Leeds City Varieties
Leeds City Varieties is an infamous venue. Instantly familiar from its television glory days ("The Good Old Days") the well-known music hall had in fact started to look its age in recent years. In 2011, after a multi-million pound renovation, it is once again one of the finest venues in the county. On comfortable, spacious, red upholstered seats, the faithful waited for the arrival on stage of the great songwriter. An expectant buzz filled the hall.
Somewhere Down the Road
Ralph McTell might be best known for the second song he ever wrote, but the last few years have seen him as busy as ever. After the release of the wonderful and well-received Somewhere Down the Road, McTell produced two download releases (a Christmas record for 2010, The Things You Wish Yourself and a tribute to Bob Dylan, Don't Think Twice It's Alright) and has now begun releasing a a six-disc project, Songs For Six Strings consisting of recent live recordings. Add to that numerous media performances on national television and radio, a hit tour last year, a special guest performance with Fairport Convention at Cropredy Festival and now another tour!
Ralph McTell Set List
Tonight at the Leeds City Varieties was the third McTell performance I had seen in a relatively short space of time. All three performances were unique. Of course there are constants - one man and a guitar, his customary charm and humour, some repeated songs and stories - but there were more differences. Each setlist was different, drawing on a vast repertoire, and each felt as though it had been thought about in great depth.
As the star curtain faded and McTell took to the stage to enthusiastic applause, he took his Gibson J45 in hand, a harmonica rack around his neck, and began with Woody Guthrie's "Hard Travelling". Great country-blues finger-style guitar technique was in evidence on three tributes to his guitar heroes ("Arthur Blake", "Reverend Thunder" about Gary Davies and "The Ghost of Robert Johnson"). Songs from throughout his long career were showcased including brand new songs like "The London Apprentice" and "The Girl on the Jersey Ferry" and firm live favourites like "Mr. Connaughton" and "Barges".
Bert Jansch
The main set was concluded with a moving tribute to Ralph's great friend, Bert Jansch, who had died only a matter of weeks earlier. A selection of Jansch's recordings were played before and after the concert, and McTell concluded his main set with his own song "A Kiss in the Rain". The song featured on the Somewhere Down the Road album and tells the story of Bert Jansch and Anne Briggs and their arrangement of "Blackwaterside". This was a fitting and emotional conclusion to the concert. Called back on for an encore, McTell finished with "Somewhere Down the Road". "On some October day, when the leaves are blowing away, you'll maybe shed a tear and so will I" seemed a fitting way to send us off into the night.
Ralph McTell's Rapport With the Audience
There is such a positive attitude at a McTell concert: a real sense of togetherness. Before embarking on the complex guitar part on "Arthur Blake" McTell told the audience that he had broken a nail earlier in the day, and the response was a genuine, warm-hearted collective gasp! McTell's stories tend to be self-deprecating (lying for years that he'd become Woody Guthrie's penpal, when in fact he had received a few encouraging letters from Guthrie's wife; playing Gary Davies' "Hesitation Blues" to the great man who failed to recognise it, etc, etc.). This is never more in evidence than surrounding "the hit" ("Streets of London"). The packed City Varieties crowd sang along to the whole song, and it was a very moving moment. The song is slotted in halfway through the set; one great song among many. McTell tried to include as many requests as possible, including the beautiful "Easter Lilies" for probably the youngest member of the audience.
There were some surprise omissions, although with such a great repertoire, some classics will always be left out. There were no instrumentals tonight (perhaps partly because of the nail?). "That'll Do Babe", a tribute to Oliver Hardy, might have been brought out as Laurel and Hardy had performed at the City Varieties. It was also surprising that the popular "Around the Wild Cape Horn" did not come out. But who can complain? Surprise oldies like "First and Last Man" and "Tequila Sunrise" were certainly welcome replacements.
The City Varieties refurbishment has been a great success and I look forward to future events there. Let's hope that Ralph McTell finds his way back to the famous stage, somewhere down the road.
Duncan Hall - Duncan Hall is a semi-professional acoustic musician and lecturer in Government & Politics
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