On their second major tour in six months, the work ethic runs deep in Steeleye Span. Plaudits for the past couple of albums have been fulsome and the profile of the band is once more on the rise across the media. Alighting in Shropshire for a gig, Simon Jones reports from the pews of an Abbey no less.
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen Steeleye Span down the years. First glimpsed on their BBC TV series ‘Electric Folk’ back in the mid 70s, the moment they appeared on the box I knew I’d found my addiction. Live action came about twelve months later at the long vanished ABC, Chester on a tour promoting ‘Rocket Cottage.’ Entangled ever since, there have been splits, reformations, changes galore, music, more music and yet more music, all centred on what Maddy Prior refers to as their focus, moving traditional material forward, making it modern and relevant, even using it as a back drop to composition. The brand remains strong, bless them. So, here I am at Shrewsbury Abbey and you couldn’t get a better venue for Span’s repertoire, it’s gothic and stone from top of spire to deepest foundation thus the acoustics are incredible.
“They’ve gone a bit more rocky haven’t they?” says the lady next to me as we exchange greetings and geographical details, she’s come from Mid Wales to see them, “it’s the nearest venue to me. I couldn’t have got to the date at Abergavenny on the last tour, too far away.” The seating arrangement at Shrewsbury has given me a perfect sideways view of the stage which sticks out into the body of the building for a few yards so the front line of the band when they come on are facing forward. Maddy and rhythm guitarist Julian Littman are mingling and chatting with the crowd. Not sure what the back stage facilities are like, perhaps they holed up in the vestry but a big curtian duly parts and they appear after a lengthy instrumental and introduction.
Numbering six, “the band’s a bit of a moveable feast these days,” informs Maddy, they’ve been using various fiddlers in a rotation, Athena Octavia is returned for this leg of the jaunt which is just as well since she played on their latest album ‘Conflict.’ Regular drummer Liam Genockey is recovering after an operation so band sound man Chris Finn provides the beat and it has to be said gives them a harder drive and far more heft. The creative core of the band remains the same with Maddy and Julian as well as Spud Sinclair on lead guitar doing most of the intros, though bassist Roger Carey has responded with funkier and yes, louder playing as well as a couple of lead vocals. Their sound has been more guitar orientated for a few years with the fiddle set to sonic, so yes they are rockier than other incarnations.
From the sidewards vantage point the sound is different. Different, but not in a bad way, in fact as the music bounces off the Abbey walls it improves the clarity several fold. Each contribution from the individuals on stage is ringing and sharp. It’s the best I’ve heard them in quite a while. In terms of repertoire tonight’s set is varied reaching back as far as ‘Please To See The King’ whilst dipping into ‘Now we Are Six’ quite often, as well as referencing ‘Conflict’ and points in between. ‘Edward’ was an early highlight, the more he plays it the more Spud Sinclair seems to be getting into the intention of the piece. His guitars crunch and snap with ferocity, yet the vocal is restrained until the final verse wherein dark consequences are foretold. Equally the massed chorals on ‘Gaudete’ have been transformed into a vocal whirlwind rather than a gentle breeze, opening the second half it fair pinned you in your seat, if there’s such a thing as powerful acapella this was an example.
Rick Kemp’s ‘Low Flying’ showed they’ve a knack for voicing contempory concerns, as did the reflective cover of Elvis Costello’s ‘Ship Building’ each track a highlight from their most recent album. Great to hear ‘The Blacksmith’ once more with it’s bittersweet tale of unrequited love, ditto ‘The Gardener’ with its heavy duty guitar under score and pounding percussion, Athena’s violin soared above and across it all in glorious spiralling runs.
The epic that is ‘Tam Lin’ – no, not all that much like Fairport’s version on ‘Leige & Lief‘ – took up a chunk of the evening but was well worth the reconditioning, it’s a mighty piece, the contrast between the rolling, cantering melody which sets up the scence for the arcane and threatening mid section – you really could believe Maddy was a Faery being brimming with fire, spite and anger – is stark. The whole fifteen minutes was absorbing and hyper.
Miss Prior’s ability to inhabit the characters she sings about is uncanny and came to the fore again with ‘The Bonny Black Hare’ a track which has taken on far more new wave characteristics and garage bite, closing the main set, it brought the audience to their feet with shouts for an encore. So on they trooped again for “a couple more,” we got the hit, you know the one I mean, “just sing it will you?” as well as a thundering Sinclair composed jig “Dodgy Bastards.”
That left matters on a high and thus replete we all shuffled out into the night. Which took a while though as the Abbey had been a full house. Catching Maddy as the faithful departed I asked how the gig had gone for the band. “That was a great one,” she shot back. Indeed it was. For Steeleye the call of the road goes ever on. Still thrilling, still addicted!
