TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

The Lady : A Tribute to Sandy Denny

Monday 1 December 2008, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

In the 30 years since her death, Sandy Denny has emerged as one of the UK’s greatest singer-songwriters. A very special line up of artists including former colleagues and young admirers re-interpret her songs in this unique tribute showcasing her work with Fairport Convention, Fotheringay and her solo career.

A great line up is promised (to be announced over the next few weeks) but early birds can get tickets here:
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/music/productions/the-lady-a-tribute-to-sandy-43399

[from the Sandy page on MySpace]

And half sold out already!

Great....ordered!  At 6.15pm it's nowhere near half sold out, Chris..... still front row tickets if you want them....

If you check the seat availability, there's over half gone in the front blocks & many in the rear blocks - OK, may only be 40%, but they're moving fast....

You should be an economist, Chris.  You could make us all feel better about the current situation.  And/or you can't count  ::)  ;)  Anyway...I for one am looking forward to it!

Me too. No problem booking a couple of seats right down the front. I'm sure it'll be a wonderful evening.

Do we know who is appearing yet? Loved the smaller scale memorial (such a sad word) at the Troubadour earlier this year

The answer is in the quote above yours!

Booked!!  See you there!

It's probably out of order, but how about a bit of speculation/suggestions as to performers.

Personally I'd just love to have Iain Matthews and Julianne Regan singing some of Sandy's songs together. I know it ain't gonna happen though.

i hope Linde Nijland is there again this time.

Thanks for the heads up on this. Taking a slight chance on who will be appearing but tickets booked.

Thanks for the information Chris. Front row seats booked.

yes me too, front row.
Perhaps we can arrange a TAW meeting point, possibly partake some light refreshment prior to..................
any suggestions ?

Hole in the WAll over by Waterloo station?

We're booked too!  

I asked Chris While last night if she was involved in this event or knew who would be appearing. She was not aware of the concert so could not help.

I suspect it will more likely be those musicians who knew her and possibly played with her....

Well, not exclusively, Chris. Notice the wording used in the concert notice: “a very special line up of artists including former colleagues and young admirers”. I have some idea of who’s lined up but am not at liberty to reveal yet. Suffice to say that the concept is to carry Sandy’s legacy forward into the next generation.

Nice thought to meet in the Hole in the Wall first. I’d probably be up for that.

Philip

Information from Teletext today states that performers include : Marc Almond, Martin Carthy, Baby Dee and Jim Moray - nothing on the actual South Bank website yet

Do you have the page number?

Page 822 on Freeview (Planet Sound section)

Is that like a pegg number for people who play with Led Zeppelin?

Paul

Front row booked.
Has the Hole in the Wall been done up-last time I was there it was a dive?

nice

POTM, I reckon  :D :D

Jim Moray would certainly seem to be appearing as it is listed on his website and elsewhere (so it must be true).

Booked!

I hoping Linde and Lisa Knapp will be there

I just got a mailing from the South Bank which mentions this gig.

Though the website itself currently doesn't give any names, the email states "Featuring Martin Carthy, Marc Almond, Baby Dee and Eddi Reader"

I would anticipate more news soon...

Cheers

Nick

Is it just me or does marc Almond seem an odd person to be at a Sandy tribute - unless he's the one behind http://www.talkawhile.co.uk/yabbse/index.php?topic=29429.0

hmmmmm

Sandy's timeless music has a lot of fans (some rather famous) way beyond the folk scene. And so she should - she's a legend.

Marc Almond has extremely good taste - he has recently been performing Richard and Linda 's "Great Valerio" in concert, complete with a tightrope walk at the end of the song!

J

Well said, Jamie. Mr Almond’s fans report that, at a concert in Leicester Cathedral a few years back, he did a version of Sandy’s ‘All Our Days’ that went down a storm.

It’s all about looking beyond the Fotheringport family to find the much larger fan base she deserves. Like, the Independent recently quoted Jamie Reynolds of Klaxons (NME Best New Band 2007, etc.) saying that Sandy would be the vocalist in his fantasy band.  

Philip

Bambi Ballard (close friend of Sandy) said to me that when she told Joe Strummer (Clash) that she knew Sandy, he was really keen to meet her as he loved her stuff. I don't think it happened sadly as she died very soon after this conversation, but it gives you a fair idea that she had/has fans of all types musically.

J

hmmmmm.. no. marc is a fab performer and sandy fan so i am sure he will do great.

Lisa Knapp is booked for it according to her website, no news on Linde

Hello

My first post although I can confess to having lurked on here for some time!

Any further news on who will be appearing at the gig?

I've just booked and I noticed on the South Bank Centre website that ticket sales are good. The front stalls are all but sold out.

As I am travelling down from t'north for this gig, I'd welcome the meet beforehand for a couple of liveners.

Cheers

DB

Hi David, and welcome to Talkawhile!  [;-)

Well, the SBC's wedsite doesn't reveal any more names unfortunately.

The only other reference I've seen lately is that Jim Moray lists the gig on his website.

Any others?

Cheers

Nick

No news on the line-up but I can recommend the Skylon bar at the RFH. It's certainly not cheap but very stylish/upmarket with great views over t'river.

We went for the first time 2 weeks ago and have booked for 1/12

Just saw this on upcoming.yahoo.com:


Featuring Featuring Marc Almond, PP Arnold, Martin Carthy, Baby Dee, Lisa Knapp, Jim Moray, Dave Swarbrick, Jerry Donahue, Kamila Thompson, Johnny Flynn and members of Bellowhead

Hi all

Yes - also on the bill is a brilliant new talent Mary Epworth, and NME darlings Florence & The Machine.

Jamie

... plus another rising star, Sam Carter. Should be a great night.

