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Biography
For|the film|Show of Hands (film)Refimprove|date=October 2010Use dmy dates|date=February 2011Infobox musical artist | name = Show of Hands| image = Show of Hands.jpg| caption = Show of Hands; Harberton Village Hall, Devon 20 May 2009| landscape = Yes| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = England | instrument = Singing|Vocals , Mandocello , Mandolin , Cuatro (instrument)|Cuatro , Fiddle , Guitar | genre = Traditional music|Roots , Folk music|folk , Acoustic music|acoustic | years_active = 1991–present| label = Hands On Music, distributed by Proper Music Distribution | associated_acts =| website = http://www.showofhands.co.uk/ www.showofhands.co.uk| current_members = Steve Knightley Phil Beer | past_members =| notable_instruments = Show of Hands is an English acoustic Traditional music|roots and Folk music|folk duo comprising singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer . In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz double-bass ist Miranda Sykes.
History
Origins
Steve Knightley and Phil Beer met as teenagers while playing in different bands in Exeter , Devon , where they grew up. They eventually got together and for a short period played in pubs and clubs, even undertaking a disastrous summer tour of Sweden when they were both 16. As school finished, their lives went separate ways. Knightley went to university in Coventry , collected a degree and teaching qualifications, and ended up in London playing music in a rock band in his spare time. For Phil Beer the leap to professional musician was immediate. Throughout the years he played with many different people, including the Arizona Smoke Revue and then from 1984 with the Albion Band . Phil Beer and Steve Knightley had recorded prior to being Show of Hands, such as on " Paul Downes|Downes and Beer"'s Live in Concept . In the mid 1980s Knightley returned to live in the West Country , and so he and Phil Beer got together casually to play a few shows. This continued until 1991 when it became obvious that the partnership had the potential to become a full time career. Beer left the Albion Band and Show of Hands was born.
The first Show of Hands recordings were three cassettes, recorded on home studios. A selection of the best tracks from those cassettes was later released on the Backlog compilation album in 1995.
1990s
Their first album was, unusually, a live album. Recorded at the Bull Hotel in Bridport , Dorset , and titled '' Show of Hands Live|Live '92 , the excellent reviews it garnered helped them break into the festival circuit of 1993, and later that same year they toured with Ralph McTell on his autumn tour.
During 1992 Knightley and Beer were invited to join an inter-cultural music project which involved working with three exiled Chile an musicians. Out of this the band Alianza (band)|Alianza was formed and an album made. Alianza toured throughout 1992 and 1993 and influenced the duo greatly. They were introduced to a new range of rhythms and instruments and Steve was inspired to write songs that are now favourites with Show of Hands fans including "Santiago", "Armadas" and "Columbus Didn't Find America". Some of these found their way onto the first Show of Hands studio album Beat about the Bush , which was released in 1994.
In 1995 Show of Hands released their second studio album Lie of the Land . The album proved a turning point as it gathered in reviews from major publications hailing it as a masterpiece and a classic. Mojo said the album created "a powerful, fresh sounding music with both integrity and widespread appeal", while Q magazine called it a "startlingly good" album and went one further in voting it their folk album of the year in 1996.
With thousands of fans on their mailing list , Show of Hands had long wanted to play a concert big enough to gather all those fans together. Different ideas were brought up but none seemed right until London's Royal Albert Hall was suggested; the perfect venue, prestigious and big enough& #33; The undertaking required a huge gamble by the duo and their management, but the show sold out in advance and took place on the evening of 24 March 1996.
In 1997, they released their third studio album, Dark Fields , which contained fan favourite "Cousin Jack". They released Folk Music (album)|Folk Music in 1998, which contains traditional songs. It was only available through post and at the band's concerts at the time.
2000s
As is implied by the album name, Covers (Show of Hands album)|Covers , the studio album released in 2000, contained only cover versions of songs by other artists. The songs were selected from ones that the duo had performed at concerts or sound checks over the years, and included music from artists such as Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull , Peter Gabriel , Bob Dylan and Ralph McTell .
In 2001 Show of Hands celebrated their tenth anniversary with another sell out show at the Royal Albert Hall . The concert was recorded by Carlton Television|Carlton TV for network transmission and was shown as two dedicated half-hour programmes. Their next studio album Cold Frontier was released in 2001 and was the first album to be recorded by Mick Dolan, who took responsibility for the Show of Hands sound after producer/manager Gerard O'Farrell returned to his native Australia . The Path (album)|The Path , the first instrumental album by Show of Hands, was released in 2003 and is a celebration of the sights and sounds of the West Country coast. Each track is named after a different location, and creates an atmospheric musical portrait of the sea, and the seaside. In October 2003, the album Country Life (Show of Hands album)|Country Life was released. This studio recording of Knightley's most recent songs also featured a special bonus CD with alternative mixes of selected tracks.
Show of Hands won the Best Live Act award at the 2004 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards . The winning of that particular award was especially pleasing to the duo as for that year it was voted on by the public and not by the usual panel of judges. At the 2005 awards they were nominated for Best Duo and were part of the Oysterband Big Session group that won the 'Best Group' award.
For their extensive tour in autumn 2004 the duo temporarily became a trio when they were joined by Miranda Sykes on double bass and vocals. Although initially reluctant, audience enthusiasm convinced them that the time was right for another Show of Hands live album. "We realised that we had the raw material to create a double album that would hopefully capture a song, a set or a moment in all of our musical lives." - Steve Knightley. As You Were (album)|As You Were , a live double-album , was released in 2005 and comprised 22 tracks recorded at various venues during the autumn tour. Miranda has since toured extensively with Show of Hands, and there were few shows in 2005 and 2006 where she was absent from the lineup.
