“This time next year Rodney...” We have a think ahead to the newly announced 2024 Bellowhead tour – it’s fantasy folk gig time…..
“The reunion tour in 2022 meant such a lot to all of us after such a difficult time, and seemed to bring so much joy, that we thought we’d probably best do it again!” Fair enough. The Bellowhead tour news greeted with almost the same fervour, in a more retrained folk-like manner, as the return of Mike Portnoy to Dream Theater.
2024 finds the band celebrating ten years since the Revival album and twenty since their formation. More than enough excuse to get the Bellowhead bus on the road again. Back at the end of 2022, as well as the gig in Portsmouth, we were at the tour finale. A run of four shows in Harrogate, Liverpool, Sheffield and Manchester saw us celebrate the anniversary of the Broadside album
We asked about closure or continuation – no sweeping statements were made – just a non-commital “see you again sometime,” from Jon Boden, and as suggested, here we are. So, what can we expect this time next year when the eleven piece Folkestra once again hits the theatres around the land?
Maybe as it’s a 2o year celebration, some sort of chronologial setlist? Doing Prickle-Eye Bush as the last song on their That’s All Folk tour at Oxford in May 2016 saw them say goodbye with the first track from the first EP. Maybe the starting point on the new tour and a road that leads all the way to a healthy chunk of Revival, from which we can anticipate a healthy chunk. Maybe some of the material from the extra disc (fingers crossed for the jaunty seafaring effort Long Time On The Ocean)?
There could even be a sort of countback as Rush did on their R40 farewell – start with the new/most recent songs and work back? Prickle-Eye Bush as the final encore again, but without the stingy tears in the eyes as we know it’s (probably not a farewell! Maybe we’ll have some dancing girls like the tenth-anniversary shows
It doesn’t seem likely that any new material so how about a dig into the deeper cuts – what would YOU like to hear? I’d be happy with something like Trip To Bucharest, but not Captain Wedderburn… Apart from the obvious of course, with the slow build to a variety of ‘get off your bottoms’ moments and where all hell lets loose.
The ‘ego platforms’ will no doubt be back along with the pink jackets and plenty of glitter. Possibly even some light up shoes. No ship-shaped playground as on the nautically themed Broadside celebrations of 2022, but there should be enough building blocks in storage for Benji KP and Sam Sweeney to attempt some joint testing leaps and bounds and hopefully avoid injury before the tour ends.
The loss of Paul Sartin that added such a depth of poignancy to the 2022 shows as the band paid tribute with Brisk Lad, will still be felt; possibly not as strongly although no denying that the memory still hurts, as his loss just before the tour was so fresh in our minds, but be guaranteed that he’ll be there and welcomed in spirit. Although Paul was irreplaceable, two stars of the 2022 shows were new recruits Jim Bulger and Sally Hawkins. Jim in particular expended enough energy to power a small city and hopefully they’ll be back in the entourage having thrown themselves in with gusto and earned their stripes (and learned the songs!)
Sam Sweeney and his band won’t be opening the shows we believe – Sam has said “I want to watch the support,” rather than being it, but with just one day off in a run of 19 dates, it’s a punishing schedule. Even more so than when you have to do two sets. Speaking of…how about NO support and a full evening of Bellowhead, with interval. Maybe then a chance to ‘theme’ the two halves…
However, let’s hope that the joy and fervour that Bellowhead bring will have social media buzzing in the same way as what was possibly our favorite moment of the 2022 tour following the Liverpool show….
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