I got this off of the Sandy Denny myspace page.
  Line up: The Lady, A Tribute to Sandy Denny


This is the line up I've put together for the Sandy Concert:

Mary Epworth www.myspace.com/maryepworth

Jim Moray www.jimmoray.co.uk/

Kamila Thompson http://kamilathompson.com/

Martin Carthy http://www.watersoncarthy.com/

Marc Almond www.marcalmond.co.uk/

Baby Dee www.babydee.org/

Lisa Knapp www.myspace.com/lisaknappmusic

Dave Swarbrick www.folkicons.co.uk/swarb.htm

Sam Carter: www.myspace.com/samjohncarter

PP Arnold www.pparnold.com/

Johnny Flynn www.johnnyflynnmusic.co.uk/

Florence and the machine http://www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic



BAND


Bellowhead (members of): www.bellowhead.co.uk/

Jerry Donahue: www.hellecasters.com/

 

Sadly due to new work commitments I've had to pull out of going to this.  I have two tickets which are in the very Front Row of the Rear Stalls.

Seats AA 27 and AA 28.  I paid £44.50 (inc charges) for these, and would appreciate something close to that.  I'll send them to any UK address by 1st Class Recorded Delivery.  Drop me a line if you want them...

Tickets above have now been sold....

Hi,
I hardly ever venture on here (perhaps I should visit more often) but I suspected there might be something about this. I've been excited about this gig for ages, but now I know roughly what everyone is doing I'm most excited about what Swarb will be singing (yes, singing)... I don't want to ruin the surprises, but its quite a good game to match the song to the singer - there's stuff from Sandy's solo albums, right back through Fotheringay and Fairport in there. I can't wait for the rehearsals.

See you there.

Jim

Welcome Jim

Yes you should certainly visit here more often :D and I expect the whole Sandy tribute gig will be splendid ;D

Jude

Welcome Jim, good to have you in our midst.

See you on the 1st.

Hi all

Around 900 tickets have been sold which is absolutely fantastic. There is still another 70 on sale should people still want to book. To mark the night there will be a definative pictoral record of Sandy on sale only at the venue.

Jamie

There's a mention in today's Independent, in the "Book Now" section of Life. I've also seen mention of a similar(?) gig in Liverpool... anyone know owt about it?

Can you remember where you saw it?

In another thread, in the Radio Times section, Fi has written:

On Tuesday (that would be the 25th) the Woman's Hour newsletter informs me they will be looking back Sandy Denny's life and legacy, with Whispering Bob. There is also a special concert in her memory in Liverpool that day (I think there's one in London too, but they don't mention it!)
http://www.talkawhile.co.uk/yabbse/index.php?topic=29882.0

First I've heard of any Liverpool concert. Better don my New Man image and listen to Woman's Hour tomorrow.

Philip

It should be available on Listen Again for the next 7 days.....

Info from Bob Harris's office:

Someone got the wrong end of the stick. There is no L'pool concert. Bob will be talking about the London concert on Woman's Hour.

Thanks for clearing that up, Phil.

Paul

Hi,
 I now have two tickets for the Sandy concert that I can't use :(  centre rear stalls, any takers, cost £2o each but make me an offer! I can post them to you.

Jude Rogers has an excellent column in today's Guardian, mostly about Sandy -
"her dark star is rising everywhere". Wow!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/28/cohen-hallelujah-sandy-denny

She also mentions the concert on Monday, which should be a sell-out.

Thanks for posting that Phillip.  Wish I could be there on Monday, however, Sandy will not far from thoughts on Monday evening (she never is)

As a newbie to this forum I was not fully aware of this concert until this week .

We may never partake with Sandy the life that she deserved but we can certainly keep her with us through the songs and literature available and our skills in interpreting this

Unfortunately I won't be able to go but I wish both performers and audience a wonderful and memorable occasion.

Dave P

---

_{the dark star is rising}

"Sandy Denny, a folk singer whose incredible voice and blackly beautiful songs won me over 10 years ago. Back then, you'd only find compilations of her music in deep, dusty bargain bins."

10 years ago!! Imagine that!! Don't you just love the young when they "discover" something. And the press. Did you ever see a headline "EVERYTHING GOING ON MUCH AS BEFORE! NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS!!??

What’s your point exactly, jaypeter? You’re bothered by young people’s naïve enthusiasm when they “discover” something that oldies have known about for years? I would have thought that’s to be welcomed. It’s only by successive generations rediscovering them that things of importance are kept in the public eye – they pass on the enthusiasm to their peers. Jude R wrote another piece about Sandy in The Word last summer where she said she was born the week after Sandy died, making her emphatically of the post-Sandy generation. It’s this generation (well represented in the line-up for the concert) who will carry interest forward into the future. Same as happened to Nick Drake.

Well said, that man.

Indeed.

What's the point of preaching to the converted?

Jamie

Well thanks for asking me what my point is and then telling me. "You’re bothered by young people’s naïve enthusiasm when they “discover” something that oldies have known about for years?" No, I just thought it was a bit funny. Actually I was simply poking fun at her presumably thinking ten years is a jolly long time. Sadly, to me, it ain't. I absolutely hate the closed club view of music, "I know this, you don't, so you can't be in the in-crowd".  I just thought the article wasn't perfect, sorry. And before you have a go at me for that, no I don't want everything to be perfect. You're quite right about spreading the word being a good thing. I'm not stupid.  What about my point about the press?  Do you think it's a good thing for them to create fashions in this that and the other bloody thing just to sell papers? How many times do you read about somebody being " the forgotten something or other" when you and everybody you know has known about them all along. Some of these people  think that because they haven't heard of somebody then they must be rediscovered or re-appraised or some other old bollicks. Thre's not enough people taking the piss out of other people these days, in my opinion. Do you really think that "Back then, you'd only find compilations of her music in deep, dusty bargain bins."? Is that true? Or is it a slightly silly thing to say, motivated by a sub-conscious belief that if Jude Rogers hasn't heard of Sandy Denny then nobody else will have.

