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Show Of Hands

Venue: The Grand Theatre
Town: Blackpool
Date: 8/11/13
Website: http://www.showofhands.co.uk/

As a fan of Show of Hands of twenty years this review can only go one way. I first saw this duo at Fylde Folk Festival twenty years ago I was blown away then and I'm still blown away to this day. With the addition of Miranda Sykes in recent years only adds to the dynamic of Steve Knightley and Phil Beer.

Before lift-off we were enjoying drinks outside The Grand and the windows back stage were open there we were listening to Steve Knightley warming up with his dulcet tones reverberating around the dressing room, tumbling down to our ears outside, we all felt privileged to be hearing such a personal process, which made us keep our chatter to a minimum so as not to disturb him from his pre gig routine. It was evident Steve was suffering with the effects of a cold the bouts of coughing in between his warm up routine gave it away. But once on stage you would never have known it. This time around they have taken the decision to be their own support, all performing three songs each, as an avid fan the longer they were on stage the better for me.

Steve was our starter; Phil was our main course, A funny moment when Steve said he was going to sing Au-Naturelle, My sister and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows, stifling our giggles, but alas not to be, what he really meant was he was going to sing Low Down In The Broom unaccompanied at the front of the stage. Phil, witty as ever with great stories to tell us his rendition of Cocaine Blues was hilarious. Miranda was our dessert. A beautiful moment during Miranda's stunning performance of My Sister the Moon, a captivating song a single white feather floated down from the ceiling and landed next to her as the song came to a close all added to the ambience of that moment in time.

After a short interval SOH came out and took us on a journey through English folklore of their favourite songs peppered along the way with tales of their beloved west country and the characters they meet on the road. This is what makes Show Of Hands special to me they share their experiences and tell stories in an authentic manner. As the night came to a close Steve admitted they had left the big songs out due to his cold. However, it did not affect the performance showing what consummate professionals they are and demonstrating that "the Show must go on" attitude. All in all a thoroughly great night we all left happy folkies.

Carla Farrar