Richard Thompson is Manchester bound as he sails his Ship To Shore. Jim Moray supports for a splendid night of classic folk rock.

Words: Howard King, Mike Ainscoe & Dominic Walsh
Pictures: Mike Ainscoe

RICHARD THOMPSON

Not even Northern Rail abandoning its customers late at night could mar the tremendous entertainment from Richard Thompson. After a few years of being unable to perform with a group, Richard and his band take the stage in one of Aviva Studios’ plush new performance spaces.

Whilst being brand new, Thompson laments the rabbit warren of backstage doors that either lock you in/out of a room! In the auditorium,  the super comfy seats and  astounding acoustics are ideal the two hours of masterful music. There is a healthy helping of  tunes from Ship To Shore (with the emphasis on the P!) as well as plenty of older selections.

Beginning with a lively take on What’s Left To Lose, from the aforementioned Ship To Shore (our review here) the tone upbeat tone is set. Take Care The Road You Choose slows matters but the exquisite guitar work is astounding. You could be forgiven for thinking he has more fingers lesser mortals! 

I WANT TO SEE BRIGHT LIGHTS

2024 sees the 50th anniversary of the Richard & Linda classic; I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight. The announcement of material from the album was greeted with cheer, and then a slight moan picked up amusingly by Richard! Withered & Died is clearly not the selection that one audience member wanted.

Another look back into yesteryear comes in the form of John The Gun. Richard Thompson pays tribute to the great Sandy Denny with a raucous version of the Fotheringay track (written by Sandy). There is light praise from Thompson on streaming services as “it allows people to discover great artists that get overlooked – see also John Martyn and Nick Drake.”

THE BAND

Thompson’s band are already ultra comfortable with the new material. They support him with an extremely ‘tight’ performance.  His grandson Zack Hobbs trades licks with Richard expertly (although there is an accusation of lick theft!). Zara Phillips, Richard’s wife, sways along, and adds acoustic guitar, percussion and vocal support. Taras Prodaniuk’s bass work follows the ‘less is more’ approach with some delightful touches and runs; as well as some jazzy solos – none mores o than on Al Bowlly’s In Heaven. Lifelong bandmate, Dave Mattacks, never puts a  beat wrong behind the drums; switching constantly between sticks and brushes.

A minor, albeit planned,  ‘industrial dispute’ gives the band  a small break. Thompson decides to stick around and delivers a short acoustic diversion with a wonderful version of Beeswing. Every note and word  is crystal clear, taking full advantage of the brilliant acoustics in the swanky hall.

Full marks must go to the band for helping Richard Thompson execute Guns Are The Tongues from 2007’s Sweet Warrior. By his own admission, Thompson says that he has struggled with it due to the arrangement. The introduction gives Battle Of Evermore vibes before the band deliver the track in emphatic fashion. Master Mattacks helps the song immeasurably with his percussive skills.

SHIP TO SHORE

Track selections from current album (with the P) steal the show.  Blended naturally with the rest of the setlist, Thompson selects the jaunty Freeze to introduce the album. One of Thompson’s quick witted colleagues, Simon Nicol, (sat behind the ATB delegation), quipped  “Freeze a jolly good fellow!”  The Day I Give In  and Singapore Sadie will be setlist favourites in the future.  

One of the true standouts from Ship To Shore is The Old Pack Mule. The marching drum and rolling sound allow Richard to showcase his guitar skills. It is the vocal delivery that really hits though. Thompson has a real snarl in how he sings the song about dissecting a horse – he really enjoys the part of the protagonist. The chorus is one that could go down as one of Thompson’s most wry, and if you dig deeper, satirical.

It’s hard times and hungry times, there’s nothing left to eat
I’d stab my neighbour in the back for a little bit of meat
It’s hard times and hungry times so wouldn’t it be kind
To leave a little a something nice for them that’s left behind

THE HITS

Time rattles on so quickly that before we know it Richard Thompson is queuing up the evergreen Tear Stained Letter. More dual guitar play with Hobbs makes for a unique and entertaining rendition.

A brief wait for an encore is broken with Thompson returning banck to the acoustic guitar. A tear jerking run through one of his finest cuts, Dimming Of The Day, wows the crowd. It brings the reverance that Richard Thompson shows shhould always be greeted with.

Many a guitarist in the audience will have had problems containing their amazement at the immaculate red Rickenbacker guitar that was handed to him. The unique sound obtained was used to cover The Byrds’  lesser known song Bells Of Rhymney.

Thompson returns to the tadeonal Fender as he plunders The Old Kit Bag (2003) for a fiery version of Jealous Words. There were probably a few jealous words around the Rickenbacker!

Rapturous applause and a standing ovation are well deserved. A warmth and intimacy is reciprocated with the audience by the bucket load. Every member of the band are full of genuine beaming smiles as they depart.

JIM MORAY

At The Barrier’s time honoured mantra of always making time to see the support band needed no reminder with the bonus of Jim Moray opening the show. ‘Known’ to us over several years via both his solo career and the reins off folk racketeering of False Lights, whatever he does is never less than engaging.

His most recent offering, the Beflean – An Alternative History album is the latest of a series of top notch albums where he’s consistently supplied a tweak, sometimes majorly, on the Folk music canon. His Sweet England album won the 2004 Folk Awards Album Of The Year – a travesty that the powers that be overlooked (but at least nominated) the outstanding Upcetera in 2016

Tonight finds him serving up a mouth watering amuse bouche. A half hour showcasing of prime Jim Moray that veers from the WTF… opening when he sets up vocal loops to accompany himself on Lemady with a hand held device maybe – some possibly wondering if he’s multitasking on a soon to end eBay bid or catching up on emails – to the more comfortable Jock O’ Hazeldean. His reworking of Child ballads is highlighted in what may be his signature piece (or one of them…) Lord Douglas. The latter (featuring the sublime Angeline Morrison on the Beflean version) also highlights his deceptively easy looking but fiendishly tricky guitar prowess.

CRACKING OUT THE BANJO

Even cracking out the banjo for a “new to me” Flora, Lily Of The West, not a Child ballad but one that marries the Southern US sates and a tune from South West England, he sets a pulsing rhythm while taking on Hannah Peel’s part in Jenny Of The Moor before rounding off with a song which reinforces his original take on reinventing and taking forward the Folk idiom.

In the same way that he recognises how the storytelling of Lord Douglas will appeal to the Richard Thompson audience, he peaks with a contemporary tale inspired by the Carl Sagan/Voyager spacecraft story, Sounds Of Earth. While the goings on in “the labs at Pasadena” might not sit obviously with the traditional Folk song fare of knights, sailors, multiple deaths and water, played solo (in contrast to the much admired Upcetera version where it exists in a much grander yet subtle arrangement), it might be his latest signature number. Signature or not, it’s a masterpiece.

He might have had tongue in cheek when he spoke of supporting Richard Thompson at the start of his career in 2004 and has now come full circle at the latter stages of his journey, but that’s a real injustice; he still has so much to offer – 30 year worth at least – and so much further still to go.

Just in case, and there may have been a few in attendance who might have managed to bypass Jim as yet (a healthy queue at his merch area suggesting that new converts were aplenty), the advice is simple – go feast on his Bandcamp page – but make sure you buy Upcetera.

Richard Thompson is in the UK for the next week before heading back stateside. All his tour dates are here. Check out The Old Pack Mule from Ship To Shore, below.

Read more of our archive material on Richard Thompson here.

Richard Thompson: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Bandcamp

Jim Moray online: Official Website / Facebook / X- formerly Twitter / Instagram

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube