Steeleye Span

22nd April 2004, Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells

A review by Pete Fyfe

It certainly doesn't seem like thirty-five years have passed since Steeleye Span first set foot on stage and although I can't say I saw the band in their formative years things (or at least the style of music they perform) don't seem to have changed much from their 'rock' period. In fact, it's this feeling of familiarity that keeps drawing the crowds and for those gathered at the Assembly Hall's tonight the audience appreciation knew no bounds. 

I've already mentioned in my review of the band's latest CD 'They Called Her Babylon' that Ken Nicol has confidently taken over the guitar role held for so long by Bob Johnson and his contributions, particularly on acoustic guitar are a real asset. This evening there were several stand-out performances from fiddler Peter Knight the best of which just has to be his accompaniment to Maddy Prior's stunning Child's ballad [201] 'Bess(y)ie Bell and Mary Gray'. It's a chilling tale of two ladies who, in this instance try to avoid a plague in the Perth area of Scotland by running to the country only to have it brought to them by a mutual admirer. This kind of tale is of course staple fare for any true follower of Steeleye and the inclusion of  'Long Lankin' and 'Tam Lin' left none of their fans disappointed. Much like Fairport and their ever-changing musical explorations of 'Matty Groves', Rick Kemp updates the old Steeleye chestnut 'Blackleg Miner' with a downright funky slapped bass intro that would put Mark King to shame whilst Liam Genockey in the engine room was given plenty of scope for a full blown drum solo. Of course the obligatory hits were rolled out including 'Gaudete' and 'All Around My Hat' which I must admit left me with a feeling of admiration for the communal sing-along that ensued. 

I couldn't end this review without a resounding slap on the back to the sound engineer (Gareth Williams?) who controlled the balance throughout the whole concert with real attention to detail, a point that was not lost on the gathered throng.

Steeleye Span is a band that delivers the goods, and then some, so catch them on this tour, you'll be well rewarded!