folk club was excellent for the 'acoustic strawbs' way of doing things. We were sat near the bar - equally noise distracting at times - but it says something for the brilliance with which they were playing that noise levels slowly faded away as Dave Cousins in particular 'got to them' so to speak. I'd have to praise the sound guy , who in my opinion got things absolutely spot-on, with Dave C's voice levels being brilliantly set up. This was the maestro at his best with a passion and emotion that breathed new power and life into all the old classics as well as the more recent songs - there was a marked improvement on the previous gig I saw at Hampton Hill, with his voice breaking with fantastic resonance on key words and phrases. Only on the unexpected encore of ' Hero and Heroine', where the lads buried themselves in a multi-layered, LOUD,guitar frenzy ( awesome !!) did THE VOICE get overwhelmed. It was SUCH a pity that he fluffed the second verse of 'Alice's Song' as it was being delivered in such impeccable style.........shows he's all too human after all !!....but what a pro in recovering so well. I would have thought "Alice's Song" might have a chance as a commercial single release given the right marketing, promotion and a favourable wind...." is her sky blue?...is her grass green ?...does she see things I've never seen ?" are lyrics , that with Dave C in his gentle/caressing/soothing voice-mode, alongside the wonderful banjo licks, have already touched my soul. I saw a few gentle tears form in my girlfriend's eyes when "Not All The Flowers Grow" was performed with such sensitivity and sincerity - well she is a lovely person and being headmistress of an infant school would add to the emotion as well of course - but she looks like a new convert........." new seekers still, searching for you everywhere".
I haven't mentioned Dave L and Brian much of course, but you can take it as read that they were outstanding....but make no bones about it , it was the voice of Dave Cousins that really turned the emotional screw on this night - the key to all great and honest performers.
Here we were again at the Red Lion in B`Ham,sadly the last night of the Acoustic Strawbs but not for long as they`re back in June. It must have been a sell out for them as the room was packed solid. What a great night again. Dave's voice again superb. "Down By The Sea" always gets a good response, but last night was even better than you can imagine. Dave Lambert - or should l say Hank Marvin - wore his new glasses [photos to follow - DG], the glass was so thick its a wonder he could see through them, a good bit of fun was had by all. "Golden Salamander", "When We Were Young" to name but a few,were more than well received by the audience. The encore was "Hero And Heroine", quite unexpected but great. This was our sixth concert and we`ve enjoyed every one. Thanks lads and see you in the summer. Regards Louise, Bob, Nick, Lin
Others have already written eloquently about previous gigs so I'll just say that the set was pretty much as previous reviews except "There Will Come the Day" was dropped in the second half. DC seemed to falter with the lyrics to the second verse of "Alice's Song" but recovered quickly enough. Other than that the musicianship was superb and DC's voice has lost none of it's power or passion; even with songs thirty years old. T'was great to say Hello to Dick G again and also to be reintroduced to Lyndsey, a Lady of Essex who I last spoke with briefly on a tube ride to Moorgate [after the London gig in 2001]. She recognised me and knew my name and to my shame I recognised her face but couldn't remember her name. I'll try to do better if there ever is a next time. Hope your trip back to Southend straight after the gig went OK.
Apart from my appalling memory I have only 3 gripes about the gig . Firstly, the usual i.e. people who insist on carrying on their mundane conversations whilst the performers are playing. Not during the Strawbs but whilst the support were playing (a guitar and fiddle combo) and with posters specifically asking people not to. It is just SO rude and discourteous.
Secondly and personally, as it was my 45th that day I'd asked via Dick if the guys would make my day by playing a request; I thought "On Growing Older" most appropriate or failing that just a dedication. Sadly not a mention, oh well. [DG - I did pass on the suggestion, but found later that Dave C had not after all received the e-mail I sent him - sorry Steve - happy birthday!]
Lastly being stuck at the back with all the smokers has left me a hacking cough and sore throat. Not an impression of the gig I wanted to be left with. Still we took someone along who had never seen or heard the Strawbs before and she came away well impressed and thoroughly enjoyed it so that made up for almost everything.
By the time my long-suffering chauffeur-cum-husband John and I arrived most of the seats anywhere near the front of the hall at Birmingham (upstairs in a big pub) were taken. I had resigned myself to standing or staring at the back of peoples' heads all night, when Louise (whom Christine and I met at Banbury) approached and told me she and her husband Bob had kindly reserved seats for us. I asked where and she pointed to the front row. Some front rows are close. This one was practically onstage. I took my place next to The Man. (Dick of course). Being painfully shy I felt a little conspicuous and tried to move my chair back about a millimetre and the lady with the fifteen thousand packets of crisps sitting behind punched me in the back and muttered something. Not a good start.
