One of the most forward looking of folk ensembles played to an attentive audience when The Gigspanner Big Band kicked off their latest tour at the Hub in St Mary’s in Lichfield.
The six piece consists of Peter Knight on violin, guitarist Roger Flack, Sacha Trochet on drums, Hannah Martin on violin, banjo and tenor guitar, Philip Henry on dobro and harmonica, and John Spiers on melodeon.
With unmatched musical pedigrees earned in such august bands as Steeleye Span, Edge Larks and Bellowhead, their set encompassed a wide range of folk influences, as well as allowing room for some soaring violin duets that evoked a sense of space.
There were also elements of the blues, and even Indian drones provided by the fleet fingered Philip Henry and the ever shifting time signatures provided by the guitars and drums.
Many of the pieces last for more than ten minutes with each musician having a chance to shine, while their solo singing and their six piece harmony during the well known sea shanty Haul in The Bowline showed their talents and the surroundings of St Mary’s to great effect.
Hard Times of Old England also showed of the timeless quality of much of this country’s folk tradition, and Ten Thousand Miles and The Last Broadcast were also allowed to cast their sonic spell.
