Strawbs at Hamilton Place Theatre

Photographs by Lee-Ann Richer.

Perhaps you know the Strawbs as the Sixties Bluegrass band or as the Strawberry Hill Boys. Or maybe you know them as the Prog rock band that spawned Rick Wakeman, who later joined YES.  You may also know them as the band from which ex members John Ford(bass guitar) and Richard Hudson(drummer) left to form a band called “The Monks”. Or maybe you have heard their name and wondered, ‘who are The Strawbs?’.

The band, “The Strawbs” is now touring as an acoustic trio. This trio made up of Dave Cousins, Chas Cronk and Dave Lambert.  They performed to 200 fans, Friday October 17^th at Hamilton Place Theatre. When we entered the theatre the band had already started their show.

One of songs was dedicated to Sandy Denny, who sang with them on their first album.

I was pleasantly surprised how much sound this trio produced!  Between one of the members (Chas Cronk – bassist/guitarist) using a 12-string guitar, the usage of various foot pedals, the harmonies of the voices intertwined with the instruments, and the tightness of the band, they had a spellbinding sound that was full and robust. Their material had a flavor of the band “Genesis” in Folk form If you had your back turned, you’d swear there were more than only three people on stage. Their sound was equally as charming as Dave Cousins personality!

After each song ended, Dave Cousins (founder/songwriter/singer/guitarist) incorporated story telling between songs. His voice was enchanting and sounded like a father telling his child a bedtime story. It’s not often the dialogue is as compelling as the music, but in this case, it was! Dave Cousins told stories of days gone by, when his music club has clients like as David Bowie and Al Stewart.

I had only witnessed 2 ½ songs due to photography time restraints however this acoustic trio is still performing in the area over the next few days and I plan on seeing them again (for the entire show!), during this tour.

Dave Cousins is also promoting his book “Exorcising Ghosts” and doing book signings while on tour. For further tour date info.