Anyway, the acoustic gig was superb and as countless other devotees have testified, Dave C's voice was amazing. I don't do technical, but the interplay between guitars was spellbinding. Highlights for me included Dave L's "Live Inside Your Hell Tonight" and, once again, "The Soldier's Tale" which was sooo powerful.
I completely agree with those who commented about people talking all the way through gigs, it really annoys me. Glaring at offenders sometimes does the trick but other times you have to resort to stronger tactics. It must be SO off-putting for the performers. Anyway, we did get back to Southend OK but John was rather peed off that some of the M1 was shut and he had to drive miles across country. Still, I had a good sleep. (Only joking, I'm not really that heartless. I only had a nap.) The other problem was I had a craving for a Fry's chocolate cream on the way back, and we stopped at three services but none of them sold them. Hopefully Strawbs will play somewhere on a route which DOES sell them next time. Perhaps Dick could have a word with the agent?
Steve, wish I'd known it was your birthday. 45 is a bit special. I would have let you buy me a drink. Never mind, I'VE just sung "Happy Birthday" for you. I know it's not quite the same. And last but not least I'd ALSO like to say "Hi" to the Bloomsbury set, Bob and Louise and their friend Sue whom I vaguely remembered from gigs in the early seventies, and had a most interesting chat with and hi also to Witchwooders across the Atlantic, scattered around Europe and everyone else in the entire universe. Sorry if I missed anyone.
THE FLOWER POT, DERBY, 8 FEB 2002
Having seen the Acoustic Strawbs earlier in the week at The Stables I knew we were in for a good night .....
The Flowerpot is a spit and sawdust venue in the old tradition - bands squeeze themselves onto a small stage and maximum 250 punters normally stand shoulder to shoulder as the temperature rises ....... in the past the Electric Strawbs have needed to synchronise movements so as not to knock each other off the stage. So it was a welcome sight when I saw that seats had been provided but a little disconcerting to note that the tickets I'd just bought were numbered 31 - 33. In fact, by 2030hrs there were only 31 in the house; however, the good folk of Derby have an innate sense of when a band is going to hit the stage so by 2130hrs there were around 150 in attendance.
The sound quality throughout was excellent and the atmosphere 'electric'. The set list was no different although it seemed to me that DL was sharing more of the vocals with DC which made for a much richer sound. The 140 minute set seemed to fly by and overall it was a step up from The Stables which, whilst excellent in sound quality, lacked the intimacy of the Flowerpot and reflected itself in the rapport the band had with the crowd and between themselves.
Highlights for me were "Witchwood", "Hangman And The Papist", "Flower And The Young Man", "Live Inside Your Hell Tonight" and "Ghosts".
Given the way they are playing together now here are some thoughts for additions to the setlist:
Here's to June and then late August and possibly even the return of the Electric Six.
Derby's gig on Friday was another fine performance. I took a few photos and hope to put some of these on display shortly.
Apart from the sheer quality of the musicianship, and matching sound quality - I found the acoustics very good at the Flowerpot, as my friend had said they were - one thing that has struck me on this tour has been the quality of Dave C's singing, which I'd say is the best I've ever heard him. By now, almost at the end of the tour, both Daves particularly were really in the groove and clearly enjoying themselves and this of course came right over in the atmosphere.
RING O'BELLS, NAILSEA, 7 FEB 2002
My first visit to Nailsea, although I had seen its name often enough as I sped through Somerset, following the coast of the Bristol Channel. And there it was again on Thursday night, in large white letters on the blue motorway sign for junction 22 of the M5: "Nailsea and Clevedon" . Now which of these two do you think is the seaside resort? Wrong! I'd always assumed that Nailsea was on the coast, but it is actually five miles inland, and it didn't seem to be awash with nails either. On a dark, drizzly night it seemed a very long five miles too. I had left it pretty late to leave work and my wife was sure that we'd miss the start. Finally, at 7.50 p.m. we found the Ring O'Bells pub. The roads were packed with cars, so we had to park five minutes walk away.
