Music
Reviews 2013
Steve
Knightly
St John’s
Church, Farncombe
The last time we saw Steve Knightly he was playing with Phil Beer as Show of Hands at GLive,
and the time before was at the packed big top at Beautiful Days; last week they sold out the Royal Festival Hall.
But folk musicians seem to be remarkably grounded, and this year Steve is
intending to play 100 villages halls on his solo tour. His songs are about
village life and village people, and he wants to sing them to an audience who
know his characters. This was not a village hall, but a tiny venue for one of
the superstars of folk. Mind you, he did rather give away his status by
actually having a roadie (Kev) and a few lights.
The first half was far more introspective than a Show of Hands gig, and Steve started by singing a traditional folk
song without the microphone, filling the church with his singing. Traditional
music, albeit in Knightly variations, dominated the first half. Knightly is a
country person, but not uncritically. He sings a great deal about the bitter
sweet experience of the rural life, most notably in It’s Raining Again. After a bottle of London Pride for £2.50, the
second half was much more like Show of
Hands with a sprinkling of songs from their latest album. Nonetheless, he
finished as he started, walking around the church singing unamplified.
Steve Knightly is a fabulous musician, a great songsmith,
a witty storyteller and comes over as a very warm human being. If he comes to a
village hall near you, make sure you catch him.
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