Steeleye Span came to the Lancaster Grand theatre as part of their 55th Anniversary tour and I must admit that this was my first ever Span gig. I wasn’t quick enough to get a ticket the last time they played in Lancaster but on this tour they have been playing a few dates in the North of England so getting a ticket was not a problem.
Since Peter Knight’s departure from the band, just over ten years ago, they have had three female violinists the latest being Athena Octavia who has not only brought the average age in the band down by quite a few years, but I got the impression that she may well have injected some new life into the band. Guitarist Spud Sinclair referred to her as his sparring partner before they launched into the Rick Kemp song Genocide. And not only does Athena more than hold her own among these - how shall I put it – more senior musicians but she adds another female voice to the vocal harmonies singing the higher notes which are perhaps not in Maddy Prior’s range.
The set list included quite a few selections from last year’s The Green Man Collection which is mostly songs recorded over the last ten years and includes new recordings of old favourites such as Hard Times of Old England and New York Girls. Both of these got an airing last night along with Demon of the Well and January Man which I particularly enjoyed hearing.
Being more of a Fairport fan when it comes to folk rock, I was slightly taken aback at how heavy they sound in comparison. Spud is a fine guitarist and both he and Julian Littman didn’t hold back on the electric guitars though Julian does play acoustic guitar and keyboards on a few numbers. There was a moment of calm when they performed an atmospheric cover of the Elvis Costello song Shipbuilding but otherwise it was full on but not deafening. Praise should also go to Roger Carey who played solid and at times funky bass guitar and long-time drummer Liam Genockey who I had a good view of from the circle.
As is the case with these sorts of gigs, many in the audience have been following the band for a few decades now. During the interval I heard two women chatting, with one asking the other if she had seen the band before. “Yes”, came the answer, “back in the 70s”. Me, I was at school in that decade and certainly felt like I was one of the younger members of the audience.
Maddy told us that Status Quo’s Francis Rossi had guested on The Green Man Collection and the encore included, as she put it, their cover of Quo's cover of All Around My Hat. Athena launched the band into one final instrumental number (Dodgy Bastards I think) and that brought the evening’s entertainment to a close.
I imagine the band will carry on for as long as Maddy wants to stay at the helm and on last night’s performance I can say I’m looking forward to the 60th Anniversary tour but hope to see them again before then.
CMB
05/05/24
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