Anyway thanks for waking me up,

All the best

Peter Jay

 P.S. OK let me modify my original sentiment. How about "Don't you just love SOME young people and some other people of indeterminate age" when they "discover" something."

personally i think any coverage however eronious or cliched( i don't think this was too bad btw ) is good if it creates interest or even one new fan of sandy...

True. I didn't think it was too bad either.

Hi Peter

I thoroughly agree with most of what you say, and apologies if I put words into your mouth. It’s irritating as hell when the press invents a fashion for X, then tells you a year later that “X is SO last year” and you should be listening, to/reading/watching/wearing Y. I just didn’t feel that those criticisms – generally valid as they are – were justified by Jude’s inoffensive and well-intentioned attempt to push Sandy onto the agenda of the chattering classes (especially those who trooped off to the O2 to see Laughing Lennie). Sure she makes mistakes, but show me a journo who doesn’t. There was at least one Best Of compilation widely available in 1998; and Sandy must have been nearer 20 than 22 when she wrote WKWTTG, since her first recording of it was in spring 1967. I suppose, having dabbled in music journalism myself, I’m more forgiving of the rhetorical flourish than you. But I think we’re basically in agreement.

Back on topic: I was sorry to learn that Kamila Thompson has had to pull out of the tribute gig with a throat infection. Her contribution was one of the highlights for me of the Troubadour event in April and I was looking forward to hearing her again.  

Best, Philip  
 :)

Indeed, as was I....also, missing, according to the South Bank website....


Hopefully, Kami will be well enough for the Thompson Family Christmas gig in a couple of weeks time.

There are 24 seats still available at the time of writing this - come on, let's make this a sell-out!

I'm sure I have heard Simon say that Sandy was 17 or 18 when she wrote that song, which is amazing when you think about it.

One of The Independent's "Five Best Jazz, Blues & World Gigs of the week" along with Keith Jarrett, Show of Hands, Abdullah Ibrahim and Fulborn Teversham & Leafcutter John....

When she wrote it and when she first recorded it are two different things.

Will to live. Losing. Fast.  ^-^

Back to the gig--for those of us with a bit too far to travel, any chance of this being recorded (legally, I mean)?

Further to her Guardian column, Jude Rogers writes in her blog:

‘Sadly, my copy was cut a bit because of a big Elton John advert – these are the times in which we live! – but I had more to say about Sandy's song too, especially the Nina Simone version.’

Those who know their Fotheringay history will relish the irony that this is not the first time Sandy has been upstaged by Elton *!*%$* John.

The gig on Monday is now sold out. Amazing the power of radio: they shifted over a hundred tickets after the mention on Woman’s Hour. Will it be recorded? According to the buzz I’m picking up, the answer to that question will be apparent on the night.

I was probably one of the first people to record Sandy, at the studio I ran at Cecil Sharp House, when she was with the Strawbs.
I didn't know about the concert until today: is there any chance of a ticket?
maybe wishful thinking...

sean you have pm

ask and you shall recieve ::)

Just to report that rehearsals went well today & tomorrow should bring a gig that those present will remember.....as should the two TAWers here that are organising it......a lot of hard work has gone into this production & it will show.

who are they?
Well done for getting it off the ground, really sorry I can't be there, hope it goes well and maybe gets recorded.

They've both posted in this thread - they can own up or keep their privacy.....

have a great time tonight... and ignore the rude bastards on the list ! well done for otrganising this

We will, thanks! And surely you mean this forum and not the FCList - this time, anyway! :-)

i meant this from the SD list:

I'm not going, and never had any intention of doing so.
 
Frankly, the idea of hearing "former colleagues and young admirers re-interpret her songs" sounds awful. Apart from Swarb and Jerry D I have no wish to see any of the people on the bill for any reason, and certainly not singing Sandy's songs (Marc Almond!!!). It's 30 years since Sandy died (and more like 35 since I last saw her live) - I've learned to live with the fact that she's gone. I have her albums and my memories, I don't need to hear 2nd- or 3rd- rate versions of her songs.
 
It's like the 'Shining Bright' album - what a waste of time that was. The Lal Waterson tribute gig at Cecil Sharpe House was great because Norma, Mike, Martin and Eliza were there but most of the other performers were dire compared to the original.
 
Sorry if this sounds over-harsh, but the only person I ever wanted to hear singing SD songs was SD.
 
Enjoy yourselves tonight, though.
 

Hey there

Yes, I saw that post on the SD list - laughable really.

Tonight will be great - Andrew Batt has conceived the whole thing (with some "peripheral help" from both myself, Philip Ward and Sandy's pal Bambi Ballard) and as I'm sure Chris Bates will vouch, it will be a night to remember which a fresh and interesting spin on things.

Cheers Sam for your words - shame you won't get to see tonight but it is being recorded.  ;)

Jamie

Well I'm looking forward to it - and have no idea what to expect, but am confident it will drive the cares of work away. We will be in row D near the front and I've had my hair done specially for the occasion! Must drag myself away from my desk and set off.

Oh I do love a good old fashioned reactionary bigot!  The last line is particularly wondrous.  I wonder if they live in Tunbridge Wells?   :)

Get back in your cave, Troll

To the parking lot with the two of you.

There already Neil...  ;D

My comment stands that accusing someone of expressing an opinion of being a reactionary bigotry is trolling

I have suggested that email cajones are tiresome so am happy to 'park' this for now but equally to discuss it face to face some time.

Hope everyone who went, enjoyed the gig, would be interested in who sang what and if there is any possibility of a broadcast or cd.

keep an eye on dime, thats the best bet

Just a brief report as it is late! We enjoyed the show and I reckon it was a success. A few variations - Marc Almond & Baby Dee, along with PP Arnold meant that it wasn't all from a folkie viewpoint, and the young singers and performers were all good. My wife was rather taken with Johnny Flynn! Jerry Donohue looked a bit like someone's Dad who had been asked to lend a hand with helping out the youngsters in the band and seemed to be having a good time. Come to think of it he is of course one of the Dads!

