Reviews

Event: Classic Rock Legends Tour
Venue: Epsom Playhouse
Town: Epsom
Date: 3rd November 2009
Website: http://www.strawbsweb.co.uk/
http://www.wishboneash.co.uk/
http://www.focustheband.com/

All three bands, (Strawbs, Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash and Focus) have equal billing on the Classic Legends of Rock tour, but I thought that there might have been a bit of a risk that some people would assume that the first act was just the support, and so not turn up till late. At Epsom, at any rate, this was not the case. The theatre was packed right from the outset.

It's a fairly gruelling tour: almost thirty gigs on nearly consecutive nights. I looked for signs of fatigue amongst the bands, but there were none. In fact both Dave Cousins (Strawbs) and Ray Hatfield (MTWA) looked slimmer than when I saw them last, and Danny WiIlson (MTWA) looked like he'd bulked out a bit, (as if he'd been working out in a gym).

The tour, like last year, was originally scheduled to feature the Groundhogs, but Tony McPhee fell ill at the last moment and had to pull out. I'm guessing that because Strawbs, like MTWA and Focus, were scheduled to play at the ill-fated Memories of Woodstock Festival, all three bands had fostered a sense of affinity, so Strawbs were invited to stand in for the Hogs. The Acoustic Strawbs are an ideal band for this tour, as without a drum kit, the logistics during the changeover are so much easier.

Chas Cronk is better known as the Strawbs bass guitarist, but for the majority of the songs played during the Strawbs' set he played his twelve string acoustic guitar along with his bass pedals. Only during New World, and Lay Down did he actually play bass.

Hadn't realised what a great bassist Bobby Jacobs is. During Focus's song Aya Yuppie Hippie Yee, there's an instrumental break comprising just Bass and Drums (Pierre Van De Linden) which turned out to be a really good bit of pure jazz.

Martin Turner, of course, is also an excellent bassist. We were sitting in the middle of the second row, right in front of the bass speaker, and could feel every note.

All three bands, as well are blessed with stunning guitarists. Throughout the Strawbs set I noticed two woman in the row in front of us who were simply oozing pheromones at Dave Lambert. Not surprising as Dave has a phenomenal stage presence.

The original guitarist with Focus Jan Akkerman was rightly reckoned to be one of the World's best guitarists. His replacement, Niels van der Steenhoven is every bit as good.

Wishbone Ash have always been famed for the interplay between their two lead guitarists, and Martin Turner's band has not broken the mold. Originally his guitarists were Keith Buck and Ray Hatfield, but Keith has recently been replaced by Danny Wilson. Danny is an excellent addition to the band. The interplay between him and Ray has extended to them reaching over and playing each other's guitars.

Highlights from the Strawbs set for me, were New World and Autumn. Dave Lambert uses his guitar to imitate a seagull during Autumn, and the sound man had somehow managed to create stereo separation so that the auditorium was filled with seagulls. Think the sound man came to the fore during New World as well. At one point when Dave Cousins screamed "... may you rot in your grave new world," he held the last note and it reverberated round the theatre. Very spooky, like something out of Hammer House of Horror.

Saw MTWA recently and they described that particular tour as NEAT (standing for Never Ending Argus Tour). They've been playing the entire album live now (in the track order that they had originally intended), for about two years now, and there is still no sign of either them, or their audience, of getting bored. Argus is one of those albums that is high in almost everyone's list of favorites. They rounded up their set with another classic: Jail Bait. Martin too has a phenomenal stage presence. One moment he looks like a rock god dressed in his pristine white suit, the next moment he's gurning and looking like a rock gargoyle.

To be honest, I think I prefer Thjis van Leer's solo records to Focus, but Focus are still a very good fun band to see live. Think they were worried that if they wrote songs in Dutch they would limit their audience, (though most prog rock fans are quite happy to go and buy an album by Yes without being able to make head nor tail of the lyrics), so most of their songs are instrumental, interspersed with yodelling, or similar vocal gymnastics.

Mortified to discover that I've been mispronouncing Thjis's name all of these years. I've been pronouncing it as Theece (to rhyme with fleece), but it's actually pronounced Tice (rhymes with mice). Thjis also has a phenomenal stage presence. When sitting at the keyboards his upper body is constantly in motion, as if he was attempting to conduct the other members of the band to keep time, or as if each note he played had surprised him.

Not normally a massive fan of their song Hocus Pocus, but I think I've changed my mind, and would probably say that this was the highlight of the entire evening. All the other band members left the stage and we assumed we were in for a Thjis solo. He began with a flute solo, then miraculously began accompanying himself on flute and keyboards!. He had two microphones, one electronically enhanced so that when he sang in to that it sounded like a full choir. By moving his head, he was able to simulate the cast of an entire opera. Then suddenly, he was yodelling that familiar refrain and the rest of the band returned and burst into Hocus Pocus.

Set Lists (I think)
Strawbs:
Benedictus/ Simple Visions
New World
Oh How She Changed
Ghosts
Autumn
Lay Down

Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash:
Time Was
Sometime World
The King Will Come
Leaf and Stream
The Warrior
Throw Down The Sword (accompanied by Thjis van Leer on keyboards)
Blowing Free
Jail Bait

Focus:
House of the King
Aya Yuppie Hippie Yee
Eruption
Sylvia
Neurotica
Hocus Pocus

Pete Bradley

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