Show of Hands Backlog Tour Autumn 2011
Show of Hands
Keay Theatre
Celebrating 20 years of weaving musical magic together, Phil Beer and Steve Knightley opened this Backlog Tour with a superb trawl through their history.
With no introduction, the boys amble on stage and immediately hold the audience with their warmth and banter.
Over the years Steve and Phil have played hundreds of gigs, from tiny folk clubs to large theatres, filling the Albert Hall time and time again. Constant touring, writing, recording, being feted with accolades, performing at all the major festivals from Glasters to Womad could lead to jaded performances, but SOH are professionals with a capital P. Delighting their fans at every performance, with no whistles or bells, just glorious music and genial personalities – this opening night at the Keay Theatre confirmed their enormous talents and their rightful title of Best Duo, awarded by the BBC Folk Awards.
Amiable and witty they may be, but Steve’s writing is perceptive and often angry, particularly in regard to the loss of our countryside to greedy developers and the loss of our local shops and communities to massive sprawls of out of town retail parks. Anti-establishment, anti-slavery, anti-greed – Show of Hands’ vast repertoire of work highlights the nitty gritty of life without being maudlin; on the contrary, their music is uplifting and fun, whilst carrying the message as folk music has done for hundreds of years.
A warm and wonderful start to their Autumn Tour, the night finished on a high for the Cornish audience with a final encore of Cousin Jack.