TAMWORTH FOLK CLUB GUEST NIGHT - September 2002

SUNTRAP and The SteveN Robinson Band

Another guest night at the Gamecock and another new set of artists, as far as your reviewer is concerned anyway. The ticket said 8.30.start and so it was at 8.00 that when I entered the room it was nearly full with some of the old and familiar faces ( did I really say that word old) and quite a lot of unfamiliar ones, dedicated guest artist's followers I supposed.

Imagine my surprise when after Steve Edkins announced the support group he stepped backwards into the spotlights to be joined by the small but perfectly formed Steve Swaffer, Malcolm "stand up straight" Robinson and Graham "kitten on the keys" Robinson, now I know why they were called The Steven Robinson Band.
They announced they were to perform some new songs tonight and I have had to look up the word in a dictionary because I have never used it in connection with The Gamecock before. I am pleased I did because the songs they performed were truly enlightening and Malcolm even had a vocal premiere with The Rocky Road to Dublin played to an Aztec backing supplied by Grahams magnificent organ.

All their songs were lively and had a new fresh feel to them, maybe due to a first class sound engineer who worked tirelessly all night on the mixing desk. To my astonishment and after putting on my distance glasses I realised it was Nigel Bullock, and as I had only seen him play acoustic instruments before, I never realised he knew what a mixing desk looked like. In fact he was awarded a standing ovation at the break, but this may be because most people wanted to rush to the bar before the main guests appeared.

After the beer break, Suntrap took to the front and what a rip roaring performance we were in for. If you wanted to be wooed, thrilled, moved and above all entertained you were at the right venue. Suntrap performed a mesmerising array of music including their own material, and the best of traditional and contemporary folk repertoire. The songwrighters (Sara Byers and Paul Hoad) created original, innovative works drawing on English song tradition and American Folk & Country. Guitar's, fiddle, accordion & bohdran were all faultlessly played.

The rendition of a coal mining song, sang on this occasion in a former coal mining village hit on a very poignant note, and the country and western version of set em up Joe set everybody's feet tapping. This will be a very hard act to follow in the future.

The raffle break next and once again after the draw the writer went away empty handed, still it's for a good cause, or so we are always told. The second half started up with the return of the Steven Robinson Band , I have to say the introduction of a keyboard with the full symphony orchestral backing does add a certain positive note to the proceedings, but perhaps I am biased. More coal mining songs and harmonising vocals were well received from this up and coming pop band, but they must improve their dance routine, but perhaps it was too much drink during the interval. Once again the Sound Man must have a special mention, and he was overheard to ask the question at the end of the evening, to what were all these knobs for?

Suntrap on for their finale, and with the first song even professional's can break a guitar string, but with Steve Edkins help it was soon replaced and they once again launched into a magnificent selection of songs, melodies and hancrafted music, carefully woven around shimmering, slipsliding vocal harmonies. (Their websight words, not mine) although I agree with all of them.

Once again a smashing night out at The Gamecock, and a thank you to all the organisers. See you again next time.

R.D.C.2002