Preview

The Classic Rock Society recently presented Dave Cousins, leader of The Strawbs, with their Lifetime Achievement Award, marking 30 years in rock music. Famed for their seminal early-'70s albums 'Grave New World' and 'Bursting At The Seams', as well as the hit singles 'Part Of The Union' and 'Lay Down', The Strawbs spent much of their time from the mid-'70s in the States and Canada, touring with the likes of Santana, The Eagles, Blue Oyster Cult, Joe Walsh, King Crimson, and Frank Zappa.

In 2000, founding band members Dave Cousins (guitar, dulcimer, and vocals) and Dave Lambert (guitar and vocals), together with Brian Willoughby (Strawbs lead guitarist from 1978) formed the Acoustic Strawbs, a dynamic acoustic line-up dedicated to performing a mixture of classic Strawbs tracks and exclusive new material. 2002 and 2003 saw the trio touring extensively in the UK and Stateside, to rapturous response, as well as recording the wonderful 'Baroque and Roll' CD; and a 'Live in Toronto' DVD is due for imminent release.

Talbot regulars will recall Brian Willoughby's magical 2003 gig with his partner Cathryn Craig (and they're booked for a return visit early in 2005!). Brian has recently opted to concentrate on his work with Cathryn, and he has been replaced in the Acoustic Strawbs by the familiar face of Chas Cronk, who originally joined The Strawbs as bass player in 1974.

You are advised to book early for an evening of sparkling nostalgic musical virtuosity from these three legends of the British folk and rock scene.

'... inspired ... perform with passion and precision' - Chicago Tribune

Review

As a curtain-raiser for our (even if we say so ourselves) rather sparkling autumn music season, the presence in our midst of these estimable veterans of the seminal English folk-rock scene was unbeatable, and the respect and affection in which they're held was reflected by a superb turnout of punters, with every chair occupied, all keen to experience once again that uniquely distinctive Strawbs sound. They weren't disappointed: Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert, and Chas Cronk were on top form from the get-go.

The hymnal 'Benedictus', with heartstopping trademark three-part harmonies, opened proceedings. The classic 'Witchwood' followed, with Dave Cousins' unmistakably wayward voice beckoning us into the sylvan depths of Savernake Forest; his favourite Devon village, Branscombe, was celebrated next in the stunning 'Glimpse of Heaven', featuring the kind of tempo/time-signature shifts that always marked out the Strawbs as the more 'progressive' band than their peers such as the Fairports ... Cousins switched to banjo for 'Shine On' (more scalp-tingling harmonies) and 'Cold Steel', on which Dave Lambert took lead vocal duties. The brave lighthouse rescue drama 'Grace Darling' and 'Autumn', a suite of shifting movements (with authentic wildlife effects summoned up by Lambert's guitar) completed the first set.

We've rarely seen a Talbot audience as engrossed and engaged as they were in tonight's second set, and Dave Cousins' theatrical presentation of 'Simple Visions', the yearning metropolitan love paean 'Oh How She Changed', 'Ghosts' (inspired by the war memorial at Indianapolis), the episodic 'Tears & Pavan', and the aching 'Blue Angel' (prompted by a visit by Cousins to a Honiton disco!) pinned the audience to their chairs. Add to those a glorious new song, 'If I Should Live a Thousand Years', and the haunting 'Lay Down', together with consistently sparkling guitar work from all three (not forgetting Chas's unobtrusively fleet footwork on the pedals), and it was clear from the happy expressions on all departing faces that the Acoustic Strawbs really cut the mustard ...

On a night when the escalating nightmare of the Russian school siege was prominent in many folks' minds, we could perhaps be forgiven for wallowing, with the help of the Strawbs' supremely evocative music, in nostalgia for a time gone by when things seemed, on the whole, rather better ...