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STEELEYE SPAN - De Montfort
Hall, Leicester.
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMAL AFTER GIG PICS. Anyone leaving the 2001 Cromer Pier gig might have wondered whether this day would ever come again but the subsequent Ballads and Candles tour by Maddy Prior highlighted the demand there still was for the Steeleye back catalogue as interpreted by those who performed on the original recordings. In the glow of the response given to Peter Knight as he stepped back on the stage to perform that material with Maddy, it seemed an inevitable step then, to reunite the popular line-up of the seventies under the Steeleye banner. Difficulties came and went but the conclusion of the last years endeavours was a ‘reunion’ in every sense. The two main players were joined by Rick Kemp and the eighties/nineties drummer Liam Genockey with Bob Johnson completing - although unfortunately, ill-health prevented him taking the stage to support the groups new record.At this gig and throughout the tour, his place is most ably filled by Ken Nicol from the Albion Band. The attractions of the band were such that filling a venue the size of Leicester’s De Montfort Hall was a realistic ambition and there was no shortage of bums on seats to ensure they were not far off capacity. Having no support act was also a good sign - more Steeleye ! At 7.30pm, the lights went down and the band pottered onto the stage as if they’d never been away. The first number, ‘The King’ was sublimely performed in the same way it had always been done before. Then it was into the folk/rock. This was the first time I’d seen anything like a seventies line-up play together and the performance was very different from the band of the last few years. It was a much more simplistic approach. The arrangements to some of the songs had been changed but mostly stayed within the guitar-based rock field. This still gave room for diversity but there was much more of an edge on the performance which was down to the inclusion of Ken Nicol. He made no attempt to stay in the shadows of the more well-known members and his wide range of guitar styles was vital to the bands power especially as he also knew how to riff with a bluesy wail ! Considering the setlist was, at least in part, fan driven (having come from Park’s online survey of favourite Spanner songs) there was quite an opportunity for him to do this. Straight after the opening number, the band drove into Black Jack Davy and Sir James the Rose. The predominance of earlier material coupled with Rick’s solid bass work and Ken’s rockier guitar meant the set was much tighter and livelier - very reminiscent of the sound that broke the mould of folk forever on its original emergence. This was the shape that performed the majority of the show - Peter’s rare excursion to the keyboard for ‘Let Her Go Down’ was one of the only occasions when a band member strayed away from their instrument. It gave him a chance to perform the song as originally written; drawn, as it was, he explained from his time fishing in the English Channel. Next came ‘The Weaver and the Factory Maid’ with Peter’s lamenting fiddle accompanying Maddy’s voice in the new opening and Rick’s bass filling out the sound of the loom busy in the background. Maddy then introduced a ‘light piece about purgatory’ - Lyke Wake Dirge’ before husband Rick stepped forward to take his one introduction. After an exile in the north, he was pleased to be back he said and to have a captive audience! He then led a spirited ‘John Barleycorn’ in a very traditional folky voice that Steeleye have lacked since Tim Hart was around. This was a lively affair with breaks from Peter and Ken - only Liam missed out (which was a shame I thought, considering how he used to lead the line in Cam Ye O Frae France). However, he got his own back as Maddy went through the merchandise stall contents - everyone had a solo album out except the drummer who cut in that he had a donation box ! The half finished with ‘Hard Times of Olde England’ played as a new slower guitar ballad. Again, some nice work from Ken accompanied this. There was a great welcome also for Rose Kemp who came on and added a really powerful vocal line - one of several appearances that enhanced the overall vocal sound which really benefited from having an additional female voice. Part two opened up with ‘King Henry’ - a new arrangement that Ken Nicol enhanced still further by his driving guitar and then ‘When I Was on Horseback’. Peter’s fiddle was much in evidence in the ‘Present’ album rendition of ‘Black Leg Miner’ and then came ‘Drink Down the Moon’ and again, a very exciting, loud ‘Long Lankin’. The second half was generally better received than the first, probably because it gathered momentum and the audience ‘warmed-up’ a bit - in as much as you can do when you have to stay seated for the whole performance. ‘Two Magicians’ was a great number but the following ‘Cam Ye O Frae France’ didn’t reach the highs of ten or twelve years ago when Liam beat the drums a lot more upfront in the mix and Peter got a great solo going. The set ended with ‘Thomas the Rhymer’ which was given a really solid rock feel by Ken (similar to the sound on King Henry) and the result was much improved - especially with the cracking vocals of Rose adding real strength to the rendition. The crowd gave the group a rousing send-off and then stood up to call for an encore. They were duly rewarded with the predictable ‘All Around My Hat’ which caused even Maddy to remark ‘I wonder what we’re going to do now’ before the number started. Coming back for a second time, Peter dedicated ‘Gaudete’ to Mark, Donna and Victoria - American fans who had traveled the pond to see the historic line-up. I did have a twinge hearing the last song - that Bob was missing and it had been very much his, but Ken, to his credit, not only fitted in well with the Steeleye sound, but complemented and enhanced it with his own style. After the show Maddy said how happy she was with the way the group had come together and the sound was developing as the tour went on. Both her and Peter were keen to take the them forward and it would be wonderful if that could happen with the assistance of Ken who obviously has so much to add. Forget John Bowlin, Steeleye Span is more akin to Paul Simon’s the boxer who takes the blows but, as the song goes, the fighter still remains.
Nick Clark
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