1980s: The beginning Offered a gig at the Wimborne Festival in 1986, Steve Knightley called on his old friends Warwick Downes (double bass) and Martin Bradley (concertina) to join him. They performed as Show of Hands, a name chosen by Knightley who liked its democratic implications. Another of Knightley's old friends,
Phil Beer, resided in the audience. Impressed by the quality of Knightley's self-penned songs (Exile in particular), Beer suggested they form a duo and offered to try and get them some gigs. The pair had first met in the early 70's when both were in their early teens and performing on the thriving
Devon folk circuit. Beer was gigging extensively with Colin Wilson (guitar) in their duo 'Odd Folk'. Knightley, in 'Gawain', was working his way through the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, with
Paul Downes (Warwick's brother) on guitar and John 'Bat' Evans on fiddle. Continuing his studies at
Sussex University, Knightley formed a duo with Warwick Downes, during which time he penned his narrative folk 'opera' Tall Ships. This he later performed on
Richard Digance's
Capital Radio show, with his then neighbour, the actor
Jim Carter (who plays
Mr Carson in
Downton Abbey) reading the opening poem, 'The Wrecker's Prayer'. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s Beer and Knightley would stand in as needed in each other's bands when they were playing in London. Here Knightley "stormed the indie rock circuit" In four bands The Cheats', 'Total Strangers', 'Short Stories' and 'The West' and Beer gigged with folk legends
Johnny Coppin,
Ashley Hutchings’
The Albion Band,
Mike Oldfield and his own 'The Arizona Smoke Revue'. In 1986, Knightley moved to rural
Dorset with his first wife Simone to run the remote 'Catsley House' as a whole-food guest-house. Here, in January 1987, following their fateful Wimborne Festival meeting, Beer and Knightley set up in a studio above the garage to record the songs that as Show of Hands they were now honing live. Their first release, Show of Hands (on cassette only), sold out over the course of their live shows. For instance, The Galway Farmer has appeared in at least one list of traditional Irish tunes though Knightley wrote it in 1994.
1990s '''1990s: Sowing the seeds of a 'grass-roots' phenomenon''' Show of Hands kicked off the 1990s with the release of Tall Ships. Again, on
cassette only and recorded at the Catsley House home studio, it featured the recording of Knightley’s epic folk-suite that had first aired on
Capital Radio. This too sold out at gigs. Taken on in 1991 by local agent Peter Wilson, he secured bookings for the duo in hundreds of venues up and down the South Coast. Here in the dockers' and bikers' pubs Show of Hands learnt how to successfully compete with the darts and the TV to grow a loyal audience beyond their usual folk crowd. Knightley's years performing in tough London pubs and bars and Beer's folk/rock experience of venues throughout Europe began to pay off. "We were playing loud and hard. People would still be clapping, and we'd be already counting in the next tune. Sometimes we’d have to tone it down a touch in the folk clubs, but it was great grounding for festival gigs." 'Nailing it' live, Show of Hands were building firm foundations for their famously close relationship with their audience as the 1990s dawned. And in 1991, as their gigging schedule became increasingly hectic, Beer left ‘
The Albion Band’ to concentrate full-time on Show of Hands. Displaying their trust in the people who came to see them, Show of Hands would simply put the cassettes in a tub and say: "If you’d like one, take one, but bung in a fiver."
