Venue:
Ramblin’ Roots Revue, High Wycombe
Date: 06/04/2024
A hot Saturday afternoon, 6th July 1974. I was seventeen and all ‘blue and white checked cheesecloth shirt, flared Levi’s, stack-heeled platforms and a bottle of cider,’ sitting on the grass with assorted brothers, band-members and girlfriends, waiting for the next band to come on.
We were at the fourth Free Festival at Surrey Uni, hosted by The Global Trucking Company. Previous years had featured Genesis, local heroes Camel, Keith Christmas, Strider and Byzantium, amongst many others. The headliners in ‘74 were String Driven Thing, Narnia and Gryphon but I was waiting for the afternoon act, Starry Eyed & Laughing. I had heard one track of theirs on the Bob Harris Show on Radio One and had been intrigued by the harmonies and the jangling guitars.
At this point my musical world revolved around the band I was in along with Led Zeppelin, Free, Deep Purple, Yes and King Crimson. We were going to gigs every week without having to leave Guildford; the advantages of living in a University town which also had a Civic Hall, a Technical College and a thriving pub circuit.
The next band shuffled onto the stage as the sun broke through again, and the cider was handed round once more. I remember the four musicians – lots of denim and hair, exactly like the audience on the grass bank, sloping down towards them, and I remember the first song was full of chiming guitars and delicious harmonies. And I was sold.
I had been brought up on a diet of The Beatles, (Dad worked for EMI,) The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, (Dad was Irish,) and, lately, the sound of The Carpenters filled the house when Mum could get at the big radiogram in the corner of the lounge. So vocal harmonies were in my DNA. Yet there was a distinct lack of them in my growing record-collection.
The band’s set continued with tracks from their first album which included a song I recognised from somewhere but couldn’t place. It was called The Chimes of Freedom. I distinctly recall hearing the name of the band – Starry Eyed and Laughing – in the lyrics, which I thought was cool. I think they ended their set with Mr Tambourine Man and were gone, to a rapturous reception from the crowd; they were the right band, at the right time, that afternoon.
Over the next few years, I bought both of their albums, a bootleg, (sadly now lost at some party that I hated being at,) and found that the combination of harmonies and jangly guitars was irresistible and led me to Todd Rundgren, Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub and a host of other bands which now fill my CD collection. But Starry Eyed were my first love.
It is nearly fifty years since that distant Saturday afternoon and I find myself at the 2024 edition of the fantastic Ramblin’ Roots Revue at Bucks Uni, High Wycombe, almost sick with anticipation at seeing the 8.10pm act on the Saturday night, Starry Eyed & Laughing. I have arrived early because my poor old knees won’t allow me to stand at gigs these days, so I want to make sure I get a seat. I bump into Tony Poole and Iain Whitmore from Starry Eyed as they’re arriving and offer my hand to TP. He looks at me and says,
“I know you,”
“Niall,” I reply, and his face lights up.
We have met just once, outside a pub he was about to play with his ‘other band’, Bennett Wilson Poole, and I had jogged his memory about the Free Festival at Surrey Uni, (Iain needs hardly any such memory-jogging; “The Global Village one?” he nods.)
I thank TP for being so enthusiastic about my studio-blog on Twitter and he is effusive in his praise, telling me he hopes it becomes a book and that I have to keep it going because, pretty soon, there’ll be no one left who remembers those places. I am slightly overcome and make my excuses, allowing them to head to the dressing room, interrupted every ten feet by another friendly face, another old friend, another fan, another life.
Being early allowed me to see Kirsten Adamson and The Tanagers and I’m so glad I did. She writes great songs and has a voice which, in its upper register, invokes Dolly Parton. I can give no higher praise. They play a storming set which goes down well with the crowd and includes a wonderful version of her Dad’s song, In A Big Country, at which point I suddenly find that the room has got dusty.
Starry Eyed & Laughing, (TP and Iain plus Jim Maving on guitar and Emma Holbrook on drums,) set up and run through a song by way of a soundcheck. It sounds wonderful.
At precisely 8.10pm, as the room fills with people coming through from the other bar, Tony Poole strikes up the opening chords to Set Me Free From This Lost Highway, the first track from their ‘new third album,’ Bells of Lightning, and we’re off to the races.
The setlist is a combination of tracks from the new album, a couple of beautiful songs from Iain’s solo album Among the Living, some tracks from an upcoming TP solo album and some old favourites. The harmonies are spot on, the guitars are flying and the band are on the right side of ragged; passionate and into it without worrying too much how each song ends, (I speak to Jim Maving afterwards and ask how much rehearsal time he’d had, “About ten minutes,” he grins, adding, “if we rehearsed we’d be dangerous.”) Iain’s bass-playing is nimble and perfect and Tony’s Rickenbacker rings out like some clarion-call from my youth.
The set ends with the aforementioned Chimes of Freedom and Mr Tambourine Man and the room has gone dusty again as I wipe away a tear through roaring and applauding my approval. In fact, the noise of the crowd is deafening; a full throated roar of appreciation and I look around at the smiling faces, mostly lined and old like mine, but all happy and with tears not far off.
I stay a while and chat to a new friend but sadly have to leave before the headline act, Ed Harcourt. On my way out I spot Tony across the room, deep in conversation. I catch his eye and he waves, the twinkle in his eye denying every one of his 73 years.
