There are very few
artists who can claim lasting success throughout half a century, but Steeleye Span are thankfully one of them.
A meeting of likeminded folk musicians in 1969 led to the landmark album Hark! The Village Wait in 1970. This has
resulted in a large body of work over that time – officially 23 studio albums
and 9 live albums. And that does not
take into account numerous bootlegs that have escaped into the public domain. A dazzling array of musicians have made up
the group during that time, some staying
for the short term and a few for the long term.
Maddy Prior – the longest serving member clocking at some 45 years of
service (she had a five year sabbatical in the late 1990s) likens it to getting
on a bus. Some get off earlier than
others. Despite the original album
featuring two female singers (Ireland’s Gay Woods and her husband Terry quit
shortly after the recording of the debut album by the group), it is Maddy Prior who has become “the voice
of Steeleye”, her powerful range and
exquisite harmonies are the very centre of the sound on all but two of the
albums.
So now, in 2019 its
time for a lap of honour for the collective that is Steeleye Span. They have gone and celebrated with a new
album too, Est’d 1969. The past few years have been busier than ever
for Steeleye, they now boast their biggest line up ever, seven top drawer
musicians. The bar has been set high
since the earliest days with the inclusion of legendary folk influencers like
Ashley Hutchings, Martin Carthy and Tim Hart among others. And since then each successive line up has
somehow managed to push the bar just that little bit higher in pursuit of
perfection. The group have wandered into
the realms of heavy rock at times,
paired down traditional folk at others, and even dabbled with a pop
sound. But constantly the core soundscape
that is Steeleye has been recognisable through the various mixes and
treatments.
At the New Vic Theatre
in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire a venue full of devoted followers
welcomed out the anniversary line up with gusto. They ripped into a track from the new album
entitled “Harvest”. The sound that
filled the theatre proved that #Steeleye50 would be taking no prisoners
tonight. Each of their number contributing
a rich layer to the live sound. The
newest members bassist Roger Carey and multi instrumentalist Benji Kirkpatrick
(son of former member John Kirkpatrick – the group are now a dynasty) are playing
and singing as if they had forever been a part of the line up. Benji paid tribute to an album his Dad played
on with a spirited “Seventeen Come Sunday” from 1977’s Storm Force Ten. Made the
year after Benji was born, but Benji
captured the spirit of the album with a kick ass performance of the track.
Fans thought that long
time violin virtuoso Peter Knight could never be replaced such was his
symbiosis with the instrument, but then along came Jessie May Smart, young, pretty and fiendishly adapt with the
fiddle. However, being on maternity leave she has handed over
the reigns for this tour to Violeta Barrena, another amazing find who plays as
if a devil is urging her into more euphoric excesses. The sound of her fiddle
at full pelt has an hypnotic effect.
Beautiful.
Another relative
newcomer to the bus is Andrew ‘Spud’ Sinclair.
Playing superb guitar and impressive on vocals too, he clearly is an excellent fit and his
rendition of The Elf Knight was a
personal highlight of the night. Julian
Littman has been a part of the band since 2011,
and has a huge pedigree of playing with some top rated artists. He is a bit of a jack of all trades being an
actor, singer, musician, song writer – you name it he does it, and he is a bit
of a legend himself among his peers. He
is absolutely perfect for Steeleye though,
a warm stage personality and a talent he makes look effortless, he is very much a senior figure within the
group, its leading man if you will. Whether
on guitars, keyboards or vocals he delivers in spades.
Sat at the back with
his long beard looking every inch the hippy figure is Liam Genockey on
drums. But to say that he is a drummer
does him a dis-service. I had the
pleasure of sitting at the side of the performance space which is in the round
at the New Vic and found his playing fascinating. Liam uses his kit to create sounds and
atmospheres which are far more than hitting a stick against a skin. He utilises the metallic edges, the case –
any part of the drum kit he thinks can add a particular moment to a song. Much of it is very subtle and always
beautiful. A class act.
And then there is Maddy
Prior. A true legend of folk and popular music. Her voice swooping and soaring
in harmony and melody. True, mid tour
and there were a few strains to be heard here and there but for a voice that
has been pressed into service mostly live in concert over half a century, it is
still remarkable. It also is hard to
think how Steeleye will survive without her at the helm when she eventually
does decide to hang up her hat (the one with the green willow around it). But let us bask in her glory tonight, she still dances infectiously to the
jigs, as happy in the moment as she has
ever been.
Much of the show
tonight rightly showcases the new album.
They have drawn as ever from the vast collection of traditional whilst
adding their own flavour to the arrangements and the music. “The January Man” I
knew from Archie Fisher’s album with Barbara Dickson, and this version tonight provides a nice
counter point to that one, a much more world weary version. “Domestic” is a mixture of two songs which
provide a battle of the sexes, and the latter one “My Husband’s Got No Courage
In Him” appeared on Maddy’s recordings with June Tabor when they called
themselves The Silly Sisters in the mid-70s.
A nice acapella piece written by Maddy’s daughter Rose Kemp “Reclaimed”,
a tale of marching time, yet again proves that the seven don’t need any of
their instruments to create a glorious sound.
With such a back catalogue of
acclaimed folk classics to draw on, it is always a lottery to see which
albums the group have dipped into and brought to the fore again. On this tour we get favourites such as live
rocker “Thomas The Rhymer”, the epic “Tam
Lin”, “Alison Gross” (the ugliest witch
in the north country) and “King Henry” – More meat! More meat! Topped off with of course the song Maddy
calls their anthem, “All Around My Hat”. I well remember Steeleye performing this song
on Top Of The Pops and Crackerjack (“CRAKERJACK!”) when I was
young, and it has lost none of its
infectious charm in the intervening years.
We all sang along as members of the church of Steeleye. Worshipping at
their alter.
Once again Steeleye
Span provided a master class of musical storytelling which is unsurpassable in
their field. They have a timeless
quality to their music but are also very relevant to the now, proving human behaviour hasn’t changed much
in hundreds of years. Lets hope we always have Steeleye Span to remind us of those connections across the centuries. Here's to the next 50 years.
Rocking at the New Vic 2019
Schmoozing with Maddy Prior CBE
Steeleye Span's recordings and tours can be accessed by their official website
You could try changing 'half a decade' (above the album cover) to half a century, lol. Great review though, saw them in Shrewsbury and loved every minute - so did my daughter, who first saw them at their 25th anniversary tour, aged about 8,
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