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Ha, I am the guitarist who broke a string! We were playing with 4 of us (there were two singers) but usually we're 5 - double bass wasn't there.
No, I missed that as well - I saw him as a standalone gig in March I think? So good. Gutted that I had a ticket for Martin Simpson in a couple of weeks but something has come up meaning I'll have to miss it. Always so good! How was Leon on saturday?
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Nice coincidence. You sounded good for the brief snatch I was able to watch.
Leon was very good--very politically-minded, talking a lot about Labour, Israel, and Palestine. He played a new song relating to all that, which was excellent. He was also very funny: 'A woman came up to me and asked me to play my song "Penny for the Guy". I'd never written a song called "Penny for the Guy", though. But then she showed me this CD, "Rosselsongs", and there it was. I'd forgotten all about it.'
Leon had some trouble with remembering the lyrics at times but given how many songs he has written and must know and how wordy many of them are, his memory is holding up very well--if I remember this well when I'm his age, I'll be very happy. Martin Carthy forgets lyrics, too, but both of them have more than earned the right.
He can put such excellent sets together without repeating himself much because of his repertoire of good songs. One of my favourite songs of his ('Fair's Fair') is on his latest record (2016). 'Active Ageing' is also very good. He played that when I saw him at the Poetry Café last year.
He does say on the record sleeve that at 81 it's his final recording--that was two years ago. Given that there's already at least one new song and he doesn't really look as if he's in a mood to retire, I really hope it's not his last, after all.
Anyway, I'll make sure to look out for Embers gigs! Unfortunately, I can't make Wednesday--will you be doing anything else in London soon?
Oliver Schick
Aha. Were you in the main room or in the little side room? You weren't the duo (seemingly meant to be a trio but only two were playing at first) whose guitarist broke a string? I was there very briefly but my friends didn't want to stay and I then had to get up to the Calthorpe (where Leon Rosselson was playing)--not exactly local to Bermondsey, but all of 20 minutes by bike.
Did you see Leon at the memorial event for Dave Swarbrick? I missed that, I think I was ill.