I’m somewhat disappointed with this shirt. The album package contains a lovely painting by Thompson himself, depicting said rivers, which would have made a beautiful t-shirt print.
Not in in the least disappointed by the gig, though. Arrived from work in the usual slightly frazzled state and grabbed a sandwich; cheerfully spilling the filling down my shirt. I was able to relax during the support though: Kentuckians Joan Shelley & Nathan Salsburg played very nice, competent songs that I was able to doze through, thus refreshing me for the main event.
The Barbican Main Hall is an excellent venue, as you’d expect. Wide comfy seats with lots of knee room and arranged so that you always feel close to the stage. The acoustics are excellent, and if I had a complaint, it would be the long walk to the toilets down stairways that put the labyrinth in ‘The Name of The Rose’ to shame.
Over the years, Richard Thompson has had a slowly evolving backing band. The Richard & Linda band took on members of Fairport Convention along the way, and lost them again when the band reformed. There were the Pete Zorn years, and now we have the Michael Jerome era, currently embodied by the RT Trio, with Jerome on drums and Taras Prodaniuk on bass. Jerome is an entertaining drummer, bringing all sorts of flourishes and fills that never feel cluttered, which is quite a talent. Prodaniuk takes the same approach to the bass and at this point he is my favourite ever Richard Thompson bass player. His solo on ‘They Tore the Hippodrome Down’ was beautifully poignant and the song itself, which has taken the place of ‘Al Bowlly’s In Heaven’ matches its predecessor in dark nostalgia. Looking at Prodaniuk’s web site, his recording career would make quite a tasty Americana record collection.
Thompson himself is happy to point out that he is nearly 70 has been playing professionally for more than 50 years. Thereupon we’re treated to a very quick ‘Meet on The Ledge’ and another early Fairport song I didn’t recognise – ‘Tale in Hard Time’. Thompson seemed a little short of breath in his singing – shortening the long notes on ‘Vincent Black Lightning’ among others. His guitar playing however is still gob-smacking. While the solo in ‘You Can’t Win’ wasn’t quite as impossible as the one he played at Wickham Festival earlier this year, the sheer weight of solos was impressive. The song ‘Guitar Heroes’ worked far better than previously – paying respect to Django Reinhardt, Chuck Berry, Hank Marvin and others, a series of short solos illustrates aspects of Thompson’s playing that each influence has contributed.
Like many of the hits, ‘Beeswing’ is played quickly. We also get an acidic ‘Put it There Pal’ and a raucous ‘Tear Stained Letter’ with Thompson's nephew on duelling guitar. Predictably, it’s the newer material the trio really indulge, like ‘Bones of Gilead’ and ‘Rattle Within’ – both powered by brittle rhythms and bouncing bass. The final encore is a cover – ‘Take a Heart’ by 60’s obscurities The Sorrows. It’s a menacing attack on a lost lover that could easily have come from Thompson himself and is a final excuse for a round of short, sharp solos.
Video
Just the one, but it's an entire gig, from Shrewsbury Folk Festival 2018. A very similar set list to the Barbican gig, and yet another unbelievable guiar solo in 'Can't Win', abot 25 minutes in.
