More Great Bands, Singers & Stars Unleashed in 2025
Sky Dancing with Martin Simpson
One of the musical highlights of the year was the welcome appearance of award winning folk singer and guitarist Martin Simpson, who gave a riveting one-man show at St. George’s Church, Beckenham (November 15th, 2025).
A special presentation by The Arts At St. George organisation it drew a pew-packed crowd mesmerised by Martin’s performance that showcased not just his choice of original songs but his calm, yet soulful mastery of his beloved hand crafted guitar.
We (a group of friends) first spotted the lone figure sitting quietly at a table in a nearby restaurant, having dinner before the show began. “Is that Martin Simpson?” we whispered. So I went across and politely asked if he was the artist soon to perform in the church across the road – indeed it was!
In the ensuing conversation Martin explained he’d endured a nightmare six hour train journey to Beckenham due to floods, but was looking forward to playing songs, many featured on his latest album Sky Dancers. We also discovered we had a mutual friend in Melody Maker’s folk critic, the late fondly remembered Colin Irwin.
Meals over, we diners gathered in St. George’s, a huge building regularly the home of many top bands and acts. But there were no drum kits tonight or thunderous ranks of heavily amplified guitars.
Just the lone yet commanding figure of Mr. Simpson, ready to sing and caress his guitar and talk about his compositions in a conversational style almost as beguiling as the music.
The many musicians in the attentive audience (including members of the Steve Eggs Band) were soon focussing on his bottle neck technique as much as his banjo playing and the message of songs about his heroes Paul Robeson and Woody Guthrie whose records he’d heard at a young age and would change his life. There were other influences too and it was especially engaging to hear Martin sing Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’, while accompanying himself with a ragtime rhythm on his trusty (nay beloved) guitar.
If you’d like to discover Martin’s muse further then do explore his double CD Skydancers released on the Topic label. The rich variety of tracks will take you on a magical journey through a country mile of songs like the aforementioned title track ‘Skydancers’.
Intriguing to discover the back ground to items like ‘Lowlands/Billy Waters’ that have their roots in Afro-American work songs and sea shanties. Among the many delights is the merry ‘Alan Tyne of Harrow’ an 18th century highway man’s ballad and the Irish ‘Donal Og’ which Martin explains ‘broke my heart’ when he first heard it sung by June Tabor in 1977.
Throughout the album Martin is given sensitive accompaniment by an array of like-minded spirits including Louis Campbell (acoustic/electric guitars), Andy Cutting (diatonic accordion), Liz Hanks (cello), Greg Leisz (pedal steel), Ben Nicholls (string bass) together with a chorus of backing vocalists.
Of course they couldn’t make it to our church on time. No need. On this stormy night we just sat back and let Martin’s inspirational music pour over us like ‘Buckets Of Rain.’ That’s another song by the way!
We Meet A Perfect Stranger
Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, November 11th 2025
On Armistice Day there came another memorable occasion when an extraordinary 10-piece band led by conductor and bass guitarist Chris Sansom gathered below stairs at the Pizza Express, Dean Street, Soho. The intention was to recreate a musical concept he had first conceived way back in 1974 and is now featured on Perfect Stranger’s acclaimed debut album Unfinished Business (Spark!).
We had a perfect seat to view proceedings, just behind the Steinway grand piano played by Alcyona Mick with dazzling expertise and only feet away from Mr. Sansom, the man in charge of proceedings. And close enough to see percussionist Rob Millett showing how triangles really should be played.
There is something exciting about hearing an experiment being carried right before our eyes and ears, rather like witnessing Edison switching on his first successful light bulb. We were flooded with the light of musical inspiration, as the band members mindfully studied their demanding charts to ensure accuracy while letting their hearts beat with passion throughout two sets that enthralled the packed audience.
It was the bass and drums of Paul Michael and Jonas Golland that set a mysterious mood for opening item ‘Lugubrious Boots’, building up tension before the brass section joined in to create a perfect orchestra. And it was the tasteful use of chimes, rung out by the multi-tasking Rob Millett that brought this first intriguing piece to its sonic finale.
During performances Chris Sansom engaged the audience with conversational introductions and a brief history of the Strangers project and its evolution. He explained that along the way he had tried to update the concept in the 1980s and this resulted in the next number of the evening ‘Bebop Number 8’.
A real bop swinger that included a vibraphone brought into play but the emphasis was on integrated unison passages rather than improvised soloing in the jazz tradition. But that would came later.
It was also intriguing to hear the late Frank Zappa’s composition ‘Igor’s Boogie, both Phase 1 & 2’. When interviewing Frank for a Melody Maker article I once asked him about the origins of Igor and his ‘Boogie.’ He answered by pencilling the musical notes on a piece of manuscript paper which I kept, but sadly lost over the years. (Ghostly voice: ‘It might be in your attic’).
FRANK ZAPPA SPEAKS
It did feel at times as if the ghost of Frank Zappa was hovering over us in the Pizza Express, ordering Chris Sansom to ‘Make a jazz noise here.’ And so we so were offered the mellow tone of a flugel horn solo by George Jefford before the ‘noise’ changed and Jonas G. locked into a funky beat while Rob Millett chimed in with more melodious percussion.
