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Governor Hindmarsh Hotel.Adelaide.  

1-9-99. 

Strathalbyn Town Hall. 

1-10-99.

Photos by Ian Fry

  

     Considering the lousy turnout Adelaide gave Fairport when they visited in 1996 , it was a total surprise to find them returning for not one but two shows in as many days . The 96 show was good but woefully patronised, with probably under 120 people attending the Royalty Theatre, which was cold , empty and uncomfortable-mostly due to seats that were so small that one was rubbing arms with ones neighbours throughout.

      1998 was almost the complete opposite! Decent seats ,almost full houses but unfortunately it was still uncomfortable -due to almost 40 c temperatures on both nights, which made things an ordeal for both musicians and audiences alike. However, a good time was had by all as far as one could see .The band performed really well,with newcomer Chris Leslie impressing all and sundry with his excellent fiddle playing and stalwart mandolin work . His vocal skills also blended superbly with those of the old stalwarts  and his songs gave a new slant to the proceedings. Overall he definitely seemed to give the band a new edge. At Strath, this was borne out when a friend came over and raved to me about how good the band actually were now,  fantastic ,was the term he used and I had to agree.  

 

  The Borderers opened each night with sets that were well received, with lead singer Alex toting around the wee baby Borderer -who is now a strapping lassie of nine months and who was handed to doting relatives during the shows - although opening with such slow numbers on Saturday meant it took a while to get the audience warmed up. However it was nice to see Ric Sanders fully grokking the band offstage during their last numbers , he really seemed to like Louis their fiddle player and on Sunday he was having a few words with Alex onstage at the end of the set.

   Sunday saw both the baby Borderer  and Alex's seven year old son ,as well as half a dozen other kiddies from the audience , joining the band onstage during Alex's heartfelt dedication to her kids -  One in a million  - although now there are two of them I suppose it needs renaming - but two in a million doesnt really have the same ring does it ? . 
The Borderers contribution was acknowledged by  Fairport both nights and I don't think it was merely lip service. They are a great band - especially when they have their drummer  (which they did not have this time round -probably to complement Fairports  drummerless lineup )-as he adds lot of oomph to their sound - but they are well worth listening to in whatever configuration they present - catch them if they are near you, you will not be disappointed !. 

The Borderers in acoustic mode l-r- Louis, Alex & Jim.
      When Fairport took to the stage it was a shame not to see Maart Allcock as part of the lineup , as he was a fantastic player in his own right and he had also been an essential cog in the Fairport machine during the previous gig in 96, but times change and people move on and so it is with our Maart.After a few minutes it became apparent that Chris has stepped more than adequately into Martins shoes.  
    It is not so much that Chris Leslie is a better player, but that his combination of instruments has brought a new sound to the band. The addition of another fiddle has created some admirable sequences where the strings have come to the fore , giving a very rich sound and allowing the players to bounce ideas off each other.Chris has also brought with him some nice songs and this of course has led to a new feel to the bands repertoire.That said, there was not much variation in the set list or the instrumental intervals on either night and this is something that caused some minor disgruntlement amongst those of us who were seeing more than one show.  
      One would have thought that it would have been possible to see a bit more fluidity  from such a formidably professional unit such as Fairport , but at the moment the band are playing it safe and taking no chances.  Even in the matter of what appears to be spontaneous stage banter  is actually rehearsed  and is more or less the same each night, which of course is no problem for the viewer who only goes to one gig, but given the fact that a goodly chunk of the audience was attending both shows it was probably a minor error on the bands part. Simon actually did ask how many of us had seen the previous nights show about half way through the Strathalbyn show and once he’d found out the numbers there was some change in his presentation. But one got the impression that he found it rather difficult to rephrase the introductions. However ,who am I to criticise, there's only so many ways one can announce a song and when you have been playing some songs for over 30 years it must be hard to find original ways to present them.  

     The band were obviously feeling the heat on Saturday with an almost complete complement of shorts , with Maestro Pegg sporting a violently coloured shirt with a guitar pattern and ultra white legs to set off the outfit. Towels for head wiping were much in evidence and Ric also cracked a joke about how he had been sweating ever since he had arrived in Australia - especially in Brisbane airport where a nice Labrador had started to sniff him - resulting in a full body search for drugs !  