This was one of those rare gigs which lifts the soul, lifts you out of yourself and allows you, if only for an hour or two, to be seventeen again and hearing those tight harmonies and jangling guitars for the first time.
The audience:
A great mixture of ages, more so than I remember in previous years. There’s plenty of old hippies and men with more beer in their bellies than their glass but also students, young girls dancing, couples and music fans. It’s a great weekend and next year I’ll make sure I can be there for more than two or three hours.
It made me think..
Oh, and TP? Set that 12-string Ricky to ‘stun.’ There’s plenty of life in the old dog yet.
retropath2 says
Sounds fab! I had brotherly duties that w/e (and hadn’t been able to get/blag a ticket), so couldn’t go anyway. Jim Mavin is a phenomenal guitar player; I saw him with Dean Owens at Maverick a year or three back.
As I’m off to see Kirsten A. tonight, your mention fair whetting my appetite. As for the Dolly compare, this is something I more forgive than praise, but the songs are so damn good as to render it just fine.
hedgepig says
Jim’s an absolute sweetheart, and a mate I’ve not seen in many years. Glad he’s doing well.
Vulpes Vulpes says
What a terrific night that was @niallb, I wish I’d been there. I saw Starry Eyed And Laughing back almost at the start of their career too, in 1974 – they played at Exeter University while I was a student there – I always recall the slightly embarassed explanation from the stage about where they’d got their name, as if none of us would know where the phrase originated! Fabulous review – one that reminds me of the joy to be had from live music. I’ve already got a wide range of tickets pinned up on my gig wall to look forward to this year; I’ll be looking out for this lot too if they come by this way.
hubert rawlinson says
74* (or thereabouts) at Leeds Poly for me. Would love to see them again.
*75 I’ve found out.
niallb says
Thank you, Foxy. If I hear any jungle-drums about more gigs, I’ll let you know.
Podicle says
I was intrigued by your description of their music so am giving it a listen as I work today. I think it’s safe to say they didn’t stray far from their influence(s)! Anyway, pleasant stuff.
Blue Boy says
Lovely review. I don’t know them or their music at all but your review is about so much more than that – it’s about how important music can be to us and how it can encapsulate memories and times in our lives with a unique power. Nice one.
niallb says
Thank you.
Colin H says
I agree with the Blue Boy – a lovely evocation, Niall.
niallb says
Thanks, Colin.
NigelT says
Thanks @niallb – I’ve just looked it up on their website – I saw them on 3rd July 1975 at Churchill School in Bristol. I had this memory that it was at a school, which seems a bit weird, but this confirmed it. They were indeed terrific, but I can’t believe we have got this far down the thread without mention of the Byrds and the Searchers! I remember they did When You Walk in the Room, and I couldn’t believe a band in the 70s would play that.
I still have the poster from that gig, which was the same photo as the album cover. They were much more effective live than record to be honest, and I’d love to catch the current incarnation.
niallb says
Thanks @NigelT. I don’t think anyone has missed out The Byrds deliberately. To be fair any discussion of Starry Eyed & Laughing involves The Byrds by association, something Tony and Iain are very happy with.
retropath2 says
Play the Searchers in the 70s? well, the Searchers did!
Actually it was possibly the 80s, and they didn’t then look like that, and were signed to Beserkely records in Sann Francisco.
Incidentally, as @niallb well knows, SE&L did recently(ish) a covers album, as an extra, with early orders of their last. And jolly good it is too, covering Dylan, Lennon-McCartney, Spirit, Moby Grape and Michael Chapman. And, to confirm what a diamond geezer is Tony Poole, the Rickenbackrider for the band, when he allowed me access to his last Bennett Wilson Poole album, for review purposes, as a DL, hard copy no longer available by the time I had sought it, he chucked in a copy of that as well.
mikethep says
Is Beserkeley the same as Sire? I had a Searchers album from that period on Sire, called The Searchers I think. It was jangletastic.
NigelT says
They were signed to Sire. After seeing the band perform, Sire Records head Seymour Stein offered them a home on his new wave flagship label. They had been reduced mostly to the cabaret circuit in the 70s, but didn’t just churn out the hits – they would play stuff like Neil Young as well.
In 1979 they had a self-titled release on Sire which included the track above, and featuring originals and covers of tracks from Tom Petty, The Records, Bob Dylan, and the Mickey Jupp-penned “Switchboard Susan”. They quickly followed that album the following year with Play For Today, with Ed Stasium joining Moran as co-producer. More originals, and more covers (Big Star, John Fogerty, and others), and another great album. They suffered from Sire not promoting the records, and the label even withdrew the first album, rejigged the track listing, and put it out with a different , and much better, sleeve.
In the 80s they became more of a nostalgia act and ended up on those 60s tours, but they would gain a reputation for their solo dates where they would play obscure album tracks as well as the hits. Mike Pender left in 1985, but John McNally and Frank Allen remained from the 60s. They are currently on their final, final, tour!
mikethep says
Yes, I believe they were in Folkestone a while back. Meant to go, but, you know…
retropath2 says
Yeah, I checked. Sire. Same difference…..
Neil Jung says
That sounds like a great night. I have Thought Talk. Playing it now to remind myself what they sound like. I know I used to love Flames In The Rain but can’t recall any of the other songs.