Just to give a flavour and not picking out highlights: The show opened with Mary Epworth doing Come All Ye, Matty made an appearance with Jim Moray, Kristina Donohue did a couple and Marc Almond did 3 songs, before Baby Dee did a couple (interesting!). After the break Lisa Knapp was preceded to the stage by a gentleman with a fiddle who accompanied her and then he did a couple of numbers and got possibly the biggest cheer of the evening, she returned to do Reynardine, and so it went on with the band (not-Bellowhead)  playing jolly well and PP Arnold lending a different tone to things. The finale was some song that momentarily escapes me - you know that one ...

No doubt others will give a much better review and list all the songs. We knew about the absentees in advance of course, but Martin Carthy was also missing - but present in the programme. I didn't see any cameras despite signs about filming - but hopefully it was recorded as it would be nice to have a memento.

great stuff :D i would love to know what marc sang.. he does a good emotive torch song does marc :D

Yes !
 
apparently marc did:

Northstar Grassman
Next Time Around
and
All Our Days

i am very very jealous
 

Hey all

Set list:

PART ONE:

MARY EPWORTH
Come All Ye
Listen, Listen

JIM MORAY
Late November
Matty Groves

KRISTINA DONAHUE
Nothing More
John The Gun

SAM CARTER
Bushes and Briars

MARC ALMOND
The Northstar Grassman and the Ravens
Next Time Around
All Our Days

BABY DEE
The Lady
No End

INTERMISSION

PART TWO:

FOOTAGE OF FOTHERINGAY "GYPSY DAVEY"

LISA KNAPP
The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood

DAVE SWARBRICK AND KEVIN DEMPSEY
It Suits Me Well
One Way Donkey Ride

LISA KNAPP
Reynardine

P.P ARNOLD
I'm A Dreamer
Like An Old Fashioned Waltz

JOHNNY FLYNN
Stranger To Himself
It'll Take A Long Time

MARY EPWORTH
Solo

KRISTINA DONAHUE
No More Sad Refrains

EVERYBODY
Who Knows Where the Time Goes

What a night!


Jamie

You should be... Marc was the absolute highlight of the show for me. I don’t really know much about him other than *that* song, but I was really taken by him – but sadly can’t find any decent words to sum it up – other than WOW.

The rest was mainly some very competent if slightly staid cover versions of Sandy songs, with the predictable sickly sweet rendition of “Who knows…” at the end. The sheer diversity of the musical accompaniment from the Bellowhead (+ Jerry, whose beautiful playing just seems effortless) must be applauded. Mention must be made of Johnny Flynn who was extremely good, but also the only person who seemed to be really happy to be there – most other people seemed to have their “serious” faces on and refused to crack a smile if they could help it.

As previously mentioned, Swarb got the biggest cheer of the night but for me perhaps his set brought the biggest disappointment… His version of “It suits me well” from his solo album (I forget which one) was one of those songs that really struck a chord with me from an early age (I’m 25 now), and I then went on to discover its roots in Sandy. I was really looking forward to getting the chance to hear him do it – but in my opinion, with some help from Kevin Dempsey, he murdered the song (and I don’t use that word lightly).

That was a pity as I guess I had such high expectations of it, but over all it was a most enjoyable evening – Congratulations to all those who help organise it.

(Back to lurking mode for me now!)

Can I just add my hearty congrats to all those concerned in its organisation? Andrew (Batt), that was simply stunning - to pull that off without a visible hitch on a first attempt at a major gig should be acknowledged - I hope you have come down from whichever cloud you rightly ended up on last night.....

I'll leave someone better at it than I to write a decent review....but just to say, from someone who watched the whole thing come together, respect, man!

Let me add my congratulations to all involved in this event.
Highlights for me included,

Jim Moray, "Matty" a refreshingly gamboling rendition  
Mary Epworth, "Solo" sent shivers down my spine.
P.P. Arnold's voice
Kristina Donahue,  "John the Gun"
Sam Carter, Bushes & Briars
Kev Dempsey, One way Donkey Ride
The NOT Bellowhead house band were excellent throughout.

Marc Almond, was interestingly theatrical

One complaint; The phalanx of camera owners, I assume some had blagged photo passes, annoyingly persisted in moving in front of the stage thoughout the entire evening.  

On my part, I apologise.

I had arranged with the organisers to be seated in the front row, thereby having a fixed place from which to capture the whole event. Something went amiss with the communication between organisers and the South Bank management, and my seat was sold to the public.

This was only discovered late in the afternoon when the guest seats were being enveloped up, and it was obviously too late to arrange other seating. Fully aware of likely intrusion, on occasions I did remove myself to the sound desk.

The remaining press corp were given the first three numbers in each set, rather than just the first set as is usually the case, to enable them to capture more than one guest. Why the house stewards failed to remove them after these numbers, I know not - frankly one or two took the proverbial p*ss by remaining....they are pros and know the ruiles full well. I was there at the invite of the organisers to capture the whole event from rehearsal to break down for posterity.

A superb evening. Thanks to everyone involved. Am unexpected highlight for me was Marc Almond's contribution, which I really didn't expect to like at all, but actually was totally captivated by. Johnny Flynn, a new name to me, was pretty cool too, as was the wonderful Kristina Donahue, whom I'd quite like for Christmas, please....

I hope that this was recorded in some "proper" form. Certainly I didn't see any professional looking video recording gear in evidence though. Now looking forward to the Thompson family evening!

It should appear on the Bob Harris show, sometime this side of Christmas!