Early collaboration A chance call from Roger Watson from the Southern Arts Development Project (TAPS) in 1992 resulted in Beer and Knightley’s collaboration with three exiled Chilean musicians. Together with Dave Townsend on fiddle and
concertina, they joined Sergio Avila, Mauricio Venegas and Vladimir Vega to create the band 'Alianza'. Working with the Chileans on the 'Alianza' tour and album of the same name had a profound impact on Beer and Knightley. Whilst informing their rhythmic language and musical sensibility, it also inspired them to add the cuatro to their repertoire. The Chileans' awareness of music's power to educate and inform (and the risks that they took to perform it), hit home with Beer and Knightley. "In our society people can make political statements in song and no one will threaten you. But for them, just getting together and playing ordinary folk songs (meant) risking arrest, imprisonment and exile." Where the 'Alianza' tour had introduced Beer and Knightley to arts centre audiences in the South of England, the gigs with McTell took them to large theatre audiences across the country. McTell advised them to "stop doing endless gigs," to group them into coherent touring periods underpinned by a concept – and with a new record to promote! Show of Hands would book the gigs in-house, turn up with their own PA and lighting system and even provide their own rider. They'd refuse a fee and instead take a percentage of the door. All the venue had to do was sell the tickets. In taking on the financial risk, Show of Hands avoided possibly antagonistic relationships with the venues and also empowered a host of music-loving amateur promoters, many of whom have built careers booking major artists in large concert venues. As the band continued to build up their grass-roots fan base and growing a mailing list that received news of their forthcoming gigs, their 'cottage industry' approach began to pay off. A newsletter went out in 1997 encouraging the copying of albums onto cassette and handing them out to friends. Later, after a crash course to learn all things internet, O’Farrell set up the band’s website, made Show of Hands' music and footage freely available and gave downloading a hearty thumbs up.
International gigs Throughout the 1990s the duo performed in Australia, Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Indonesia and India – experiences that opened their ears to yet more instrumental textures and songwriting themes. Under Vaughan and Gwen’s steady stewardship the duo re-focused their attention on their British audiences and their festival and concert profile grew accordingly.
"A formidable partnership" 1994 saw the release of Show of Hands first compilation album. Favourite tracks from the first three cassettes were repackaged on CD: Backlog 1987–1991. (Isis 1994) Demonstrating their commitment to their audience and to music itself, Show of Hands embarked on their first 'workshop tour' in February 1995. In this they shared their experience of composing, performing and the music business with fans and fellow musicians alike. In amongst festival gigs, and before performing to 18,000 at Copredy in August, Show of Hands recorded their next studio album
Lie of the Land (Isis 1995, Hands On Music 1996). O’Farrell producing, plugged the instruments straight into the desk to capture a pared down 'live' sound. Released in October 1995, the album received 4-stars and a 'startlingly good' from
Q, becoming their folk record of the year in '96.
Mojo said the album created "a powerful, fresh sounding music with both integrity and widespread appeal" whilst
The Telegraph was moved to mention Show of Hands' "formidable partnership".
Lie of the Lands album cover by Rob O’Connor beautifully underpinned the band’s connection with their rural roots whilst setting the bar high for the look of the growing Show of Hands 'brand'. An old friend from Knightley’s Coventry days, O’Connor had taken on the duo’s various design requirements since producing the artwork for their debut CD Show of Hands Live. O’Connor’s graphic design company 'Stylorouge' became world-famous for its award-winning work, and his design aesthetic espouses Show of Hands' reputation for high quality in every aspect of their output.
Selling out the Royal Albert Hall Despite their increasing critical acclaim and burgeoning fan base, in the mid-1990s Show of Hands were finding gigs in the capital hard to come by. With the help of software designer Richard Patterson and festival organiser Steve Heap their solution was to book the
Royal Albert Hall for a gig on 24 March 1996. This secured them mainstream media coverage, including an interview on
Richard and Judy’s morning TV show and news features on Sky News and BBC TV. Against the odds, (and the expectations of the RAH management), the show sold out. Show of Hands' fans turned up from all over the country. That year, Sue Morley and friends set up a formal fan club, with an internet forum 'Longdogs' (the name taken from the Show of Hands' song) following in 1998. As of April 2023 the band has returned six times to the iconic London venue, (including on 8 April 2007, with their third performance there celebrating 15 years together), performing to large crowds on each occasion. Each show at the RAH celebrates the previous five years of musical collaborations and features appearances from musician friends. Guests have included established names such as
Ralph McTell, Johnnie Jones,
Tom Robinson,
Martyn Joseph and American singer-songwriter,
Richard Shindell.
