An Evening With.... Live Gig Review form a happy customer ;)
Last night the Lytton Arms in old Knebworth welcomed Steve Young along with his trusted sidekicks Jade (on fiddle) and Drew (keyboards) for a slightly different take on his self-pen’d mix of Country, Blues and Americana style music. The format was a close intimate “evening with” style during which the audience got to hear about the stories behind many of Steve’s better known numbers, as well as the reasons behind his choice of the three covers he flawlessly performed and interpreted - Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Hero and City of New Orleans.
His easy going manner and engaging personality lent itself perfectly to this type of evening and we were all brilliantly entertained hearing about the humour, melancholy and pathos which seems to have played such a huge role in Steve’s song writing process.
From the Clare Balding inspired “Trembling heart” to the somewhat left field video production of “Back to mine” via the rueful paternal lament of “My son” tracks which already stand on their own merits as great songs had new light shone on them, offering the audience personal insights not accessible through YouTube or Spotify!
Steve proved last night that he is not just a hugely talented guitarist, singer, songwriter surrounded by an accomplished, tight band, but he is also a musician whose life as a session guitarist (with the likes of Lionel Ritchie, Peter Andre and Darren Hayes of Savage garden) has given him a wealth of experience and anecdotes which any audience would be eager to hear about.
When the evening came to an end and both those who had attended in person or via the livestream link (from as far afield as the U.S. and Canada!) made their exits, there was little doubt that Steve had delivered more than just his usual great set of music. This was an evening where everyone was invited to get to know Steve a little better, enjoy parts of his musical journey and appreciate the sounds of a life dedicated to his art.
And all this for free!! We can but wait and hope for more!
Mike Hughes - Audience