BBC4 are also preparing a 3-part documentary on the history of British female singers, of which Sandy will be part (naturally). Some interviews were done yesterday, so there was a camera(s) in the building.....

i don't know whether to shake your hand for acknowledging marc who i have loved to death since i was 12 ;D ( and i also painted his studio in ladbroke grove with skulls and divas.. and i own his doctor martins haha but that is another story ::) ).. or give you a slap for dissing my main man swarb ;) ;D
i am sorry swarb  didn't hit the spot for you .. i cannot imagine him murdering anything tho personally :P he is fab
most people know marc as a camp twirler from soft cell but he really is a brilliant torch singer and his covers of jaques brel and billie holiday songs are superb live. he is a long time sandy fan and as a gay man is a typical admirer of strong and stroppy female singers lol.. this is not the first time he has covered sandy live. i am pretty sure that in my collection of marc boots i have him doing john the gun, farewell farewell and some others

marc has suffered a lot from being tagged due to his sexuality and for having a big mouth and not giving a s**t what others thought.. but i am SO happy to hear you guys ( FOLKIES ! ) saying that you rated his performance. he is so worth it. i am not so into his dancey stuff, i adore his dark and desperate ballads and sea shanties...

cheers for the reviews :)

Almond was very good,if a little bit over the top.I only knew him from Tainted Love,Torch ? and the one with Gene Pitney.

14 back up singers seemed a bit ott as well  but i thought it was really funny at the end when Baby Dee appeared in their ranks !

A great night,thanks very much to everyone concerned (except the cameramen)

well yes he is over the top.. he is an unashamed queen ;D

if this in inapproriate please remove it but i think i should say this:

swarb is a member of this board and will see this. saying the he " murdered " his contributions would be very hurtful for any musician but for swarb who adored sandy this i imagine would sting...

also remember his v close friend and mentor is very ill at the mo.. see the beryl marriott thread, and this will probably not make him feel too great ( although i am surmising )

i hope personally that he does not give a s**t.. but if he does i feel very bad.

i don't want to start a flame war but can we be fair? esp as some of the musicians are members here. of course there is a disclaimer in pace for people like cliff richard haha :P

I went last night and thought it was mostly dreadful. It felt like a vanity project put on by the Nu-Folk trendy elite. Out of the new bunch, Mary Epworth was good but I was mostly unimpressed with the other interpretations of Sandy's songs.

I'm very glad to see her finally getting wider recognition but I was left with the strong sense that this was an unworthy, patchy and lacklustre tribute and she deserved better.

By the way, not posted here for a couple of years so thought I'd pop by to say hello.

I just want to add that Dave Swarbrick, Jerry Donohue etc were great and the real highlights for me. I just felt there was a touch of posturing/posing elsewhere which felt against the spirit of Sandy's music. I can't apologise for telling the truth about how I feel. It would be pointless for me to pretend I enjoyed the whole thing. Some of it felt a bit ill-conceived.

Can I hide my face in embarassment for the benefit of anyone, on any side, wishing to do this. I personally cannot comment and from those made this far am quite pleased!

Back from our early couple of days in London Christmas present to ourselves I really wanted to know what others thought...

I can see Caite1's point about the vanity project...  but I did get caught up in the second half.  And actually I wonder if there was an element of 'eek how am I going to do this justice?'  The end of the first half did leave me really cold...  I wasn't sure if it was cos they were songs I didn't know or if I was just missing something, but somehow Marc Almond managed to make all 3 songs sound the same (sorry, maybe just me).

Also, quite enjoyed the looks of panic between vocalists during WKWTTG!  Is that mean?

As someone who was peripherally involved with this concert, can I comment on that? You’re entitled to your point of view, Caite1 and I respect that, but I don’t see in what sense this was a “vanity project” put on by the “nu-folk trendy elite”. What is this elite? I’ve never encountered it.

I do wonder what people want. At one extreme is the fellow quoted earlier in this thread who says there’s no point in such events – no one should sing Sandy’s songs except the lady herself. At the other end is the ultra-Cropredy position – that her work should only be performed by her old band with their hand-picked soloists. Surely there is room in between to discover entire new constituencies for her?

Not everything worked last night, I admit, but for me there were many, many highlights, and a number of songs emerged in completely new light. I spoke to several people in the audience who knew little about Sandy Denny but left wanting to know a whole lot more.

Philip

Fantastic night!

It was interesting talking to people and getting their different take on the performers.

The only two I didn't rate were Marc Almond (which was tedious), and Baby D (which was 'bite your hand or you'll start giggling' - bizarre) but then others thought they were the first half highlights  ???.

Overall I'm sure most people were more than happy with 80+% of it, which for such a diverse bill has to be marked down as a resounding success.

Even with all that talent on stage Sandy was still the undoubted star of the evening via a 38 year old clip and I'm sure the night will go a long way in keeping her flag flying.

Thanks to all involved

I thought the gig was successful and also very enjoyable. Well worth the trip down from Lancashire.

As others have said, not every performer was to everyones taste - this surely should be expected.

Personally, I loved some songs and merely enjoyed others but the whole made for a great experience.

As I was alone and my train back home wasn't until early afternoon, I thought that I'd take the opportunity to visit Sandy's grave. It seemed an appropriate thing to do, paying my respects after enjoying her songs the previous evening.

It was a beautiful cold morning and I just stood by the grave, lost in thought. I had some Fairports, some Fotheringay and some solo Sandy on the ipod.

I'm not suggesting that this was a unique experience, as I'm sure hundreds of others have done exactly the same thing over the years, but it really moved me. I think it was the life and music that was commemorated the previous evening together with the crisp cold weather on the day that made me feel quite emotional. Glad I went though.

listening to it here
and so far its absollutely fine with just a couple of observations
Marc Almond did tend  to play with the notes, but then he always does
baby dee was strange,ive never heard if him before and im not really sure im glad i have
Swarb was Swarb on "it suits me well" so whats not to like? and i still love to ear the old rascal singing
the backing band who apparently are not bellowhead are good as well
ive just got up to Kev Dempsey doing one way donkey ride so if theres any surprises in thethe remainder ill pop back

Just as a matter of interest - really not banging any personal drum here, was the event a benefit of some sort for either a charity or for Sandy's family?

David W

Listening to it? How? Where?

D*me - me too!