Paying it forward As well as carrying on with sharing their music for free, Show of Hands also continue to share their expertise in workshop tours across the world and to give new acts a break by booking them as their supporting artists. By warmly introducing their guest artists themselves at each gig, and including them in a spot in their performance, Show of Hands aim to ensure that new artists are taken to heart by their audiences. Their Five Days in May tour in 1997 featured
Kate Rusby on her first major solo venture. The tour culminated with a show at the Shepherds Bush Empire. Both separately and as Show of Hands Knightley and Beer continue to mentor and give touring opportunities to new artists, including
Seth Lakeman, Jenna Witts,
Jackie Oates,
Megan Henwood, India Electric Company,
Jim Causley, and
Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin. Knightley has gone on to collaborate with Lakeman and their co-written Haunt You opened Show of Hands 2012 album, Wake the Union.
End of the 1990s Filming for a full-length feature documentary on Show of Hands began in February 1997. Called
Stairway to Devon and directed by Rob O'Connor, it includes Show of Hands' appearance at
Glastonbury that year. The album
Dark Fields was recorded in
Cornwall and released in December 1997, (Hands On Music) following Show of Hands' first single release Crazy Boy (Hands On Music), earlier in the Autumn. It featured songs by Knightley rooted in the area, including the notable Cornish diaspora anthem Cousin Jack – an 'instant classic' that is now taught in schools throughout the Duchy and remains a popular live number. Celebrating the music that had inspired them in the first place, Show of Hands released
Folk Music (Hands On Music) in 1998, an album of traditional songs and a reworking of Knightley’s composition The Train/Blackwater Side in traditional English style. That year also saw the debut of the band’s annual Abbotsbury Festival, a day featuring performances by Show of Hands and illustrious guest artists in the Dorset town's lush Sub-Tropical Garden.
2000s Village Hall in 2009 (photo: Brian Marks)
Recognition and mainstream success As the millennium dawned Show of Hands entered a particularly prolific recording period. First up was
Covers (Hands On Music 2000), an album covering songs they loved from genres other than folk. Tracks from artists as diverse as
Thom Yorke,
Peter Gabriel,
Lowell George and
Bob Dylan are given a folk inspired nuance. Next,
Cold Frontier, (Hands On Music) in 2001 shows Knightley's 'deft hand' in confronting contemporary issues through historical narrative. Conveyed in memorable songs, such as ‘'The Flood'’ and the title track itself, his call to our common humanity is particularly effective.
Cold Frontierwas the first album to be recorded by Mick Dolan, who took responsibility for the Show of Hands sound after producer/manager Gerard O'Farrell returned to his native Australia. At the
Cambridge Folk Festival that year, their CD sales outstripped those of every other artist. 2002's
Cold Cuts(Hands On Music) features live performances of overlooked songs from Show of Hands' extensive back catalogue, all given new arrangements. Their fresh approach is also applied to covers, including
Leonard Cohen's ‘'First They Take Manhattan.'’
The gravel-voiced spokesman of the rural poor Knightley's talent for nailing social issues in song is razor-sharp on ‘'Country Life'’ (Hands On Music 2003). It was not just the title track "an anthem on the bleak realities of rural England" that exposed the harshness of local rural life and the album gained mainstream media acclaim – including from
Andrew Marr. It landed Show of Hands a spot on BBC Five Live and Farming Today with Knightley becoming known as 'The gravel-voiced spokesman of the rural poor'. The seamless blend of folk, Latin, Celtic and subtle blues influences fuelled their tagline, 'world music from the West Country' Double bassist and singer Miranda Sykes joined Show of Hands for the ‘'Country Life'’ tour in the Autumn of 2004, featuring on the live double album this spawned –
As You Were(Hands On Music). Released in 2005 it comprised 22 tracks recorded at various venues during the autumn tour. Knightley and Beer both assert that her outstanding contribution was transformative. They were no longer a 'blokey duo'. Sykes became the unofficial 'third member' of Show of Hands and from now on the band would perform as a trio as well as the original duo.
New musical practice Due to the demands of the bass, and the sonic possibilities of the third harmony provided by Sykes' "almost ethereal" and "captivating" vocals, Beer and Knightley changed the way they worked. They’d become used to Knightley pitching up with a song and improvising together as they worked on the arrangement during a sound-check. They would then take audience reactions into account as they honed the song during live performances. " With the bass rooting the chords and more complex vocal harmonies, the arrangements now had to be worked out beforehand. "There had to be," say Beer and Knightley, "less winging it and more structure". == Co-writing ==