The Strawbs – 50 Years On will be taking to the Cheese & Grain stage in Frome on Sunday 25th November at 7.30pm, plus support from The Phoenix River Band.
Although forming in the mid 60s, coming out of the exciting British folk movement alongside Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Al Stewart and Roy Harper, this tour will mark the 50th anniversary of their first major recording, being the first UK band to be signed by the famous Hollywood label A & M, under the guidance of Herb Albert and Gerry Moss.
Major chart success followed with classic albums Dragonfly, Bursting at the Seams, Ghosts, Grave New World and Hero & Heroine earning the band 2 Gold Discs and over 30 weeks in Billboard Charts with 7 consecutive albums charting.
Coast to coast tours of America swiftly followed, sharing the stage with The Eagles, Santana and Frank Zappa. From the days of Sandy Denny in the band (pre-Fairport) and Sonja Kristina (pre-Curved Air), the band has always enjoyed the finest soloists in their ranks. Rick Wakeman and then his son Oliver moving on to join YES, as well as Rick’s other son going on to Ozzie Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Blue Weaver to join the Bee Gees and Don Airey to Deep Purple. The keyboard stool now being filled by virtuoso Dave Bainbridge of Iona, whose blend of Folk, Rock and Celtic music has endeared them to audiences for over 25 years.
The new album “The Ferryman’s Curse” received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and saw them back in the album charts for over 30 years. A recent sold-out tour of Canada, producing spectacular reviews of the live show has resulted in two major tours of North America for 2019.
The Strawbs of the 21st Century are the constant guiding force, originator and front man Dave Cousins, described by Rolling Stone Magazine, “as the finest Dylan-influenced songwriter to come out of the UK”. Longtime Strawbs cohorts since the 70s, Dave Lambert on guitar, Chas Cronk bass, driven on by the powerhouse drumming of Tony Fernandez, regularly with Rick Wakeman’s band, and the afore mentioned Dave Bainbridge on keyboards.
Tickets are £19 advance /£22 doors. The fully seated show starts at 7.30pm.
The Quireboys will be appearing on Wednesday 28th November, plus support from The Radio Makers.
There’s a genuine buzz in the Quireboys’ camp as the veteran rock and rollers ready their most ambitious album to date. “It’s never been black and white where The Quireboys are concerned,” said frontman Spike. “There have always been shades of the blues. And now we’ve got the perfect chance to put a new twist on some old classics.”
After a successful foray into the world of Americana and the release of their most raucous album to date (2016s Twisted Love), the decision to record a raft of iconic blues tunes might seem like a surprise.
“When Spike and I met Chris Ingham from Ramblin’ Man Fair, he floated the idea of doing a blues set at this year’s festival and we loved the idea,” said guitarist Guy Griffin. “Why not do something different to the norm? And at that point we sensed an opportunity to make a blues record. All of the guys are great musicians – as a band we can play anything. I suppose the trick was giving these blues classics a unique twist and that’s what we’ve tried to do.”
On White Trash Blues the genre’s legends come thick and fast. Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry and Billy Boy Arnold are all afforded a unique Quireboys makeover. Never has Spike sounded so authentic and the band so audibly confident
“The album came together very organically but they are songs everyone has played at different times over the years and they feel like they’re part of our history,” said guitarist Paul Guerin. “There are a few leftfield choices and we love that but it’s always great to give the classics a go. We’re naturally suited to playing the blues but let’s be honest – once Spike starts singing they all sound like they could be Quireboys’ songs.”
Tickets are £20 advance / £22 doors.