Show of Hands
Sorry people I am being most rubbish at keeping up with things. So briefly we went and saw Bryan at Newmarket, it was good, I drunk beer! I missed the MO man and Common Rotation Hate me with a passion!
How's that for an update?
In other news I have shiny tickets for rather a lot of Show of Hands gigs, kicking off with the Ely folk Festival on the 12th of July.... SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Word July 2008 by Jim Irvin
The Last Word Music DVDs
Genesis And Revelations
Phil Collins and friends win over at least one doubter, plus Ani DiFranco, New Order and Show Of Hands
I have been moved by two blokes in a farmers market and a dinosaur trudging through Poland. The two blokes trade as Show of Hands, one of those acts one's heard of but knows little about; the dinosaur is Genesis, an act too familiar to want to hear again. Both, however, sneaked up and delivered a sucker punch this month. The result: tears of respectful pleasure after a reminder of music's power.
Around the time Genesis were playing to half a million in Rome, Show of Hands were drawing a few hundred to cafes and pubs in their hometown, Topsham, Devon, a warm-up with some homies before their third sell-out appearance at the Rpyal Albert Hall. Yes, that's right, this modest folk duo fills the RAH every so often. Tour of Topsham (Hands On) shows you why. Steve Knightley has an instantly appealing voice and writes stirring songs - one in particular, The Dive, is utterly transfixing. Knightley's partner in the band, multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer, could probably extract a heart pumping tune from a cheese roll. The mood is relaxed to the point of amateurish but when they lock into songs like Widecombe Rair, Roots and - hello? - No Woman No Cry you immediately understand their appeal.
What is most cheering is that this is possible: a decent living from a cottage industry. It's taken them a while, but they're great, they did it themselves and no one could begrudge them milking the last drop of applause at the RAH.
How's that for an update?
In other news I have shiny tickets for rather a lot of Show of Hands gigs, kicking off with the Ely folk Festival on the 12th of July.... SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Word July 2008 by Jim Irvin
The Last Word Music DVDs
Genesis And Revelations
Phil Collins and friends win over at least one doubter, plus Ani DiFranco, New Order and Show Of Hands
I have been moved by two blokes in a farmers market and a dinosaur trudging through Poland. The two blokes trade as Show of Hands, one of those acts one's heard of but knows little about; the dinosaur is Genesis, an act too familiar to want to hear again. Both, however, sneaked up and delivered a sucker punch this month. The result: tears of respectful pleasure after a reminder of music's power.
Around the time Genesis were playing to half a million in Rome, Show of Hands were drawing a few hundred to cafes and pubs in their hometown, Topsham, Devon, a warm-up with some homies before their third sell-out appearance at the Rpyal Albert Hall. Yes, that's right, this modest folk duo fills the RAH every so often. Tour of Topsham (Hands On) shows you why. Steve Knightley has an instantly appealing voice and writes stirring songs - one in particular, The Dive, is utterly transfixing. Knightley's partner in the band, multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer, could probably extract a heart pumping tune from a cheese roll. The mood is relaxed to the point of amateurish but when they lock into songs like Widecombe Rair, Roots and - hello? - No Woman No Cry you immediately understand their appeal.
What is most cheering is that this is possible: a decent living from a cottage industry. It's taken them a while, but they're great, they did it themselves and no one could begrudge them milking the last drop of applause at the RAH.