John Spiers and Jon Boden celebrated their tenth birthday in style at a rather larger venue than they usually frequent as a duo.
The Shepherd’s Bush Empire was busy, though, with the crowd buoyed by the prospect of a very impressive guest list. The birthday boys allowed each guest space to perform by themselves but were frequently back to collaborate with them.
After rip-roaring opener Captain Ward, first to join the pair was Belshazzar’s Feast. Pauls Hutchinson and Sartin were in their usual irresistible form, and entertained with a European medley, the highlight of which was Paul Sartin’s impressively operatic twist on O Sole Mio.
The duo helped set the tone for an informal, joyous night with their quick-fire banter (“we’re already regretting inviting them”, joked Jon), but as usual were serious players. Paul Sartin’s oboe accompaniment to Mary Anne was particularly satisfying, bringing the song’s sweetness to the fore.
Martin Simpson’s quiet modesty contrasts with his casual brilliance with a guitar, and his subtle embellishments to a pleasingly eerie Horn Fair (again complemented by the oboe) were as impressive as his beautiful solo rendition of Bold General Wolfe.
No less dextrous is Andy Cutting, graciously described by John as “the best melodeon player in Britain”. His solo performance was breathtaking, enough to convince a returning John that he ought to stick to the concertina for a moment.
Despite their heavy workload as hosts and stars of the evening, John and Jon certainly seemed to enjoy their party and were relaxed and smiley as the second half kicked off with Nancy Kerr and James Fagan on stage. They demonstrated their talents with I Am The Fox, before helping the boys give Tom Padget its natural stomp.
The level of on-stage camaraderie was high all night but the duo seemed especially pleased to welcome Magpie Lane’s Ian Giles, a singer who helped set them on their way as professionals. He looked pleasingly incongruous shrouded in dry ice and stage lights, but put in a great performance, and later returned with his ’knackers’ - in fact a pair of drums.
The duo really got into their stride with a dazzling Three Tunes, the teasing outro of which heralded the introduction of the majestic Eliza Carthy. An opportunity to perform some Ratcatchers material wasn’t passed over, and the audience was treated to full-blooded versions of Gallant Hussar and Worcester City. The trio’s old chemistry was evident, and Eliza’s voice simply gorgeous.
Sadly, it had to come to an end, with the only consolation being the inevitable ’everyone onto the stage’ moment. A final triptych of crowd-pleasers Bold Sir Rylas, Prickle-Eye Bush and the Haul Away set was accompanied heartily by the crowd through two raucous encores.
Earlier, the pair had mused at the “promising” careers they’d abandoned to music. Ten years from the beginning, this wonderful celebration made it clear that genetics and medieval studies’ loss is the folk scene’s gain.
