There is a cheer as Andy Powell – who since 1969 has called this band home – said it. “This is an ancient song. Probably 50 years or more old.” Then he smiles: “You like the old stuff, huh?”
And with that, they are straight into “Standing In The Rain, ” which is majestic. The guitar that both Powell and Mark Reynolds play is wonderful and invokes the spirit of the 70s, and you are transported back there. So much so, you half expected Bob Harris to introduce them on The Old Grey Whistle Test.
Having such longevity, however, is a double-edged sword. The crowd (of which MV is one of the youngest despite being in our late 40s) obviously wants to hear the stuff they grew up with, the group themselves though want to keep things fresh. To that end, they had played both “We Stand As One” from their most recent record in 2020, and “Deep Blues” from the one before that, and the latter had come complete with a real UFO-type energy.
Given that, and the intro for “Throw Down The Sword” has basically been ripped off by Iron Maiden in every one of their latter-day epics, the simple “prog” epithet, never it seems to me, sits very comfortably with Wishbone Ash.
“…Sword”, of course like “Warrior” that precedes it comes from the “Argus” record. A bona fide classic, and these songs sound as fresh today as they ever surely would have done.
A big part of that is the skill they display. The musicianship is wonderful, yet you never feel they’re being wilfully self-indulgent as many bands of this type are. Even as they started with the instrumental “Real Guitars Have Wings”, it always seems as though the focus is on the songs themselves rather than technical wizardry.
A set that is split into two halves, ends with “Why Don’t We?” And begins again with “F.U.B.B” which is anchored down by Bob Skeet’s mighty bass, while Reynolds finds something funky in his tool bag,
“Jail Bait” another of those golden oldies, is more of the same brilliance, while the twin guitar playing of “Living Proof” is all the proof – if you will – you need the Wishbone Ash, are phenomenal thing.
There’s an encore – and it could be argued that they saved the best till last, as “Pheonix” rises, falls, undulates, meanders, and does everything you’d want an epic show-ender to do. There is a moment where Reynolds plays his guitar so quietly you could hear a pin drop – that is until some misguided individual decides to shout out, in a vain attempt to prove how big a fan they are, no doubt.
But the closing crescendo which sees relatively new drummer Mike Truscott (who’s been with the band for a couple of years) excelling on the kit, is a work of genuine heaviness.
And if they’ve never quite fit into a neat box – a little like Uriah Heep, say – then there is one inescapable thing: the only way you get to make records for well over 50 years and have people come to watch you play those songs live still, is if you are gifted with something special. And make no mistake about it, Andy Powell and his Wishbone Ash have that quality.
