The Stables, Wavendon, 2 June 2010 (1st Night) - Karen and Deb resume their travels

We met some lovely Harley-fans outside the venue, in the still very warm evening sunshine, before the start of the gig; Mike and his mate John and the very tall Dave, all of whom had been reading our little gig reports/travelogs (so glad someone does) and who queried whether attending so many gigs turned them into a blur or diminished the appeal; and ‘weren’t they all the same?’ ‘Oh but they are not' we explained – it’s like following a football team, every match is different, every piece of action is different and to prove a point, the Stables (night 1) delivered yet more twists and turns and surprises....

Interesting vantage point from where to see the delight unfold, initially high in the tiers for the Lartey Sisters and then up in the gods, for Steve and the band, from where colours and light shone upon their heads and, not for the first time on this tour, we regretted not having a decent camera with us. Ashleigh and Faye’s set was very well received by a crowd of locals, supporters of the venue and Harley fans alike and reduced one of our party to tears (again). Karen had to remind Deb to put her mascara on AFTER they’ve sung ‘Nobody’s here’, in future. Beautiful voice and guitar filled the air and thrilled all who heard.

‘Faith and Virtue’ seems to have become the staple opener for Steve’s set and it brought the room alive after the short interval. You have to remember that the stables at Wavendon is frequented by those who love their music, they may not always want to get up and dance but they know quality when they see it and quality has sold the venue out two nights running, with standing room tickets having to be sold too, because of the demand. Their applause after this, the first of the ‘new’ songs said everything you needed to know.

Then they rocked the Stables to its rafters with ‘Psychomodo’ and the crystal clear sounds permeated every inch of that purpose built centre of musical excellence; must have been a sound engineers dream, particularly as Andy had just been relieved of his two nightmares, as we sat transfixed in a hot dark space above him. ‘Judy Teen’ flew in from America, Robbie’s guitar sang, Stuarts drums whipped up the fairground beat and the flashing bow of the violin danced before our eyes and the crowd needed very little encouragement from Steve to acknowledge that (s)he made us ‘appy!
‘Panorama’ kept up the tempo, as the crowd danced in their seats and Steve pointed his guitar at each pause before they launched into a new verse. The sun may have set outside but inside it was a hot and dark midnight beach where a delightful tide of light and sound was lapping the stage below.

Next two new songs that captivated and delighted all at the same time.’ No Bleeding Hearts’ with Steve centre stage, the band in the shadows and he, circled with a golden light, earnestly set out his solo stall, a picture of desolation, no hope... before slowly bringing in instrument upon instrument as the song builds and the picture of those isolated by all around them becomes clear, the synth and moog shrieking of torture and pain whilst the man at the centre illustrates the monotonous and mechanistic lives with the tick-tocking of his head. The picture is complete; the applause is deafening.
Daniel Johnston’s ‘True Love Will Find You in the End’ and Steve urges us to look beyond the simplicity of the song and whilst the band conjure up a feast for the ears, Steve is smiling, the smile of a man who knows.

We’re taken back to the 70’s with ‘Mirror Freak’ and a superb extended mandolin solo from Robbie that makes your heart sing – ‘show on a shelf’ indeed – how apt for us tucked away in our hot and steamy vantage point where Steve’s every gesture and word is eaten up and absorbed with joy. Quickly swapping to guitar Robbie delivers us another quality guitar outing during the lovely ‘Loretta’s Tale’ where, Ashleigh’s voice and Barry’s violin add depth to Steve’s beautiful lyric and amazing voice; it was a very fine show....

You can almost hear a pin drop during ‘This Old Man’, little sound, save for the gasps of recognition in the crowd and thunderous applause at the end; later, outside, we overhear man who has to buy the new album for that song alone –powerful stuff. Off on a timeless flight with ‘All the Men are Hungry’ and then the welcome return to the set of ‘For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn’ with Steve telling sad tales of love too young and the dreadful consequence as James’s dulcimer rings out, Faye strums the acoustic guitar and Ashleigh echoes Steve’s words and finally the combination of violin, bass and drums holds your musical attention to the end.

‘Mr Raffles’ gets the crowd singing but so, in the same way as on every gig we’ve attended, does ‘Here Comes The Sun’; it’s instant – the second the song starts – don’t know about smiles returning to our faces but there was one on his – a big grin as he looks up and listens and smiles. Wonderful! Next ‘The Lighthouse’ with the stage lit watery blue and at times, as the tempo rises and a virtual storm of music rages all around us, the lighting towers flash white lightening across the tempestuous seas and the violin like a wailing voice in the storm sings out – a beacon in a wild ocean. Lovely – well done Steve and Barry!

Dual tambourines of Ashley and James along with subtle metallic rhythms from Stuart herald Steve’s introductions of the band as one by one they take their deserved bows and Steve pulls Lincoln centre stage to take his, and marvels at the stamina of the Lartey sisters who are doing exams and this all at the same time and finally introduces his buddy Stuart Elliott on drums who was with him way back when this all started some thirty eight years ago....
We are ‘Blinded with Tears’ and the sounds of Barry’s electric guitar before we bop to ‘Mr Soft’ and are treated to a lesson in Djembie playing from James as he and Stuart, with slashing strokes of the drums, arms whipping with sticks aloft, provide the powerful rhythms to this classic 70’s single.

The title track of the new album ‘Stranger Comes to Town’ is next and Steve is bathed in a beautiful sliver light as he tells of buried keys and hope amongst the temptations of life before the band embark on the orchestral ‘Sebastian’ with the green light falling upon James for the intro on piano before returning centre stage to where Steve is enhanced first in green then red as this amazing work is given yet more twists and turns, Steve's voice rising above violin and flute, the bass pumping out an infectious rhythm and, as we’ve said before, if you shut your eyes there might be a whole symphony orchestra there before you, instead of these few but very talented musicians and the amazing song writer that is Steve Harley; what a wordsmith, what a leader – this was genius tonight!
The encore sees tales of younger generations with ‘A Journey’s End’ and followed by guess what....  ‘Make Me Smile’ wouldn’t want in any other way – they’re up and dancing; a prize plectrum for one brave dancer and we’re dancing in the rafters as the curtain comes down on yet another fabulous performance...... Let’s do it all again tomorrow!!!