Murdered!? I've held off commenting until now that I heard a recording.
(Firstly it is great to hear Swarb singing for the first time in a decade.)

Yes the song is sung in his style, but what were you expecting, a Sandy Denny impersonation? I thought his 'Suits me well' was wonderful.

As I have said before I've always been a fan of Swarb's singing, as much as his fiddle playing. It's great to have him back.

Amen, Brother Colin!

Jules

I've just heard it too, and was fantastic! I am sure Swarb would not even have considered performing it if he felt it was  not up to standard. But it was. Of course. 8)

Always wonderful to hear him sing again. I heard him sing earlier this year in Cardiff, and I felt priveleged to be there. {:-)

I have heard it too.. fantastic and i just LOVE his voice. it is a great song and well delivered as always

I've also just listened to it all and would like to say Swarb's singing works for me too.  There are 3 songs on there which I had to listen to again to check my initial reaction was correct and I never ever ever want to hear them again.  But politeness will stop me from mentionning them.  I rate (most of) Marc's contributions.  Having had tickets, I'm sorry I missed it.  Well done to the organisers.

What he said !!!

I had a similar pleasure dahn in The Big Smoke, and I felt likewise.  I got to have a wee chat too, which meant a lot to me.

And what a man - if you ever doubted one fella, his fiddle, his voice and his sense of humour could hold your attention for a whole show - then think again.  Even if he couldn't sing or play violin, he'd still be one of the best entertainers out there!

Jules

look up dime

Well, have just listened to it again and:

• Mary Epworth? Never heard of her but she's worth another listen - I'll have to look her up
• Sorry Sam, but Almond did not do it for me ... actually, he never did  :)
• my opinion of Lisa Knapp was confirmed.
• I was shocked at the strength of Swarb's voice - he definitely did not "ruin" the song  >:
  Of course, it's all subjective and everyone is entitled to state their opinion without being excoriated by the rest of us...(
• I need to look up more of Sam Carter's work
• Jim Moray deserves another listen
• Never heard of Baby Dee, but he didn't do it for me either - didn't make we reach for the Next button, but ... next :)
  Oh wait! "He's" a "she" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Dee)!

Sounds like by and large it was a great evening! Did the bar run out?

I'm really sorry we didn't go this time, especially as Mr Swarbrick played AND SANG ;D ;D .    I wanted to see Lisa Knapp again too but I suppose there'll be another chance soon. I dunno, the thought of the venue put me off a bit - had some dodgy experiences there in ancient times, we'd have had to stay over, and we thought not a lot could top the Troubadour gig. And the wine stains never came out of the jacket last time....

But thanks to everybody for giving self and better half an idea of what it was like. Well done Marc Almond too, that will spread the word to those who don't know how good a songwriter Sandy was. Just as long as R*bbie W*lliams or J*mes Bl*nt don't have a go.

It's amazing how quickly a quote can get swarmed on by the vultures... And frankly I find the "What were you expecting, a Sandy Denny impersonation" to be a complete Daily Mail-esk exaggeration and complete misrepresentation of what I actually said!

For the record, I love Swarb's voice and I love the version he did on his solo album. Likewise I didn't say anything about Swarb's vocals, and yes I agree it was nice to see him playing and singing as for me it has been a long time!!

With that weight of expectation I had put on it in my mind, I was massively dissapointed. I am sorry if this makes me a heathen, but that's what I thought.

Sorry, but if you say something as provocative as 'murdered' you really must expect an equally robust responce.
Actually you did specifically compare it with the original version, which you had fond memories of, so I thought my responce was fair enough.

I did not compare this 2008 to the Sandy (original) version at all, I compared it with Swarb's own earlier version (Which in my opinion is absolutely fantastic!). Therefore, unless you consider that version "a Sandy Denny impersonation" (Which I certainly do not) you misrepresented what I originally said.

oi watch it.. i am no vulture and i thought i was very polite considering.

The Lady: Sandy Denny Tribute
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
4 stars out of 5.
•   Robin Denselow
•   The Guardian, Thursday December 4 2008
•   
The stage was dominated by a black-and-white photograph of a thoughtful young lady with windswept hair, staring purposefully into David Bailey's lens.
This is the best-known image of a singer who died 30 years ago at the age of 31, and has now acquired legendary status thanks to her often bleak and mysterious songs. She was a complex figure, and this was reflected in her writing. "These songs are biographical and only about 10 people understand them," she once told me.
Reinterpreting Sandy is no easy task, but this impressively varied show at a packed-out QEH set out to do just that. There were 10 soloists, mostly representing the contemporary folk scene. For many of the songs they were backed by a choir and a sturdy house band that included members of Bellowhead and guitarist Jerry Donahue, who played with Sandy for many years. It was a challenging night for young female singers, but Mary Epworth matched Sandy's varied moods with a gutsy Come All Ye and a sad, powerful treatment of Solo, a song of alienation, while Lisa Knapp produced a thoughtful Quiet Joys of Brotherhood, with help from Dave Swarbrick, the fiddle player who worked with Sandy in the Fairports.
It was a good night too for Jim Moray, with a no-nonsense, rousing treatment of the traditional murder ballad Matty Groves, and by way of contrast there was the highly theatrical Marc Almond trying to cope with the complex melodic shifts of The North Star Grassman.
To close, the entire cast performed Who Knows Where the Time Goes, with the lonely-looking figure of Sandy Denny playing along on piano, on a screen behind the stage. It had been a great evening, but I went home to listen to her original recordings.

and if those reading the reviews have their curiosity roused, perhaps Sandy's music & words will reach even more people...

Congratulations on what appears to have been a successful event.

I found it a most enjoyable evening, fair to say a couple of the turns were not completely to my taste but I went to the QE hall on Monday evening with an open mind, prepared to hear interpretations of Sandy's music presented by a variety of artists, who themselves are smitten as we are, by the lady and her music.

