Show of Hands  29th October 2008  St Mary’s Church, Marlborough

Show of Hands dazzle us time after time

 It’s almost ten years since local architect Andrew Bumphrey decided it would be great to see his favourite musicians performing in Marlborough.  Nearly a hundred concerts later, his Marlborough Folk-Roots shows are going from strength to strength.

The latest concert featured ‘Show of Hands’, a duo with a devoted following across the UK folk-roots music scene – especially in the West Country, which is their musical heartland. Steve Knightley and Phil Beer sometimes play to thousands, but they clearly enjoyed wowing a sell-out crowd of 250 at St Mary’s Church in Marlborough. 

Show of Hands lived up to their stage name by producing a dazzling display of their musicianship. Phil is remarkably accomplished on fiddle, mandolin and guitar, while Steve is charismatic and stylish on vocals, guitar and mandocello.  

The duo and their double bassist, Miranda Sykes, easily filled the vastness of the church with their confident playing and luscious vocal harmonies. It isn’t just the music that draws you in: it’s also the comfortable rapport between Steve and Phil, and their gentle, ever-present humour.

 Steve’s compositions tend to evoke the romance, hardships and dangers of bygone times. His haunting ‘Widecombe Fair’, which he performs acoustically in the off-stage gloom, never fails to chill. We sang along to the miner’s refrain in ‘Cousin Jack’, and empathised with the conscripted soldier facing different guns in ‘The Keeper’. Our musical journey from one century to another continued via a couple of atmospheric sea shanties and an expressive version of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time after Time’.  

Show of Hands certainly know how to leave us longing for more. Happily, they appear annually on the Marlborough Folk-Roots stage – and they’ll be back next year for a special show celebrating Andrew’s tenth anniversary as a promoter of live music.     

A J