At The Barrier favourite, Steve Knightley, performs at Lichfield Guildhall. His performance is part of Lichfield Festival.

FEW PLEASURES AS FINE

There a few pleasures as fine as discovering a favourite performer is playing just down the road, a 15 minute walk away. Especially when discovered only two hours ahead the Sunday afternoon start. The fault my own, I should have been in Spain, but having told God my plans, she saw otherwise. Therefore, absolutely no attention had been paid to the roster pulled together for Lichfield’s annual festival this year, 10 days of events in and around the city.

It is, shhh, true, it can be a somewhat posh and upmarket extravaganza, predominating on the worthy. Lots of classical music and learned talks. But they always have the odd folkie to redress the balance, occasionally some jazz, so nothing to frighten the sober citizenry of this market town, nor their owner’s horses. This year it was Knightley leading the charge, with the Unthanks later in the week, they performing in what is one of the city’s best venues, the Cathedral.

Unavailable for the latter, there was no way I was going to forgo the former, even if it barely 15 months since I saw he and Phil Beer wrap up their relationship, at least temporarily, as Show of Hands. No cathedral, sadly, for Steve, perhaps that option precluded by the day of the week. Pity, but the Guildhall is a fine venue and, on this baking hot afternoon, the size and stoniness of the walls contrived to take off much the swelter outside. And, despite the free Fuse event ongoing in the park, the Lichfield Arts nod to louder and rowdier music forms, and the post prandial timing, a decent crowd had congregated for their fix of this rightly popular and engaging performer.

QUITE A YEAR

It has been quite a year for Knightley, post SoH, with both the triumphant unveilings of his new project, folk supergroup, Dream In Colours, at a handful of 2024’s Summer outdoor festivals, and their then unexpectedly swift dissolution, with all hands sworn to secrecy. We were at two of their shows, at New Forest Folk and at Sidmouth, and they were a very exciting combination indeed, and sorely missed. But Knightley is never if not persistent, releasing a well received solo album, The Winter Yards, and touring that, in it’s stead. A good one, too, announcing then a further tour of another band, eponymous, this time, and for this autumn. Busy, busy, busy.

THE FEAR OF A FOLK AUDIENCE

Bang on time, the back door opened, and on walked the singer. No lights to go down, and so the audience already had access to the sight of his instrumentation: 2 six string acoustics, his faithful mandocello and the smaller cuatro. With little ado, it was straight in to You’ll Get By, his customary opener for some time, and a song, I believe, yet to be committed to disc. A typically robust lyric, it centres around picking up the pieces of a life threatening to shatter. A joke around some of the punters, possibly lured in by false pretences, having their greatest fear realised: the folk singer demanding the audience to sing, came, as, yes, the chorus was offered for their contribution. With success.

Up second came Poppy Day, to my mind one of the best songs he has ever written, if tucked away on Cruel River, his solo album of 2018. Always a master of unintended and unexpected parallels, he here draws together poppies as an emblem both of remembrance and the source of opium, in the context of Afghanistan. Truly a gulp song worth being reminded of, it’s message as timely as ever. Another new song, Dance On Mars, followed, previously only seen on facebook, where Knightley commands a stately presence.

CUATRO QUERIES ANSWERED

In distinctly chatty form this day, as each song was introduced, insight was given around his songwriting mode of operation. Often, whilst driving, little riffs come to his mind, hanging around as he waits for the words to apply to them. With 30,000 miles his yearly average, this perhaps explains his prolificity. This he explained ahead of the song, Flora, where the words are not his own, coming rather from the tradition, but words that happily fitted one of his riffs to a T. Which he then demonstrated with aplomb.

I also learnt a whole lot about stuff the cuatro that I didn’t know, how it differs from the ukelele in strings and tuning, it being the instrument he plays for that song. Elsewhere there was the bluesy I’ll Never Forgive You, a classic sting in the tale song from the new album, with a warning about the folly of taking sides when the relationship of friends appear to falter. Even when all the evidence suggest you should.

Having failed to take due note, I forget whether this was ahead or before a reprise of one of the covers that SoH made their own, over the years, that being Romeo and Juliet. Delivered with precision, I wonder how many will have gone home and played either the Dire Straits original or the SoH one, which I now discover was actually a Knightley one, the bonus track on Cruel River. (I did, which is why I know!)

DYLAN, CARTHY & THE WRONG HARMONICA

Amidst all this, express mention was made also of his two prime influences, Martin Carthy and Bob Dylan. In my introduction I had even forgotten his further new work of the past few months, the Positively Folk Street release, celebrating each of them. Strapping on his harmonica, he made it evident which the next song would celebrate, cannily playing one where Dylan had leant heavily, and famously, on Carthy’s own repertoire. His Girl From The North Country seemed perfect to me, even as he shamefacedly admitted he had strapped in the wrong harmonica in the wrong key, limiting seriously the range of notes available. Most of us, Dylanophiles or not, were, frankly, none the wiser!

Another cover played came as a surprise, not one I have heard him play before. Slowed down to celebrate the lyrical beauty of the imagery, this was Mike Scott’s Waterboys anthem, Fisherman’s Blues. And it was indeed a delight, becoming almost sad, certainly poignant, in his setting.

CLASSY CONSTRUCTIONS

An interval came, allowing for both refreshment and sales, with, rather than a lie down and a power nap, the singer meeting and greeting those who might want some ink on their purchases. When he came back it was for more songs from the new album, along with some SoH favourites. Transactions is a song that mixes ageing, immigration and the Post Office scandal, all in the one song. Nonetheless it holds together, and is one of the highlights of the disc. As is The Ride, aka The Winter Yards, also played, and a song very much in the vein of Country Life, arguably doing the same for Fairgrounds a that song had done for rural livelihoods. Both are classy constructions and strong reasons to seek out the album.

COUSIN JACK

Needing more group singing, Cousin Jack was up next. Stripped of Phil Beer’s masterful accompaniment, and reliant on Knightley’s deft fingering alone, it showed just how well put together a song it is. And most the audience knew it well, with many likely also there when it was last played in this room on that farewell tour.

Another old faithful never fails to get an airing, possibly his most famous composition, even if few realise he actually wrote it. This is the much covered, especially in singaround sessions, Galway Farmer. But rather than perform it in the usual way, today he elected a new trick. This was to sing it unaccompanied, just voice. And in an Irish accent at that, if with the reassurance that he had first passed it by sometime SoH percussionist, Cormac Byrne, for suitability and/or authenticity. An astonishing rendition, it gave a complete new llght on this possibly otherwise over-exposed song. I hope this wasn’t a one-off, and it made for an excellent way to close proceedings/encore. (Encore had he been able to exit the stage, that is!)

PINNACLE

For someone to be a favourite often involves making allowances and letting past glories excuse any current lapse from that status. Honestly, today’s show could and should only cement Knightley’s rightful place at the pinnacle of what we call folk music, and probably a whole lot more. I’ll swear he just gets better with each performance, and each passing year, however, damn him, luxuriant his locks remain. Had I any doubt, the Autumn Tour is a must see. You’ll find me down the front!

Here’s an up close and personal Flora, and that cuatro!

Steve Knightley: Website / Facebook / X / Instagram

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