There was recently a competition on Twitter to win two tickets to see folk legend Richard Thompson’s Nottingham gig, and a copy of his new album ’13 Rivers’ organised by Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall. Fortunately my name came out of the old straw boater, and so my wife and I joined the queue for our seats to see this seasoned performer and legendary guitarist.royal
I first came across the name of Richard Thompson, not through the usual route of Fairport Convention, where he was their guitarist for the first five years of the band, but seeing the record sleeve for the 1979 Sunnyvista album, that he made with his then wife Linda. What struck me was the typeface used for ‘Thompson’s’, as it mimicked the travel company of the same name. Even the sleeve itself could have been cut from a holiday brochure.
Not being a huge folk music fan, or even heard that much of his music through the years, I didn’t know what to expect. But I went with an open mind. Or should that be ear? My wife hadn’t heard of him at all. But we weren’t disappointed, as the show was excellent.
There were loud cheers as Richard and his small band, that was sometimes a trio, sometimes a quartet, came on, with Thompson wearing his trademark black beret, which made him look more like a freedom fighter, than Frank Spencer. I say trio/quartet, as guitarist Bobby Eichorn, floated on and off stage, depending on what song they were doing.
The first couple of songs came from the new album, which is about his twentieth solo one. He then thanked the audience for driving 100 miles to hear the oldies, including one he recorded 50 years ago with Fairport Convention. Swapping his electric guitar for an acoustic one, he played some old favourites with the audience, including the wonderful ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’, a love story centered around a motorbike.
He then switched back to his trusty Fender Stratocaster and performed a few more songs from his latest release. Richard then spoke about growing up in the 1950s and 60s (he’s now 69) and listening to rock and roll guitarists like Chuck Berry, Django Reinhardt and the Shadows, he played a tribute to them with ‘Guitar Heroes’, which included their unique playing styles.
For a man his age, he played solidly for around two hours and some 25 songs, which was astounding. People often site Eric Clapton as the world’s best guitarist. But on reflection, I would suggest that Richard Thompson should perhaps wear that crown, as I was stunned at how good he played. I didn’t know that much about his music at 7:30, but I did at the end of the show, and now I have his latest album to enjoy, and which will probably be the start of my collection.
Christopher Frost