In May 2006, Show of Hands released their ninth studio album Witness (Show of Hands album)|Witness . The album was produced by Simon Emmerson and Simon ‘Mass’ Massey from the Afro Celt Sound System|Afro Celts .
In November 2006, they were voted the "Greatest Devonians" in Devon County Council's competition, with more than a third of the votes. Other contenders included Sir Francis Drake , Charles Babbage , Agatha Christie and Muse (band)|Muse . http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2006/07/25/greatest_devonian_feature.shtml Greatest Devonians at bbc.co.uk Their support of local good causes has ranged from continued fundraising for a children's hospice in the county to playing a special St George's Day concert in Sandford to raise money to save the village Post Office there.
Recent work
Show of Hands played London's Royal Albert Hall for a concert on 8 April 2007, which was their third performance there. This was to celebrate their 15 year partnership as Show of Hands.
In July 2008 Show of Hands played at the first folk proms concert in the Welsh Proms season in St Davids Hall, Cardiff. On 26 July 2008, Show of Hands played at the Evolve 08 festival in Lodmoor Park, Weymouth, Dorset|Weymouth , along with Miranda Sykes. Steve Knightley returned to the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival in July 2009 without Phil Beer, due to Beer's sailing at the time. As such, he played songs from his then-new solo album Track of Words - Retraced . Show of Hands returned to the festival in July 2010 with both members.
In October 2009, the band's tenth studio album, Arrogance Ignorance and Greed was released.
In February 2010, the group won both "Best Duo" and "Best Original Song" for the track "Arrogance Ignorance and Greed" at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards .
Previously unreleased Show of Hands compositions before 1987 (and some from after 1987) appeared on Phil Beer's box set , Box Set One , in 2010.
In November 2010, they released their eleventh studio album, Covers 2 , also their second covers album after Covers from 2000. The album was credited to Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes, the first time Sykes gets a leading credit on one of their albums. They did a tour with Texan guitarist Rodney Branigan following the album's release.
Their song "Roots" appeared on the compilation album "The Best of British Folk". But it was also used, without permission, by the British National Party in a campaign video. The band successfully had their music removed from the campaign video and showed opposition to the BNP by joining the "Folk Against Fascism" movement.cite web|title=SHOW OF HANDS BLAST BANKERS, BNP, MPs AND EXPENSES AT LONDON’S "FOLK AGAINST FASCISM" EVENT|url= http://www.redhotvelvet.co.uk/music-news/show-of-hands-blast-bankers-bnp-mps-and-expenses-at-london’s-“folk-against-fascism”-event/|publisher=Red Hot Velvet|accessdate=9 April 2012|date=April 21, 2010
Country Life (Show of Hands album)|Country Life (2003)
Witness (Show of Hands album)|Witness (2006)
Arrogance Ignorance and Greed (2009)
Covers 2 (2010)
Live albums
'' Show of Hands Live|Live '92 (1994)
Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Show of Hands album)|Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1996)
Cold Cuts (Show of Hands album)|Cold Cuts (2002)
As You Were (album)|As You Were (2005)
Witness (Show of Hands album)#Live at Exeter Phoenix|Live at Exeter Phoenix (2008)
Backlog 2 (2011)
Compilations
Backlog 1987–1991|Backlog (1995)
Anglicana (1999)
No Song to Sing (2000)
Show of Hands (2000)
Roots - The Best of Show of Hands (2007)
Backlog 2 (2011)
Singles
Columbus EP (1995)
"Crazy Boy" (1997)
"Crooked Man" (2004)
"Witness" (2006)
"Roots" (2007)
Videos & DVDs
Acoustic Workshop (1996)
Stairway To Devon (1998)
The Big Gig (2001)
Show of Hands on Film - The Video Collection (2004)
Tour of Topsham (2007)
Other
A re-recording of the song "Crooked Man" called ''Crooked Man '07'' appeared on Steve Knightely's second solo album Cruel River , from 2007.
Re-recordings of various show of Hands songs "Exile", "Santiago" and "Sit You Down" (as well as many other traditional songs Show of Hands had recorded) were re-recorded by Phil Beer for his solo box set, Box Set One , as well as previously unreleased pre-1987 Show of Hands songs, such as "Take Back Your Pictures", "Last Picture Show", "White Tribes", and "Undertow".
Compilation appearances
Huntingdon Folk: Folk From Huntingdon Hall (1997) (Song: "Ratcliff Highway")
The Best of British Folk, Volume 1 (2001) (Song: "Man in Green", "Galway Farmer")
The Folk Awards 2005 (2005) (Song: "Country Life")
Rubber Folk (2005) (Song: "If i Needed Someone")
Folk Awards 2007 (2007) (Song: "Roots")
Huntingdon Folk 4 (2008) (Song: "Santiago")
While My Guitar Gently Sleeps (2008) (Song: "If I Needed Someone")
Folk Awards 2010 (2010) (Song: "Arrogance Ignorance and Greed")
References
Reflist
Further reading
cite journal|title=‘Country life’? Rurality, folk music and ‘Show of Hands’ |first1=Richard|last1=Yarwood|first2=Clive|last2=Charlton|doi=10.1016/j.jrurstud.2008.10.003|journal=Journal of Rural Studies|volume=25|issue=2|pages=194–206|year=2009
External links
http://www.showofhands.co.uk Show of Hands official website
Show of Hands Category:English folk musical groups
