Folk Rock Pioneers, Steeleye Span in Concert

With a career that has taken in an astounding six decades, Steeleye Span is not just a legendary name in British music but also a link to the classic days of rock and folk music. Contemporaries of the likes of Led Zeppelin and Fairport Convention, they have gone on to change the face of folk music forever, taking it from small clubs and festivals into the world of chart topping albums and international tours.
Part of that incredible story has been the individuals that have contributed to the band’s history. Steeleye Span has provided a home for a long list of some of the world’s finest musicians. The current line up of Maddy Prior, Rick Kemp, Liam Genockey, Julian Littman, Jessie May Smart and Andrew Sinclair along with old names such as Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick, Tim Harries, Bob Johnson and most recently Peter Knight.
2015 saw the release of The Essential Steeleye Span, drawn from their 20 years on the Park Records label, The Essential Steeleye Span: Catch Up looks back at the recent history of one of the most prolific bands of their age. From 1996’s Time up to their Wintersmith collaboration with the late Sir Terry Pratchett, the album features some of the most memorable moments in Steeleye’s long and distinguished career; whether it be from their string of acclaimed Park releases or a number of new recordings of their most famous songs. Including rare and unreleased material, this is the perfect release for those new to the group or returning fans – a snapshot of a band still at the peak of their creative powers.
In 2016, the band played, Ramblin Man Festival and Copredy, to huge acclaim. The rest of this year has been dedicated to writing and recording songs for the new album with the rather cryptic name, “Up Until Now………Dodgy Bastards”. You may well ask “What”? Any lover of original folk music, will immediately smile and understand the connotations. For those new to the genre, all the characters in the songs are about crooks and unsavoury people……these are the typical folk tales and this is the ethos of the band since their formation in 1969 with the vision of playing folk music in a contemporary, electric band format.

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