Iain Matthews at the Greys – 27th June2011

He was a founding member of Fairport Convention, but left after the third album, I think. That was a long time ago, and I had no idea what to expect.
Things started badly – self-penned songs of about 2 verses each, repeated over and over. One asked, ‘Is there anybody out there, is there anybody listening?’. I was tempted to respond, ‘Do you have anything to say?’
Grand set of teeth though, very white, very even.
Things got better. He lives in Holland now, and listens to the BBC World Service where he heard an item about a wife who received a letter from her dead husband some decades after the war. He based a song on it, and it was moving.
In the second set he was joined by Julian on harmonica (together they are Plainsong). The first song had the rhymes ‘next to me’, ‘destiny’ and ‘misery’, which I enjoyed.
Later a grand song called ‘Funk and Fire’, about Hendrix and Janis Joplin and someone else I couldn’t identify.
Ended with ‘Meet on the Ledge’, which people had been calling for, then a newish variant on ‘Woodstock’ (which I guess must be his song) which worked well.
OK, so I enjoyed it overall. Forgot my camera, so I can’t show you the grey hair he has, but not on the poster.