A brisk stroll back brought us to this welcoming pub. We went straight to the bar and were greeted by the sight of Dave Lambert walking along behind it. I gave an involuntary "Evening, Dave"and he gave a friendly "Hi. How are you doing?"as if he knew me well. What a guy! He was wearing a rather fetching Shepherd Neame sweatshirt (a rather good brewery in Kent), but drank Guinness throughout the evening. My wife and I had a swift local ale(which turned out to be from Yorkshire!) and then walked down the corridor towards the "Folk Club" . On the way we passed Brian Willoughby going the other way. I decided to be less forward this time and keep quiet, simply smiling at him. He also responded with a friendly "Hi!" . My wife was impressed by now. How come I know the Strawbs so well? Of course I don't know them at all -although I've followed them for thirty years - " they're just really great guys who take the trouble to be nice to a passing fan. And they've provided the soundtrack to my adult life.
The corridor ended and we sidestepped into a room which was absolutely packed with people. I counted 150 in a room built for rather less! No chance of a seat, and dozens standing. I caught a glimpse of Dave Cousins drinking in the corner of the room's bar, but it was just a glimpse because of the crowd. We made our way along the side aisle to a point about halfway in the room and stood drinking our beer and holding our jackets, dreading the thought of having to stand all night (well, we're not getting any younger, you know. In fact all the audience with very few exceptions were of "a certain age").
But this is an English crowd and one characteristic of an English crowd is that they leave the front row of seats empty! Why? I don't know. Perhaps because they think they have been reserved for some VIPs, but more likely because they are too shy to appear in the front row. I am an Englishman, so I stood while a row of seats sat empty. However, I plucked up the courage to see whether there were any Reserved notices placed on the seats. There weren't. I reported this to my wife. "Shall we go and sit there then?"she asked. "I don't know.. they might be reserved you know." But then the Folk Club's MC got up and said "Sorry for the crush. We were sold out two weeks ago, but so many people wanted to see this concert that we didn't have the heart to say no. However, those of you standing will receive the best reception since the sound will reach your ears unimpaired by the heads of those seated in front of you. If however you wish to be within spitting distance of the Strawbs, there are seats here on the front row."No sooner had he uttered these words than an unseemly rush occurred; now that we knew the seats were free all English reserve was swept away and people dived for the seats. Somehow we were among the winners and were now happily seated in the front row.
There then followed an hour of folk music! Oh dear. Not what we'd come for. Still, this was an authentic Folk Club; a room at the back of the pub with a bar at one end and a performance area at the other. This was the first time I had seen the Strawbs in a folk club; I was used to bigger venues and I couldn't help feeling that this was a sad sign of the passing years. No longer the Hammersmith Odeon or Southampton Gaumont; now Nailsea FolkClub. But I couldn't have been more wrong, as you will see.
The first folk singer, Mike Bullock, stretched the genre to include songs by George Michael and Robbie Williams! But he did also sing a passable version of "Hey Little Man"so he won our hearts. He was followed by a woman whose name I am afraid I forget. She was obviously a big favourite at the club though, and she did have a remarkably pure voice. Unfortunately her self-penned songs were universally tragic and angst-ridden, very downbeat. Good performance, but not what we'd come for.
The MC returned to announce a ten minute interval. My wife shot off to grab two beers. Then a gentleman in late middle age walked slowly onto the flats, checking the mikes and the stools. He shuffled somewhat in his light tan, almost yellow moccasins. His movements were slow and deliberate, as if he was in pain with arthritis or rheumatism. It was a shock to realise that this was Dave Cousins. It soon became clear that he was actually very tired, and when Brian Willoughby joined him a couple of minutes later he too looked shattered. Neither seemed particularly interested in much at all. I wondered whether the hour's folksinging had led them to drink rather more than they had intended! Or whether at the end of a strenuous tour they had had enough. It didn't bode well and I was pleased when my wife returned with some more Yorkshire ale.
The MC popped up again. He said "You know that I'm not a musical aficionado, but when I heard their latest acoustic album I thought what a superb group of musicians these are. I give you the Strawbs!" Dave said thank you, repeated the reviewer's comment from the Swindon Evening Advertiser that he had been playing for over thirty decades, said that it was the thirtieth anniversary of "Grave New World"and then started plucking the electric dulcimer for the opening bars of "Benedictus" . But it was a false start, Dave Lambert looked concerned and Dave C gave a weary sigh. The omens still looked bad.
"Benedictus"started again. The dulcimer was beautiful,deftly played. I have never seen the band so close before - they were literally four feet from my seat! Dave Lambert's harmony vocals were pinpoint accurate, but his mike seemed at a louder volume than Dave Cousins' and he tended to drown him out.