The content of the show and list of performers was made quite clear by the SBC and the promoters of the event, so with that prior information, I don't quite understand why anyone would attend knowing they would not find the experience a pleasant one.
It seemed quite obvious to me that we were to be presented with an interesting evening and it would therefore be necessary to go into the hall with an open mind.
It would appear there are some people, who under no circumstances wish to hear Sandy's music played by, or reinterpreted by other artists, if that is so, why did they chose to attend. One such person emerged from a two year hibernation to say how awful or ill conceived, in their opinion the event was ?  Surely they must have realised roughly what to expect before the event.

The organisers in my opinion did an admirable job, the singers and musicians without exception gave their all and I thank them wholeheartedly (even the ones I didn't quite get) for what for me was, a very enjoyable & successful evening.

Hi all

Just to answer an earlier question, this was a non-profit event which purely covered costs of all the people involved, which were many!

Jamie

Sorry to repeat the question,

but has the event been recorded and if so, it is available on Utube, BBC1 or WHY ?

Yes - it has been professionally recorded and will be broadcast by Bob Harris on BBC Radio hopefully before Christmas. I don't know re YouTube.

There will also be a feature on Sandy in a BBC4 series about British Female singers next year.

Jamie

from the chief organiser................



Hi Guys,
 
Andrew here. Thanks for all the nice comments, the concert was a real labour of love for me, and alot of hard work on my part and for everyone involved- cant believe it all went like clockwork without a hitch!
 
Anyone that is a musician will know how hard Sandys songs are to play, so alot of effort was put into the arrangements by Pete and Andy from Bellowhead. I couldnt have asked for a better band. Secondly, the concert was non profit, and so everyone involved volunteered their services for practically nothing- they could all have earnt way more on solo bookings, so its a real testement to their commitment and interest in Sandy that they wanted to take part in this event- I will never forget that generosity of spirit.
 
I feel I must make a response to Bodger who was quite negative about the event; whilst I agree no one is going to top Sandy herself, we do have some excellent singers and performers on the contemporary folk scene. In putting this show together, I had several aims; the first was to have a bill of largely younger fans of Sandy who would be able to bring interest in her recordings to a new audience; I didnt see the point in a class of 69 reunion- (as in many ways I felt that had already been done with the Lieg and Lief concert at Cropredy).  and secondly if Sandy's legacy is to survive and grow, it needs to reach beyond the kind of audience that originally bought her records- they are already 'sold' on Sandy; and when they are gone where will Sandys legacy be without ongoing interest from the musicians and folk/music fans of today?
 
Sandy was never restricted by the folk genre and sang many different styles of music and worked with people not connected to the folk world- to that end, I wanted a bill that wasnt exclusivley folk based- also Sandys songwriting is so good, that I believe it can be sung by any good singer and her appeal is universal. for example the soul singer PP Arnold delivered totally authentic readings of I'm A Dreamer and Old Fashioned Waltz- she completley understood the songs. I will be happy if anyone that was a fan of PP or Marc Almond or any one else not associated with the folk world came to the show to see them, and went home thinking that tomorrow they would buy Sandys music. But even for folk fans, how could they not be interested in hearing singers of the calibre of Mary Epworth and Lisa Knapp or Jim Moray and Johnny Flynn perform Sandys songs? for many of us, myself included are to young to have seen Sandy and just hearing the songs played live was
thrilling.
 
I did of course want some people that had known and worked with Sandy to take part, and went straight to the top with Swarb and Jerry. I have to say that we also wanted other associates who for various reasons were unable to make it. Richard T was busy but supportive. As to Fairport the simple truth is they wanted to much money!
 
It was important to mark Sandys thirtieth anniversary with a musical event, and to keep Sandys name and reputation alive -  to try to bring her music to the widest audience possible. The concert should hopefully be on radio 2 before the end of the year.
 
As to the programme- which also took me forever to design! and which fellow listies Philip Ward and Jamie Taylor contributed to- we had no idea it would be so successful, so I'm looking into opening a mailorder list where if people let me know by a certain date, they can subscribe for a copy. The programme had many beautiful pics of Sandy in it, and it is a nice pictoral overview of Sandys life.
 
Thanks to all that came, and to Chris for taking piccies.
 
best
 
Andrew

Two of the three guys in FC who knew and worked with Sandy, Gerry & Peggy were in Scotland on tour with the Dylan project, the third, Simon was probably wrapped up in rehearsal, preparing for Albion Xmas tour.

Cheers Martin - I thought the swipe about then being too expensive was a tad below the belt.

I'm not acting as a spokesman, or making excuses for anyone but think it's fairly common practice, if a band for any reason are unavailable, to simply ask for silly money.
That gives clear indication to a promoter that he/she should look elsewhere, rather than waste time, going up a blind alley.

As Billy stated the musicians that did appear, did so for practically nothing, full marks to each and everyone of them for that. That said, it is therefore reasonable to assume, none of them had other gig commitments on Monday evening.

 As mentioned in my earlier post, the FC guys were gigging on Monday and therefore unavailable.

Andrew said in his introduction to Baby Dee that she had moved a concert scheduled for that night to the following day in order to appear.First time i've seen someone play harp then piano wearing hobnail boots !

Andrew

No need to justify yourself or the choices you made. As far as I can see the dissenting voices are very few and in some cases didn't even attend so can be politely ignored.

Certainly I spoke to a couple of non-folkies for whom the night was a revelation and they were keen to learn more about Sandy and her music - job done!

On the programmes, yes please do offer them by mail order; they'd all been snaffled by the time I realised there were any.

Thanks again for a great night


Roger

here, here, well said that man

I don't think Andrew ever posts here.That was what he had to say about it at the Sandy Denny group site.You can contact him there.

SandyDennyList@yahoogroups.com

Perhaps capturing the spirit of a woman in her prime requires musicians of a similar age and energy level. So it all worked out fine.

