|
Show
of Hands - Live at the Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
Review by Chris Davis
Having previously
only heard “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed” and “Roots”,
I turned up as a Show of Hands gig virgin knowing that
at the very least I’d hear intelligent lyrics and a
cracking good tune. Opening with “Country Life”, Show of
Hands had the audience eating out of their hands from
the off, railing against holiday homes, empty pubs and
the theft of the English countryside and way of life.
A varied set followed with Steve, Phil and Miranda
drawing on their immense back-catalogue as well as
current numbers, to lead us on a journey of humanity and
human nature. From the looters, pirates and thieves of
“The Napoli” to the greed of the bankers in “Arrogance,
Ignorance and Greed”. Along the way we were treated to
a masterclass in the art of folk music.
“Innocents Song” is a prime example - the acapella
opening borrowed straight from traditional folk, with
excellent harmonies. This led into haunting violin from
multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer and when Miranda Sykes’
double bass kicked in, the atmosphere was complete.
In mid-set, Phil and Miranda performed a foot-tapping
swamp blues number, Miranda performed “Trouble” from her
new ep and Steve tried to stem the tide of email
overload in “Stop Copying Me”.
Between songs, the friendly banter and snippets of
humour occasionally overflowed into the songs themselves
with lines from Slade’s “Cum on feel the noize” working
their way into “The Keys of Canterbury” and Bruce
Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” in “Arrogance,
Ignorance and Greed”. And when Galway Bay actually fell
at the first fence it was something akin to Michael
Palin as the pet shop owner in the last live performance
of the “Parrot” sketch offering John Cleese his money
back.
Following the Galway Farmer’s eventual rise to riches,
the band turned the Wulfrun Hall into the largest folk
club in Wolverhampton with the traditional “Pleasant
and Delightful”. For an encore, “Cousin Jack” was
followed by the audience joining in “Happy Birthday” to
Steve’s sister Barbara, and the closing number “Roots”.
All in all a night to remember and for any other Show of
Hands virgins out there, folk fans or not, get along to
the nearest gig and find out what real entertainment is
all about.
For more on Band Name see:
http://www.showofhands.co.uk/
|
|
|