Following "Benedictus", Dave C revealed that the inspiration for the song "Witchwood"came from a bungalow so named in the nearby resort of Weston-Super-Mare. This seemed most unlikely, but true; I had always assumed that the Wychwod in Oxfordshire was the inspiration. The song was beautifully played and sung and the audience's reception was ecstatic. Dave C was waking up now, all previous sluggishness thrown off, and the band were clearly delighted that the audience was so enthusiastic. They went from strength to strength, running through all the tracks from "Baroque & Roll"with the exception of"Evergreen" , and throwing in "The Soldier's Tale"and "Lay Down"among others. I was especially impressed by Dave Lambert's "The Winter and the Summer" ; to me this has always been his best song and he performed it superbly at Nailsea.
Dave C. revealed that "Alice's Song"was written by Brian about his seven year old autistic niece. This added extra piquancy to this simple, affecting song. I was close enough to see the tears in Brian's eyes as he played. Dave had the key words for the song pinned to the back of a piece of equipment on the floor, but he didn't refer to them and sang the song with great emotion. In fact, the whole event was now fully emotionally charged - the audience were enthralled, greeting each song with waves of applause.
At the interval Dave L dashed out the back for a cigarette, and Brian disappeared also. This left Dave Cousins on his own. Should I speak to him? What would I say? What would you say? Well, I said "Hi. I've followed you for thirty decades also."Not a brilliant opener, but at least it showed I had been listening."The acoustic tour is going well?"I asked. "Yes, we're really enjoying it"Dave replied. I said "I've followed the reviews on Witchwood. Dave looked interested at this, or perhaps he was just interested to see what kind of chap spends his evenings writing about him and sending those writings into cyberspace. "We live quite near Branscombe. Are you going to play "A Glimpse Of Heaven" tonight?"Dave smiled faintly, "we might do." Then somebody else elbowed in with a large photo of Dave for him to sign. I returned to my seat feeling really privileged to have spoken to the great man.
The MC called everyone back to their seats for the second half. Dave C's first words were "I've just spoken to somebody who lives near Branscombe which is a delightful village in East Devon." He waxed lyrical about the beauty of Branscombe at considerable length and the band then played a great version of "A Glimpse of Heaven."They were going to play it anyway, I know, but I still felt that they were playing it for me, an impression boosted by the fact that they were only four feet in front of me! They might have been playing in my living room at home!
The concert continued in tremendous style. "Ghosts" was immaculately played; I hadn't realised that it was Dave C who led the tune on this before - he played really well. The three guitars together recreated the lush sound of this song perfectly. The guys were clearly really enjoying the evening, revelling in the atmosphere and playing and singing their hearts out.
All good things must come to an end and so on to the final song, "Lay Down" . Before commencing this Dave made his best quip of the night:"Thank you for your applause. You've made an old man, another with a weak bladder, and me very happy." Dave Lambert, who had been a star all night, produced a blistering performance on "Lay Down" . He may have a weak bladder, but his guitar playing is as strong as .... well, as a very strong thing. Tremendous applause again and they were gone, soon to return for the encore "On My Way" and that was it. I took advantage of my front row position to shake all three by the hand, ecstatically saying "Thanks. Brilliant."Then off into the night, back to Devon, til the next time that the Strawbs light up my life.
This gig was apparently sold out 2 weeks prior to the event, but faced with this the organisers finding a way round squeezing more into this venue than apparently allowed. Whilst , not quite "hanging in the rafters", standing patrons from front to back made it almost impossible for the band to leave the stage, leaving Dave L to make his own "escape" through the fire exit for his own "light relief !" With no escape DC settled for the side of the stage as his black screen for "Live Inside Your Hell Tonight".
As is normal in a folk club environment " resident spots" are the norm and at Nailsea there were two. I guess this wouldn't normally provoke comment except here sandwiched in between "covers" of James Taylor, George Michael and Robbie Williams was an arrangement of "Hey little man " from GNW. Now this was interesting!
Even the web site got a plug as the compere suggested to the audience that it was worth spending two hours browsing the site, immediately correcting himself to say that there was so much there, perhaps it would be better to put aside a weekend!
As the tour has progressed I have looked to notice the changes in delivery and here was the first time I recall hearing the single note (as though a single bell tolling) at the front end of "Hangman" from DL. Atmospheric indeed. Little touches, such as this and the voice over on "Soldier's Tale", show how the the performance has developed since Swindon. Another cracking performance.
ASTOR THEATRE, DEAL, 5 FEB 2002
Sadly we missed the first few minutes because of erroneous information on our tickets but we entered nevertheless to the familiar strains of a very low-key 'Benedictus'.In fact the whole concert was very mellow but satisfying with many songs achieving new levels of subtlety.The first part of the concert was spoilt slightly by two rather inebriated gentlemen at the bar who insisted on talking and guffawing very loudly all the way through, prompting inquiring glances from Brian on several occasions. They seemed to quieten down in the second half, much to everyone's relief. Perhaps they were at the wrong venue !
