By Pete Redford

THERE’S so much more to the Strawbs than the iconic single ‘Lay Down’ and infantile ditty ‘Part of the Union’.

Those familiar with the band will know they hit their zenith with the likes of Rick Wakeman, Richard Hudson and John Ford in their ranks, steering the band away from its folk and bluegrass roots (they were originally called the Strawberry Hill Boys – well, slap my thigh)) to a more rock-orientated, progressive sound.

Their golden period produced a quartet of albums between 1971 to 1974 – ‘From the Witchwood’, ‘Grave New World’, ‘Bursting at the Seams’ and ‘Hero and Heroine’ – and for a time they held their own against the likes of Yes or Genesis. Indeed, in terms of musicianship, they arguably surpassed their rivals.

With folk and prog rock jostling for prominence the many personnel changes were, perhaps, inevitable, and what we heard from the Acoustic Strawbs – Dave Cousins, Chas Cronk and Dave Lambert – at Queen’s College’s Quartz Festival on Saturday night was, in essence, music which has come full circle and is distinctly folk-driven.

Spellbinding guitar interplay, with countless alternative tunings to create the drone effect so evident in The Strawbs’ music, was the hallmark of an evening which provided far more than a dose of nostalgia.

This set of a dozen or so deceptively melodic songs will have shown why this band were so very nearly huge back in the day.

The highlights were the beautiful ‘Autumn’, from ‘Hero and Heroine’, and the politically charged ‘New World’ from ‘Grave New World’ – a spine-tingling classic written the day after Bloody Sunday in January, 1972.

Whether you lean towards the folk or the prog it matters little . . . plugged in or not, the Strawbs are the juiciest, tastiest fruit you’re ever likely to hear.

They were also polite. Dave Cousins told us it has been a privilege to play for us. No Dave, the privilege was all ours.

The evening began delightfully with Cornish support act Kezia, a singer-songwriter with a hauntingly beautiful, flute-like voice underpinned by soft finger-picking guitar and an engaging manner.

She threw in a couple of covers, but she really didn’t need to as her own material was more than powerful enough.

The audience on Saturday numbered 120, as I was told by festival director Simon Ross, so the hall at Queen’s was well under half full, which is a shame . . . and possibly an omen.

The festival, now in its tenth year, is staged by Queen’s for the community’s benefit, but it obviously has to make ends meet . . . or come reasonably close.

Hiring the likes of The Strawbs, or Barclay James Harvest this coming Saturday (see right), doesn’t come cheap (why should it?) so the importance of filling seats can’t be overstated.

The festival ticks all the logistical boxes ... its marketing machine is well oiled, its ticket pricing is better than good and its facilities are more than adequate. There’s even reasonably priced booze on sale – now that’s refreshing.

It’s impossible not to think of the Brewhouse and how it came to a sticky end a couple of years ago, not least because of a lack of patronage.

Will an apathetic Taunton ever learn? As the old adage goes, use it or lose it.