        Sets were good and long , around two hours on both nights ,the only changes being Saturday nights Lifes a long song  giving way to Walk  Awhile on Sunday and Jewel in the Crown  being left out altogether on the final night. The set list was evident both nights in one of instrument cases and I had a gander to see what was in store , so we were forewarned about what was to come.  
      It was nice to see some of the oldies such as Walk Awhile making a return to the fold and most especially Who Knows Where the Time Goes, which Simon delivered most effectively on both nights. The new numbers were also well received , especially Dangerous , which has a very nice dynamic -( and which to me is very  reminiscent of Joni Mitchell numbers  from the mid eighties )- John Gaudie and The Flow . Chris's mandolin playing was great on Woodworm Swing  and Ric pulled out all the stops on the Bowmans Retreat . 
      Not having seen the band for two years, the most startling ( and pleasing ) change was the funky opening to Matty Groves with Peggy getting most percussive and the band really building to an almost psychedelic instrumental climax at times .Both nights were capped off with tender versions of  Meet on the Ledge to thunderous audience applause . 

      My friend Ian brought along his Nikon and was busy snapping away, using a 36 shot film each night, the bands hammed it up for him, especially on Sunday, with much posing and wacky facial expressions - the funniest incident being when the Borderers all stuck their heads together in mid song as in a typical family snapshot ( see above ), which earned a round of applause from the audience.  

       Overall this was a very successful stint in Adelaide , the venues and audiences were good  and It was nice to see that there was a much better rapport between band and sound men this time round, ( for explanation see the 96 Royalty theatre review ) the sound being superb on Saturday night at the Gov ,which as usual delivered great acoustics, but appalling air conditioning. Sound was very good where I sat on Sunday at Strath but we were right down the front and the band commented on there being problems with the sound, as the acoustics of the town hall were apparently less than ideal . 

However ,otherwise I have to commend Strath as a venue- even though the hall only had six ceiling fans, which was just not adequate for the intense heat.Other than that , it was nice to see the band in such an antique hall and Strathalbyn is a charming place. Its so quiet!. 

    During the intervals the audience streamed outside to get cool and we all just stood in the roadway  -there were no cars, virtually no noise, just lots of appreciative talk about how good the band were ! It was ultra peaceful and so unlike the normal city madness.

 

    The same vibe was evident from the band with Chris Leslie sitting in the audience before the gig chatting to friends and the band mingling with punters afterwards for about half an hour. Peggy was busy talking about turntables with Vic from Big Star, as well as expressing great interest in Ian's vintage Nikon ( as it appears Peggy is a bit of a camera buff) and the barriers between the audience and the performers just dissolved.Someone suggested that the band should come back in another two years and Peggy rejoindered with 

"why not next  year

Sounds good to me . But not a summer tour next time ok ?, I prefer 25c rather than 40c anytime and I'm sure the band does too !  

 

Outside Strathalbyn Town Hall during the interval .


The setlists.  

Governor Hindmarsh Hotel .

Port Road, Adelaide.  
1-9-99.  

Set One. 
The Royal Selection. 
Slip Jigs & Reels.  
Crazy Man Michael.  
Woodworm Swing.  
Wishfulness Waltz.  
Life’s A Long Song. 
Sailboat. 
Jewel In The Crown.  
The Bowmans Retreat. 

Set Two 
The Flow. 
Close To You. 
The Naked Highwayman.  
The Hiring Fair.  
John Gaudie. 
Who Knows Where The 
Time Goes.  
Dangerous.  
Matty Groves >  
Dirty Linen.  
Encore :  
Meet On The Ledge. 

 

Strathalbyn Town Hall. .

Strathalbyn . 
1-10-99. 

Set One. 
The Royal Selection. 
Slip Jigs & Reels.  
Crazy Man Michael.  
Woodworm Swing.  
Wishfulness Waltz.  
Walk Awhile. 
Sailboat. 
The Bowmans Retreat 
 

Set Two. 
The Flow. 
Close To You. 
The Naked Highwayman.  
The Hiring Fair.  
John Gaudie. 
Who Knows Where The Time Goes. 
Dangerous.  
Matty Groves>  
Dirty Linen.  
Encore :  
Meet On The Ledge.

Governor Hindmarsh Photos      Strathalbyn Town Hall Photos  
 

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