An excellent concert though with my personal favourites on the night being 'Ghosts' and 'The Golden Salamander' which I've never heard live before.The volume could have been a little louder as it was hard at times to make out Dave's characteristically amusing anecdotes.Look forward to more in the future !?
HUNTINGDON HALL, WORCESTER, 6 FEB 2002
Under the ornate altar with it's gracefully curved twin staircases and dwarfed by the magnificent 19th century pipe organ, complete with guilded pipes and "Praise Ye The Lord" set above the console, and with the pews packed with those that had come to worship or pay homage to......The (acoustic) Strawbs !! The 'minister', complete with black shirt, but no white dog collar, appeared in front of the pulpit with his two trusty sidesmen and we began.
Surely this was one of the most evocative and ethereal settings for the beautifully crafted "Benedictus", (notwithstanding the sound problems that threatened to spoil the entire first set), celebrating its 30th birthday. An even more poignant setting for 'The Hangman and The Papist', set in this former Calvinist/Methodist Chapel, which had witnessed over 200 years of changing religious struggles, before its own sad demise in 1976.
An excellent venue, befitting another superb performance. This was my sixth gig of the current tour (not as many as the venerable Mr Greener, but then he's not as poor as me!), and after many years of following the band I feel that the consistency of performances at present has not been matched for some considerable time. A shame then that no plans were made to preserve this tour on tape/dat/cd for possible release at a later date or to pull the odd 'bonus' live track on future releases. The feedback at gigs has been exceptional, as have the press previews this time (well done to whoever is responsible for that). Even the thirty 'decades' has raised many a laugh as part of Dave's informative and witty links.
A 'congregation' of over 180 or so hardy souls, ranging from the age of ten (his first Strawbs gig) to 82 (no, not Dave, he's over 300, remember), came to witness this gospel according to Dave Cousins. They were not disappointed. In an age where so called 'hits' cannot be recalled 30 days later, let alone 30 years (or decades), this was a true testament to the undoubted writing and performing talents of DC, with the superb musicianship of his two worthy sidesmen, Brian Willoughby and Dave Lambert. I look forward to the next acoustic tour with great anticipation.
Highlights; "Simple Visions" (excellent, Brian), "You And I", "The Flower And The Young Man", "The Winter And The Summer", "The River/Down By The Sea" and "Live Inside Your Hell Tonight" (brilliant song Mr Lambert).
PS: Do try to go to see Brian plying his wonderful guitar skills on the upcoming tour with the equally accomplished singer/songwriter Cathryn Craig. You won't be disappointed there either !
Like many lifelong (so far) Strawbs fans my one great fear is that as with other 'enduring' performers there would be one exposure/incarnation too many, tarnishing in some way '30 decades' of memories. With this in mind, I attended Huntington Hall.
No chance, they were brilliant. The new arrangements of standards were genuine and ground breaking treatments, not just meaningless rehashes . Of great surprise was the number of songs on the playlist whose strengths, which previously (apparently) required full electric treatment, yet nonetheless proved so effective in the acoustic format; ("The River" for example).
DC was on excellent form and as in fine voice as ever (and I was directly in front of him, 3 rows back). No hint of Sinatra's later years here! Thus carrying on the tradition of his father, who according to recent reports formerly led the group.
As we are all aware BW and DL are both consummate musicians. To have two such exponents together always guarantees quality, but their complementary styles and rapport adds the ingredient which results in greatness, full stop.
The execution of the material was in turn powerful and sensitive as the moment demanded, in true Strawbs tradition; a tour de force. The balance of the performance, despite the early technical glitches, was nigh on perfect, a joy to witness. I did not before truly understand what DC meant by 'liquid chocolate', I do now.
We are all used to one humorous incident during a Strawbs concert. Everyone was waiting for it, and then DC left the stage; allegedly for a comfort break. As soon as DL started to sing his microphone decided to repeatedly head south at about 1/2 an inch per second, the perfect pace for comedy. This was not missed by BW who to his disgrace began choking back amusement, accompanied by gestures to the audience. Not having Viagra to hand DL decided to balance the wayward device on his chin and manfully(?) completed the song to enthusiastic applause. Thank goodness DC had missed all this as I am sure that he could not have resisted the temptation to push BW over the edge, or more likely admonish them both like naughty schoolboys. Pure Strawbs.
The highlights of the evening for me were "Tears And Pavan" and "Alice's Song" (surely this could be of great benefit to a charity if taken up and handled properly) but the decision on points was a close one. Congratulations to Marlene, Clarkson and the Weak Bladder Kid.
