Steeleye Span - 50 years on

MADDY Prior and her legendary band were in fine voice at Kings Hall on Tuesday. Not that it was the Maddy Prior show – far from it; she made sure all the musicians had their spot in the limelight. They now include drummer Liam Genockey, guitarist and keyboardist Julian Littman, guitarists Andrew Sinclair and Benji Kirkpatrick, violinist Jesse May Smart and bassist Roger Carey. A very different line-up from years ago – though it’s a delight to see 1977 recruit John Kirkpatrick’s son Benji up there – but Steeleye Span has always delivered its particular brand of folk rock via its various members, the whole being greater than the parts. It even survived the absence of Maddy Prior for a while... On Tuesday there was a mix of old favourites and numbers from the new album, Dodgy Bastards. The former featured Misty, Moisty Morning – couldn’t leave that as a children’s piece, said Maddy – as well as Thomas the Rhymer, the Elf Knight and one or two numbers involving murder most horrible. January Man raced through the seasons and Alison Rose – the ugliest witch – rode again. The theme of exploitation cropped up – of women, of workers – as did that of the environment and the beauty of nature. It was a polished, well-paced performance with more music than patter. Various band members usefully placed the songs in context and Benji Kirkpatrick produced some terrible puns, notably based on the rake on the stage and Ilkley’s anthem. And, of course, we finally got the Steeleye Span anthem, delivered with gusto and audience participation. A final haunting ballad by Maddy Prior’s daughter, Rose Kemp, rounded off a brilliant evening and brought most of the large crowd to its feet.