The "not necessarily Bellowhead" house band on the evening was that -- energetic, young, appropriate backup for the featured artists, and deserving of all compliments. It was especially nice to see one of them step forward to the mike for a solo, and to learn that one of them (the drummer?) did the arrangements.

And could I also put in a vote for Johnny Flynn.

I know nothing at all about Bellowhead except i may or may not have seen them on Monday night ! Did i see them ? I thought Andrew said a couple were missing.The lad who did Bushes and Briars,and all the others for that matter,were great.

Billy, the house band on Monday evening,with the exception of Jerry Donahue and Sam Carter, are all members of Bellowhead.

The reason for referring to them as NOT Bellowhead, is because the two front men in Bellowhead, John Spiers & Jon Boden were not in attendance.

Bellowhead members who played;
 
Paul Sartin, violin/oboe/piano
Benji Kirkpatrick, bouzouki/mandolin/acoustic guitar
Andy Mellon, piano/trumpet
Pete Flood, drums/percussion
Sam Sweeny,violin/viola
John Bridgewood, acoustic bass

musical arrangements by Peter Flood and Andy Mellon

I agree with you, they were absolutely fantastic.

Hi Martin,

I'd have thought the reason that the house band on Monday were not referred to as Bellowhead was not because Spiers and Boden weren't there, but because neither were Rachael Mcshane, Justin Thurgur, Brendan Kelly and Gideon Juckes. This means that less than half of the band were there and it would be somewhat ridiculous to refer to that as Bellowhead.


Absolutely amazing band though - whatever they were called!

P.S. Not sure John Bridgewood's a member of Bellowhead either! Doesn't he play in Lisa Knapp's band?

Hello and welcome.

Thanks for your input, you clearly know far more about Bellowhead and Liza Knapp's band than I, I copied the info from the programme notes, in which John Bridgewood is listed as a member of Bellowhead, it's more than possible that info is wrong.
If my previous post was misleading, it wasn't meant to be. It was my attempt to give a simplified answer to Billy's direct question, in which he referred to two missing members of Bellowhead, I chose the two obvious names, apologies to those I didn't mention.

Video of Johnny Flynn's two numbers ('Stranger To Himself' and 'It'll Take A Long Time'):
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca2niWzgsCY

I am watching it at the moment, and regretting the fact that anything like this will always be on in London!!!

Gideon is no longer a member of BellowHead, having left a while ago. Sam was his unofficial replacement but, I believe, has now signed the contract permanently. I'll check with him next time I bump into him.

I am listening to the concert soundtrack on CD, in his introduction, Robin Denselow the music critic of the Guardian says, the backing band look remarkably like Bellowhead but as Spiers and Boden were not there, he'd been told not to call them Bellowhead.

So it seems my memory was not playing tricks, as I thought that was what I heard on the night. But "folkynewbie" may well be correct in saying, that other Bellowhead members were also absent

Listening to it. watching it and generally reliving it I'm bound to ask..

Can we do it all again next year?

I suspect those involved might have caught the bug of organising shows like this.......

Just to clarify the Bellowhead membership issue, it was Giles Lewin (fiddle and pipes) that left Bellowhead and was replaced by Sam Sweeney, not Gideon Juckes (who plays the Helicon)

The compere's comments about Kristina being the kind of girl that could get you out of a really tight spot...what did he mean by that...did somebody not show at the last moment?

Sorry, that's what I meant, my bad.

Eliza Carthy who is laid up awaiting surgery on a throat problem until after she's given birth; Eddi Reader was absent too....

And Kev Dempsey stood in for Martin Carthy.

But Eliza announced she wasn't singing any more months ago, didn't she?  Anyway, thanks for the explanation....

THe news onlywent up on the South Bank's website after tickets had sold, so I guess an explanation of sorts was required....

Three advertised acts pulled out in the days before the concert: Florence and the Machine (for what can politely be called "contractual" reasons), Kamila Thompson (throat infection) and Martin Carthy (family reasons etc). The numbers intended to be sung by Florence and Kamila had therefore to be given to Mary and Kristina. Hats off to them! I was sorry not to hear Kamila, though. Her 'Nothing More' went down a storm at the Troubadour.

Ha-ha. Haven’t we run out of anniversaries to peg it on? 2009… the 31st anniversary of her passing… might be a difficult sell with the press. This year was always going to be The Big Push and I’d say, for a lady who's no longer with us, she’s had a pretty successful year.

But seriously, there are justified gripes that both the tribute events this year have been in the metrops. I’m quite taken by the idea of a ‘Denny Project’ – like the Dylan Project – something that could tour.

Thanks for that - that makes much more sense now.  I have to say, to me, the real revelation of this gig (I wasn't there, sadly) was Mary Epworth....her voice is just wondrous and I've investigated her myspace now and that looks just awesome.  The wheel keeps on turning...

 :)

Mary was on my radar prior to this gig, having come by her while investigating Johnny Flynn, the Sussex Wit & Laura Marling.....

I have to say that the new (nu)-folk circle is rather 'incestuous'.....in that you keep going round in ever-increasing circles...

Anyone know if David Tibet of Current 93 was there on the night?

As dime are not taking in new members at present is there any other way of listening to this concert?

Try Dime again in about 15 mins.

Thanks Martin.I saw you by the stage on Monday before the show,we were in the front row.I'm familiar with all the old 'uns of course but not many of the youngsters,though we did see Lisa Knapp at The Troubadour Sandy tribute.

If you don't get it PM me your address on Monday and i'll send it to you.

Marc Almond, 'All Our Days':
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsnrg77ui4

As Simon Cowell would no doubt say, he's like Marmite: you either love him or you hate him.  

Please mind your language!! :D

There's this as well. . .Johnny Flynn singing Stranger to Himself and It'll Take a Long Time.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca2niWzgsCY

Sounds pretty good given it's a boot.

It's on highqualitymp3.com in 'Folk & Trad' - rapidshare link

I'm loking for a shot of the poster, or a scan.
There's anyone who can supply it?
Ty in advance