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Review: Wishbone Ash, St. George’s
Way back at the dawn of time, before the advent of the internet and YouTube, there were few ways for underage groovers to get a taste of the live rock concert experience, apart from the occasional film clip on TV. This is where that great 1970s artefact the live album – especially the double live album, resplendent in its gatefold sleeve – performed such a vital function. As a snot-nosed kid, I wore out my copy of Slade Alive! before graduating to the likes of Genesis Live, Yessongs, Uriah Heep Live, Hawkwind’s Space Ritual and Deep Purple’s Made In Japan. For bands, these could represent anything from an easy fulfilment of a contractual obligation to a career-defining classic (Kiss Alive!, Frampton Comes Alive, Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous). And right in the middle of the early live album boom came Wishbone Ash’s Live Dates. Recorded on tour in June 1973, their second biggest selling album after the magnificent, oft-reissued Argus succeeded brilliantly in capturing the band’s patented twin lead guitar onslaught, without the influence of which there would have been no Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. 1980’s Live Dates 2 (recorded in part at the Hall Formerly Known as Colston) was also pretty damn good.
Today, there are two rival bands playing the old stuff, each boasting one original member. Guitarist Andy Powell remains at the helm of this official version, which retains the legal rights to the name. Both acts have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of Live Dates this year. (Wishbone Four also turned 50, but that fact seems to have been overlooked). The official Ash elect to play the whole thing in sequence, and have even re-recorded it with the current line-up. So from the moment Powell strides out clutching his trademark Flying V guitar, we know exactly what to expect and the order in which it’s going to be played. Except that they ease us in with an unexpected Real Guitars Have Wings from the 1987 instrumental album Nouveau Calls (geddit?).
Doing Live Dates is, of course, another way of revisiting Argus, which has formed the backbone of their set for more than half a century now. One could quibble about the sequencing from the perspective of this end of Wishbone Ash’s career, since the then-recent Argus is mined for the first three brilliant songs (The King Will Come, Warrior, Throw Down the Sword), while the end of the set is dominated by tracks from the band’s debut (Lady Whiskey, Phoenix), which is what contemporary fans would have craved. The acoustics at St. George’s are hardly designed for driving hard rock and the vocals tend to get lost on occasion, which is not necessarily a bad thing as hearing these songs without Martin Turner’s distinctive tones takes some getting used to.
is needed now More than ever
It quickly becomes clear that the key asset of Powell’s current line-up is his guitarist sparring partner Mark Abrahams, who was just two years old when this reviewer first saw Wishbone Ash on the Just Testing tour. Comfortably filling the boots of his predecessors Ted Turner and Laurie Wisefield, he’s a master of the rich mix of styles in the Wishbone Ash melting pot, which takes in folk (Ballad of the Beacon) and heavy blues (the cover of Jimmy Reed’s Baby What You Want Me To Do). Bassist Bob Skeat (now a 25 year Ash veteran) and recently recruited drummer Mike Truscott make a formidable rhythm section too.
It seems reasonable to assume that the teenage Powell (19 when he joined Wishbone Ash) never anticipated that he’d still be playing these songs in his seventies, but if he’s at all tired of doing so there’s no sign of that tonight. He also knows that we want to hear this stuff the way it was originally played. Bar a few tweaks and embellishments, that’s exactly what the packed and delighted audience gets. “It’s like the old days!” acknowledges Powell of our enthusiasm as they return for an encore of Living Proof.
Next year brings the 50th anniversary of There’s the Rub, so let’s hope they’ll be celebrating back on stage in Bristol, playing the likes of Persephone and F.U.B.B. Then they can take a year off before revisiting the under-appreciated New England.
Read More: Metal & Prog Picks: October 2023
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