Bellowhead @ Open

For those yet to discover the particular delights of next generation folk aristocracy Bellowhead, three things must you know, 1) they are notoriously unique and innovative as a live folk music spectacle, 2) this date was third from the end of their farewell tour and 3) every date sold out in advance so you weren’t going anyway! John Spiers and Jon Boden started off in Eliza Carthy’s band, and that is about as close to English Revivalist royalty as you can get, this side of Teddy Thompson or the late Kirsty Maccoll.

I arrived in plenty of time and yet the place was heaving with people of all shapes, ages, flavours and lifestyles; turn around and you are as likely to bump into a postman or estate agent as you are a Mohawk punk or new age traveller. Great stuff - I love diversity in an audience and these guys were brimful of anticipation.

Support came from Mawkin, who came blasting out with full on cider drinking round the Maypole English folk music. Feet were tapping, heads a’nodding and although they seemed new to the crowd they clearly engaged them, warming them up nicely for the main event. Plenty of energy and songs about sailors and whores, and by the look of the merch stall afterwards they gained a load of new fans.

By showtime the crowd was huge, well-oiled and primed to explode. Bellowhead came out section by section, brass, violins, drums then Spiers and Boden themselves. They started with Port Of Amsterdam, a Jacques Brel cover which showed me how broad their material can be and how confident they are as it is a very slow burn. Singer and violinist Jon Boden owning the stage as would any rock star, and the Gaelic storytelling with folk brass demonstrated their versatility and imagination. Moving through jigs and reels, dance pieces, chamber folk and classics with an ear for the funk and humour; the band never missed a beat, impressive as there are 11 people playing and the tunes are often in very complex time signatures that switch frequently during each song. Phew, they are superb and yet still exude euphoric youth, punk ethic and a wonderfully exuberant sound of Olde England.

Bellowhead are going to be a loss to the live music scene in many ways; they magnetically draw in those in society who don’t want the meat and two veg of grown up pop and rock, or the bass heavy bombardment of dance, grime or hip hop, but still want to sing along and have a bloody good boogie. You would have to see the crowd go wild for yourself, but New York Girls was full on as a set closer, before encoring with the biggest hit of their career, the practically illegally infectious London Town, complete with hand gestures that literally everyone knew and delivered. Hilarious jumping up and down through Frogs Legs and Dragons Tails before one final tune for the Norwich folk massive, an interpretation of the traditional classic Prickle Eye Bush, much better known to most people outside the folk scene as Gallows Pole from the rather well known Led Zeppellin 3 album.

They then went down The Wildman for an unannounced after show party which must have been amazing given their skills, zest and passion. It was my first and last time seeing the big band experience of Bellowhead and that’s a real shame, but I am looking forward to whatever Spiers and Boden come out with next, especially live as they thrive on the vibe of a crowd who are up for it, and, for a lovely change, Norwich went for it big style.