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Andrea Ferguson, Gary Rudd, Steve Jackson Steve Lealand, John Pape, Shanty Steve
Steve’s had a nice day enjoying the sunshine, playing with his new cordless strummer and lunching with his daughter. However, for those of us who still have to toil away to earn our pennies, it’s been pretty much an S day at the office and we’ve come to the GEOM in search of the cure. As we approach a busy and expensive (!) Bank Holiday weekend, it’s understandably quite a small turnout but there’s a cosy, intimate air of bonhomie and warm smiles all round as our troubles soon melt like lemon drops. Andrea’s a very busy lady and therefore isn’t a prolific songwriter – occasionally a song has taken her several years to complete – but all of her compositions that she deems fit to perform in public are beautifully constructed and stamped with quality. Sadly her song writing talents all too rarely receive the merit they deserve, but she gives us another stark reminder of the beauty of her work by opening with “Destiny Calling” and her classic, “Passing Through”. To finish off her opening spot, Andrea treats us to a bouncy cover of Michelle Shocked’s “Fogtown”. Happily there’s a lack of procrastination in Gary’s ironic and amusing account of the trials and tribulations of his teacher training course. Gary illustrates his tale with Lyle Lovett’s “Creeps Like Me” and his own “Crippled By Cruel Criticism”, which bring knowing smiles to the faces in the crowd. Then there’s a jump across the Pond and into politics as Gary ends a terrific little set with “New American Century”. Many people seem to pigeonhole Steve as just a country singer but, although country is the mainstay of his work, there’s a lot more to his repertoire than that. As if to prove the point, Steve opens with a super cover of the Isley Brothers’ soul classic, “This Old Heart Of Mine”. Steve L. joins in on snare drum as Steve continues on his “careworn” guitar for “Folsom Prison Blues” before he ask Paul to give full throttle on the echo effects as he switches to his strummer in A for a terrific version of “Silver Machine”, prompting an audience sing-along. What on earth Dave Brock would make of it all is anyone’s guess. After Steve’s fabulous mix of soul, country and psychedelic rock, it’s time for the Shantymen to “take to the stage”. Popular and talented as they may be, Steve is understandably somewhat sceptical about their billing as “musical geniuses”. Anyway, following some light-hearted banter, the boys get under way with a Dutch tune, featuring John on long-necked mandolin, Shanty Steve on bodrhan and Steve L. on snare. The boys follow with the traditional American sailors’ song, “Santy Anna” before satisfying the demands of the audience with a dirty drinking song by the renown Wexford “Traveller” Pecker Dunne. Given the circumstances, it’s probably a little unfair to ask Andrea to perform a song that she’s hardly played in the last two years but Andrea’s always eager to please so she opens the second half with Gillian Welch’s “Paper Wings”. This, of course, is the number that Gillian and David chose to perform when they made their debuts at the Grand Ole Opry and, despite forgetting one of the verses, Andrea does this beautiful song justice with a lovely rendition. Having tiptoed a little out into slightly unfamiliar waters, Andrea decides to get her feet firmly back on the ground with her adaptation of “Wayfaring Stranger”. Before the “show” began, Gary tried to coax Andrea into doing a duet of James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A Friend” but she’s had a hard day and isn’t really up for it so Gary, being the gentleman he is, graciously dedicates John Martyn’s “May You Never” to her. After a flying start, Lincoln City FC’s form went as flat as a burst tyre culminating in their fifth successive play-off failure with a dismal performance against Bristol Rovers. You can’t help but wonder if their long-suffering supporters ought to hijack West Ham’s famous anthem, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”. Unsurprisingly, Gary’s a Lincoln City supporter and he perfectly encaptures their fatalism with “The Way Things Might Have Been”. Steve’s never going to make it to the Grand Ole Opry – unless he buys a ticket! – but surely his delightful composition, “You”, would not sound out of place there. Steve then follows with a more than capable rendition of Johnny Cash’s “I Still Miss Someone”. The Shantymen are back next with another popular ditty, “Biker Hill”, before following with John’s satirical but hugely accurate account of Rick Metcalfe’s council’s “wonderful achievements” in Lincoln. To finish off, Andrea calls for a jam – well, she would, wouldn’t she? – but although she’s doing the role call, it’s Steve who’s calling the tune. So with himself and Gary on guitars, Shanty Steve posing with rather than playing John’s banjo-ukulele, Steve L. on snare, John on djemba and the rare and rather wonderful sight of Andrea joyfully bashing away on bodrhan, they launch into “Ring Of Fire”. There are enthusiastic calls for an encore, so Steve leads his flock into a bouncy “Bad Moon Rising” to end a very enjoyable evening of quality entertainment in a friendly ambience with warm hospitality, delicious sandwiches and an inviting selection of real ales to boot. What more could you possibly wish for? |
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