Incidentally I took along my 19 year old son who is a Metallica fan who reckons DC should sue for plagiarism.
It was certainly a good one, The intros were a lot longer and more relaxed than at Swindon, although Brian didn't seem as cheerful (I guess it was due to the difficulties. But fantastic show, same set, the new numbers are really growing on me! Also played the sampler in the interval. Can't wait for next time. Worcester is always a great atmosphere, and the venue is beautiful. It took me 1hr 40 to get there but it's always worth it.
For the others on the list, Joachim got a mention in the intro to "The Flower & The Young Man", where DC talked about his trip to Sweden and said an unpronouncable Swedish word, which he assured us, was Swedish for a plate of chips and that a Swedish guy who had been to one of the shows (Joachim I guess!) had told him was pronounced perfectly!
Also gave a full intro to Ghosts, saying the song came to him while looking at the Angel in Indianapolis as suggested by Anne Pancella on the [Witchwood discussion group list] and it reminded him of bad dreams he'd had as a child leading to the song.
Anyway this was another great gig, long may they continue (for at least another 30 decades!)
The night was quite eventful. Dave's dulcimer tuning had crept out, and Brian's guitar mix was initially almost inaudible. After several gestures from him, the front of house managed to push his fader too far up, where despite Brian's further communication attempts it seemed to remain for too long into the first set.
Once things had settled down and the balance came right, the whole band treated us to something special, giving it their all for the remainder of the night. Dave Lambert's "Live Inside Your Hell Tonight" was impeccable, despite a loose mic boom resulting in his mic steadily sinking downwards throughout. He showed true professional expertise, judging precisely at which split second he could interrupt his guitar playing to push the mike back up, and he got it right every time!
A memorable evening with some wonderful vocal and instrumental moments.
photo by Nick Evans
Wow! The previous reviews didn't lie. Despite early sound problems, this was a magnificent gig.
Before "Alice's Song", Dave C explained that it was written by Brian about his autistic niece, who asked if she'd be famous because it was on a CD. According to DC, BW said "Not with our sales" to accusations that he was heartless.
On "Live inside your hell tonight" ("a song about conscience"), we actually discover how heartless BW is!!!! Poor DL was singing his heart out in a very emotional way. Poor chap. His mike obviously needed a dose of Viagra to keep it at the required angle. It drooped. DL made sterling efforts to droop also to sing. He slapped it up between riffs and then balanced it precariously on his chin. Despite DL's obviously agonised expression and his juggling efforts with chin, BW was chuckling. (Sorry BW. I said I probably wouldn't mention your heartlessness, but I lied. - I still do lie, because I had a great chat with BW. He really is a nice bloke and genuinely appears to understand the questions of prats like me. I think the techno problems affected him the most tonight and he carried on like a true trooper. I can't emphasize enough that in previous years when I've spoken to him, he's been most accomodating.)
I also managed a chat with DL. I hadn't seen him use a bottleneck for "The River" before, and he confirmed that it was only on the acoustic CD that this was the case: previously, the effect was due to volume pedals. I said how good the end to Down by the Sea was. He said that it came to him in bed. No comment. As a card carrying member of witchwood, I asked him how it felt to be analysed so closely. He said at first it was a little intimidating, but that they had become used to it.
I didn't have the chance to speak to DC, but I would be curious to know why he didn't appear to talk to the radio show in the west midlands, because I was subjected to the most mindless twaddle for two hours (my personal view is he was right to avoid it).
Apologies for the minutiae. The gig was cracking. Book the chaps for Cropredy.
I went to the Worcester gig last Wednesday- what can I say - you have all said it before - the unrecognised talents of the Strawbs are still there. Dave and Dave's voices are better than ever with harmonies where you 'can not hear the join' . They are all 3 so obviously in tune with each (intuitively) other's guitar playing they play as if they were 1 guitar respecting each other's parts yet playing together. The usual false start on "Benedictus" is a bit of a habit with Dave C but gets us all into the mood of us all being together rather than an us and them situation with the band and the audience. Some great new songs and so good to hear the oldies still sounding good if not better than they were so many years ago. "Alice's Song" particularly touched me as I teach special needs kids many of whom are autistic.