It was the sax section of Bob McKay and Martin Hathaway who raised the temperature with a barrage of solos, as they plucked their various horns from stands that resembled an instrument dealer’s shop window.
Abrupt change of mood. ‘The Children’s Hour of Dream’ by Charles Mingus demanded hellish drum parts be played by Jonas that seemed more like a nightmare than a dream, at least in terms of sight reading.
During the second set we moved on from Zappa to Beethoven starting with ‘Ludwig’s Minivan’ replete with funky guitar by Eddy White and Alcyona flitting betwixt keyboards when her solos invariably drew enthusiastic applause. Soon we were diving into ‘Life And Times’ a symphonic piece that graces Perfect Stranger and includes ‘Formative Years’, ‘Ankle Deep In Dust,’ ‘Midlife Crisis’ and ‘It’s Weird Being The Same Age As Old People.’
We were regaled with a torrent of moods interspersed with more outstanding solo gems from Alcyona and Martin Hathaway (alto sax) not to mention the speedy snare drum brush work of Jonas Golland. By evening’s end, it felt like the Perfect Stranger had become an old friend.
A MEMORABLE NIGHT WITH TONY BANKS & ROCKING HORSE MUSIC CLUB
Trading Boundaries
Sheffield Green, East Sussex
November 14, 2024
It truly was an amazing event when Tony Banks, founder member of Genesis, one of the world’s most famous and successful rock groups was special guest at an evening devoted to conversation and live music.
Held under the auspices of Trading Boundaries, the organisation that has created a unique venue in the heart of the Sussex countryside, it was the night when Tony the legendary keyboard player and composer, cheerfully engaged in a two hour long conversation with yours truly about the genesis of Genesis.
It was also the night when American guest band Rocking Horse Music Club later performed live on stage displaying their affinity with the British style progressive rock that inspired its formation and evolution. Needless to say, they went down a storm!
But first, after a journey through stormy weather to the former 18th century coaching inn, it was nice to be greeted by organiser Jenny Ross and shown to the accommodation where I would stay overnight with Marilyne, my wife and supporter, who literally supported me when I realised I needed to research the entire history of Genesis before daring to venture on stage. It seems I was about to faint. But on meeting Tony and his wife Margaret, all our worries faded away, as they were so charming and friendly.
Of course I had interviewed Tony many times in the past, from New York USA to Tokyo, Japan during Genesis tours over 20 years. We had endured everything from riots, when a show was cancelled in Tampa, Florida to experiencing earth tremors in Osaka. But tonight on firmer ground it was important to stay focussed. We sat in front of a sold out, standing room only crowd of devoted Genesis fans, who probably knew more about the minutiae of the band and Tony’s history than either of us!
And so it came to pass, we were announced, the spotlight shone and the microphones were in place. Then came the moment all public speakers fear when the cry of ‘Can’t hear you!’ went up. A better ‘mike’ was thrust into my hand and we began the Q&A that proved so relaxed, informative and thoroughly entertaining all thanks to Mr. Banks calm and witty delivery.
SILENT SUN
He began by quoting verbatim without notes my Melody Maker review of the first single release by the newly formed Genesis on the Decca label in February 1968. It was ‘Silent Sun’ a track from their debut album From Genesis To Revelation produced by Jonathan King. Apparently I described their performance in less than flattering terms.
Tony told how as a 17 year-old still at Charterhouse School, he eagerly read my MM review in which its opening lines proclaimed ‘This is muck.’ He was devastated. Until he read further when I attempted to repair any damage caused by saying: ‘I’m joking’ adding words to the effect that it wasn’t at all bad for a new young group.
Henceforth we discussed the pantheon of great albums and hit singles Genesis would enjoy in the decades ahead from Trespass to Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot in the early Seventies, onwards to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and ultimately Genesis, Invisible Touch and We Can’t Dance in the 1980s. If we didn’t touch on all of them, then we can always do another two hours. Meanwhile he did reveal his favourite Genesis compositions included ‘Supper’s Ready’, ‘Duchess’, ‘Turn It On Again’ and ‘Mama’.
ROCKING HORSE
Tony also developed his own solo career during the Genesis years with a succession of well received albums beginning with A Curious Feeling (1979) and he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Although now officially retired following the 2021 Genesis farewell tour Tony took time out to write and perform on ‘The Haunted Life’ a track on The Last Pink Glow (2025) album by Rocking Horse Music Club the American guys he particularly likes.
The Horse rocked up to perform two nights at Trading Boundaries, their last show following the Q&A session, greeted by the enthusiastic audience patiently awaiting their appearance on stage after the warm up act of Banks & Welch had finally quit. The fans gave them an ovation for a series of rockin’ and bluesy performances that also included the more sombre ‘Haunted Life’ with Justin Cohn (vocals) and Brian Coombes (keyboards) delivering the song inspired by a story by Jack Kerouac.
So, how do we follow that? Well Tony Banks’ official biography Man of Spells – The Magician of Genesis (King Maker Publishing) written by Mario Giammetti is due to be published on February 19th, 2026. I’m sure it will get a good review.
CHRIS WELCH
Photo credits: Richard Davies