Show Of Hands

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Songs from the wood...

Show Of Hands - Bristol St George's 15 Nov 2006

Flicking through 'The Cambridge Folk Festival, The First Thirty Years' published in 1993 you can find a description of Show Of Hands as 'new and exciting'. It's a testament to their inspired creativity that thirteen years later their output continues to be as fresh and challenging. Never ones to be complacent or rest on their back catalogue they really pushed their boundaries with the album Witness earlier in 2006. As I'm writing this the news has come in that they have been nominated in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for the categories of 'Best Duo' and 'Best Original Song' for Roots. Their current Autumn tour takes in venues large and small, from their native Devon north to Keswick and east to Lowestoft. Spiral Earth caught up with them in the rather lovely surroundings of St George's Hall in Bristol on a damp wednesday evening...

Their support for the evening, one-man army of conscience Martyn Joseph is passionate about his subject matter and emotes it with a fluid guitar style underpinned by a compelling voice. Punches aren't pulled as he delivers some forceful numbers. Whether the safe and gentle surroundings of the St Georges Hall are ready for him or not is another matter. Despite some warm applause maybe it's a little early in the evening for some of his political zeal to rub off on a fully seated audience. This doesn't trouble Joseph as he has a knack of softening up an audience. His sincere ballads and engaging banter steadily builds a rapport and before long we're lead back to the issue driven material with fresh ears. Murmurings of relief about recent democratic events across the water finds plenty of empathy. Ultimately he challenges us all to question our own convictions when confronted with a cruel and confused world.

After an intermission Steve Knightley and Phil Beer take the stage, supported onstage by the double bass and vocals of Miranda Sykes, an integral part of their recorded and live sound for the past three years. A circle of guitars, mandocellos, fiddles and bass are arrayed around them like some ancient wooden circle. From the centre of this ring they launch into Columbus (Didn't Find America ) tight as ever and looking slick all decked out in black, Undertow, The Innocence Song, and Country Life follow in quick succession before the traditional Blue Cockade. Steve Knightley has been described as the 'Springsteen of Folk', and he does indeed have a range and power of delivery that is reminiscent of The Boss. However, he is uniquely English and tied into the rythms and currents of this land, something that informs every inflection of his performance. It turns out that most of the instruments encircling them are Phil Beer's, he turns his hand effortlessly to the fiddle, guitar, tenor guitar and a decidedly dodgy Dalek impression...

Steve and Phil have a stage presence that many live performers would envy, they are as relaxed and comfortable onstage as they are off. There is a charismatic musical bond between them, and it's probably this more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts chemistry that draws the crowd in so deeply, I got the feeling that much of the audience would rather have been on their feet singing along than sat on their backsides. Miranda Sykes gives a bass depth and gravity to their arrangements, as well as smoothing off some of those masculine rough edges that two blokes on stage could so easily carry.

Going back to '93 the highlight would often be an end of set dash through The Galway Farmer. It's proof of how much high quality material has been written since that they affectionately slot it in mid-set. After which they each perform a solo spot, Miranda particularly showing what a powerful and seductive voice she has.

All of the new material is greeted like old favourites and none more so than Roots with it's exquisite detail and time changes. Martyn Joseph then returned to join the others for a rousing version of his own Cardiff Bay. Things are rounded off beautifully with Dive and Cousin Jack. Then they're quickly back for an encore of Tall Ships and a foot stomping The Falmouth Packet/Haul Away Joe.

I don't think thare are many acts as polished and creative as Show of Hands live, they can as easily fill the Royal Albert Hall with the same warmth as they did in the intimate St George's Hall. They also have time for their fans - they all turned up in the bar for a chat and autograph session.