The venue was amazing - Huntington Hall - and if you get a chance to go there do. We entered via the bar - now there's a surprise - up a flight of stairs - very modern and 'Arty'-on hearing the 5 minutes till performance bell and announcement we ventured into the hall where w were in for a bit of a shock. The hall is actually a restored church now used as a music centre. We all sat on pews looking at the alter laid out with an array of guitars and 3 stools. The back cloth to this was the two wrought iron curved stairs leading up to the organ with griffins at the base. Towering over the band were the pipes of the organ. The interval raffle for the upkeep of the building was something I had not come across before at a gig but added another dimention to the evening.
We went to the bar after the show in the hope to say hi with quivering knees to our heroes of the night but as us oldies know - the pressure of a drive home and what state the house will be in from the kids left at home (and if there would be a house left at all) tempted us away before meeting the band.
STABLES, WAVENDON, 4 FEB 2002
The 30th anniversary of the release of Grave New World (4 Feb 1972) was a very good night to see Acoustic Strawbs at the Stables. Opening with "Benedictus" from that very album, it was the best gig yet, with Dave C commenting how much the band enjoy playing at this venue - it clearly shows. The sound balance was excellent for the audience (though Brian was being driven mental in the first half with feedback in his monitor), with just exactly the right amount of reverb on the accapella vocals on "Flower And The Young Man" (another from GNW) - the hair on the back of my neck was standing up by the end of the song.
Other outstanding performances were "Not All The Flowers Grow" and "There Will Come The Day". The guitar duel in "River/Down By The Sea" continues to develop - and Lambert's thrashing acoustic during the middle section is very powerful indeed.
Returning to the stage for the encore, some wag chose to clap Dave C retuning his guitar. Quick as a flash, up jumps Lambert as if to go offstage, "Thanks, we'll see you again soon." Fortunately, he was only joking. Dave C. commented on the playin music to their first set - Sandy Denny's recording of "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" with Fairport (good interval music too, guys - Fairport, who I'm seeing on 7 Feb at the Royal Festival Hall!) Dedicating the song to Sandy's memory, the audience was treated to the outstanding rock re-vamp of "On My Way", now complete with Cousins guitar solo - who needs two jobbing guitarsmiths, eh Dave ?
THE WHARF, TAVISTOCK, 3 FEB 2002
Arriving early to collect pre-booked tickets, a quick glance indicated "this is a standing event". Heart sinks at the thought of maintaining an aching back during two hours of superlative music. Returning some while later, from a local hostelry, after a period of appropriate relaxation and joy of joys, as the event apparently overnight, had turned into a seated auditorium. This is just what the acoustic set needs!
Soon, fans, both old and new settle down to a captivating performance, highlighted by a super performance from Brian. Note perfect, despite a minor handicap of breaking a string, later put down to a new guitar. The best so far and back to his brilliant best.
Emotional and agressive vocals within seconds of each other have always been Dave C's trademark and tonight was no different. "Not all the flowers grow", being a fine example, of where the emotion takes over and tonight, this transmitted so obviously, from stage to audience.
Leaving Dave L to last is more by accident than design, but the riffs tonight seemed particularly aggressive and brought an inspired volume to proceedings. His ability to "duel" with Brian and "duet" with the other Dave contibutes majestically to the overall performance.
The sound balance between the three tonight was fine, although just a touch more volume would not have gone amiss. Same set as rest of tour.
Having experienced some particularly warm venues during the tour so far, thought I was a step ahead, by dressing down, for this gig only to find that the temperature at this venue was towards the other end of the scale and Dave C who had stripped down to just a shirt for the second half , had to don a jacket for his return, following "Live Inside Your Hell Tonight "
But the fun had begun and after inviting the audience to join in if you wish during "Lay Down", DC suggested that even Brian may be joining them. (That would be a first!).
There was no way the audience, were going to leave without an encore and Dave C and Brian returned to the stage. Sometime later, they were joined by Dave L, who was promptly told he had been sacked and who then retorted by saying he know knew exactly what happened behind that black screen!! A large bang from the PA (first of the night) and Cousins quipped that he thought somebody had shot Lambert, to save them the pay off.
A rousing finale of "On My Way" and we soon all were, but not before we witnessed that solo. Not, Lambert not Willoughby but DC's own interpretation. A fun end to a terrific evening.
YEALMPTON COMMUNITY CENTRE, DEVON, 2 FEB 2002
As Head of the South West Review Team for www.folking.com. I was asked to cover the Acoustic Strawbs gig at Yealmpton, on Saturday 2 Feb and I jumped at the chance to go and see these legends in my lifetime on a rare tour. The last time I saw them was at The Classic Rock Awards in Rotherham, November 2000, when Dave Cousins was awarded with a Special award of 30 years service in the music industry.
