I came lately to the shrine of Steve Knightley. Sure, I was taken with Show of Hands when I first saw them, around 1990, but it was Phil Beer that held my attention, on fiddle, guitar and anything with strings. Then they just sort of became too ubiquitous for my tastes and I ignored them. But, as I stated again to start going again to festivals, about a decade ago, I found I couldn’t avoid them, as they seemed to play every one of them. And, through attrition, I realised I really liked them. Now, however, it was the songs and the singer that caught my ear.
Show of Hands are “resting”, but Knightley, that singer, certainly isn’t, perma-touring instead. In the last year he has formed a band, Dream In Colours, who lasted a handful of gigs, ahead a NDA dissolution, a solo album, a Dylan/Carthy covers album, 2 national tours and, now, another new band. A busy chap, and he has just put up a vid of he and that band. A song from his solo album, redone and revised.
I think he is one of our finest singer-songwriters, and fits that description in both of its constituent parts. Good band, too.
New Knightley
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And the bastard is 70!
He’s one of my favourite singers, and a terrific songwriter too. It’s not surprising that The Galway Farmer is sometimes assumed to be a folk classic from the traditional catalogue.
The Dream in Colours thing was strange. We booked tickets for a show but it was cancelled months ahead of time due to what, as I recall, was some sort of family emergency. I couldn’t imagine what sort of emergency would give that sort of notice. None of my business of course, and a refund was swifty provided, but it was all a bit odd.
I liked his “Roots” but when I posted it on the old place it didn’t land well at all…
Damn, thought there was going to some photos of Keira. ..
I saw him on the Faith, Folk and Anarchy tour with Tom Robinson and Martyn Joseph. Farnham Maltings, I think.
Excellent. I’ve followed him since. The Folk on Foot episode with him is worth a listen
Also came through the gateway of Martyn Joseph by coincidence. Love his take on MJ’s ‘I Will Follow’ (at 8:30, worth 4 minutes of anyone’s time.
At 58 mins he also plays his “hit”.
Oh…I was expecting some juicy goss about new work involving the Love Actually Hitmaker. As you were…
Inked in on my busy programme for Sidmouth. I shall report back.
I was with you at Sidmouth last year @retropath2 to see Phil, and we agreed about Dream In Colours being a bit of a work on progress. There is obviously a story to be told about the sudden cancellation of that project.
Steve is a damn fine songwriter, and I will try to catch his set at Sidmouth – if anyone else will be there, then drop me a line. Phil is playing too of course.
Look out for a very tall bald fella in a rail union polo shirt, @nigelt . That’ll be @thecheshirecat.
I’m looking forward to Shrewsbury. Knightley is one of the patrons of the folk festival, along with John Jones of Oysterband. Knightley hasn’t yet any official slot in the programme, but is dropping hints around a special patron’s set, popping up somewhere at some stage. Plus, stage hungry media tart that he is, he will assuredly gate crash any near appropriate gig.
I like Show Of Hands seen them many times I’ve seen Steve Knightley quite a few times so you could say I was fan
Booked tickets for for the Philly Liverpool in November
Thanks Mr Retro