They were supported by Mad Rush, a superb folk/rock/blues band, who did very well, despite no power at the time they came on. No electrics but plenty of electric atmosphere from Den, Ned and Geoff!
Dave Cousins, Brian Willoughby and Dave Lambert, otherwise known as the Acoustic Strawbs appeared just as the power came back on! They opened with "Benedictus", a track from their latest album – Baroque and Roll, from which they did eight tracks in total, but also treated us also to their songwriting heritage through the years. Brian, Dave and Dave harmonised beautifully, as did their guitars. Dave Cousins has lost none of his powerful, soulful singing voice and really gave his all. Brian Willoughby and Dave Lambert gave their all on their guitars. "You And I When We Were Young" captured my childhood memories. After the interval we had a tale from Dave Cousins about speckled eggs and this led us into "A Glimpse Of Heaven". "The Golden Salamander" was a powerful number which had everyone foot-tapping. "Lay Down" (my favourite) came just before they were due to leave, to riotous applause and they had to come back on! They gave us the aptly titled track "On My Way" before we would let them go.
They may have mellowed over the years but they can still hold an audience to attention. As Dave Lambert told me afterwards they still enjoy singing together after all these years – and it shows. The Centre was full to the seams and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Can't wait to see them return – hopefully in the not too distant future.
ST. MARY IN THE CASTLE, HASTINGS, 1 FEB 2002
Finally back home in the cold north after a short visit to warm and breezy England.
I took 12 hours on buses, planes and trains to get me and my son Simon from our home town of Norrtälje (some 70 kilometers northeast of swedish capital Stockholm) to Hastings on the channel coast. The most tedious part of the trip was the train from London Victoria to Hastings, that had this nasty little habit of stopping each and every minute...
My worries about the tickets, by the way, had been stilled. I had established contact with the St Mary box office as soon as we had landed at Stansted airport. The kind lady readily agreed to reserve two tickets for us.
In Hastings we were met by raging winds and a very kind landlady at the B&B we had booked in advance. Since our plane had been late, we were also late, so we headed out to locate the venue, which turned out to be a church-like local at the seafront, just below the old castle. (Later I read on a sign on the wall that it was actually a church.)
Just as we were going in, the band came in from the street, and passed us. Then I realised, wow, this is really happening, we're in Hastings, England, and we're going to see the Acoustic Strawbs! The audience were seated at nice small round tables on the floor under the high domed ceiling, and some in the lower galleries. We managed to secure a table at the right side of the stage.
The song order seems to be the same as the last gigs of the tour. And the playing if possible even tighter. Dave C had some problems with the tuning of the electric dulcimer on the opening "Benedictus", but he handled that very elegantly.
The guys all wore sensible shirts (only after the break did DC change into a more "cousinsy" flowery outfit. DC's between-song stories were of a geographical nature. He told us of the places and trips that had inspired the songs. New, and somewhat surprising to me, was that "Flower And The Young Man" had been inspired by a trip to Sweden. (I had been under the false impression that the Strawbs never had been to Sweden. Sad to say they have never been very well known here.) That song was also musically one of the gig's highlights, with Dave L singing out his heart. Very beautiful! Other performances that stuck in my memory was "Tears And Pavan", with excellent guitar playing from Brian and DL. "Ghosts" and "The River/Down By The Sea" were also monumental. The (for me) new songs, "Not All the Flowers Grow", "There Will Come The Day" and "Alice's Song" also immediately found a place in my heart.
Leaving the table, fellow Witchwooder Paul Brazier spotted the Swedish writing on the back of my jacket, and we talked a little while we were waiting for the band to come out after the gig. Nice to meet you, Paul! The boys were very nice and all signed my newly bought copy of Baroque And Roll. DL looked very interested when I told him we were from Sweden, and said something about "the album being released there soon".I didn't get the opportunity to inquire further, and when I got to talk to DC I was so overwhelmed that I just could stutter something like "hubbahummahumma from Sweden, wonderful concert, ubbabubba sign, please". He looked a little curious, but signed the CD cover.
It was a very pleased father that walked back through the stormy streets of Hastings that night. Even the son admitted that the concert "hadn't been so bad",
And of course, almost forgot to mention, Nova Scotia Dave was at the Hastings gig, too.
Just came back from a visit to London England. Also went to Hastings and saw the Strawbs in St. Mary's at the Castle.
What a fantastic evening. After a superb performance by the band, when they found out I came from Canada, they welcomed myself and my friend to have a few drinks with them and we had a great time. Hope they are able to play in North America soon. They are exceptionally professional and sincere individuals and I enjoy their music as well as now, great memories of meeting them and getting to know them.
