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Richard Thompson

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Richard Thompson concert reviews and tour history

• rating: 78.1% (9)

Fans' concert reviews

Patronaat in haarlem, netherlands on fri, 25 sep 2015.

I enjoyed it very must! I,ve seen him 20 years ago ,alone, in the Patronaat. Great musicians! Bass and drums as well! Sometimes I misses the acoustic songs. They are so beautiful!

Levitt Pavilion in Los Angeles (LA), US on Thu, 10 Jul 2014

What an incredible concert - thank you to Richard and the entire trio! What a great great night! He rocked and he folked and he blew us all away!

Love the trio format. And the park situation had a great feeling to it. Nice to see MacArthur Park coming back!

We had a vert great evening amazing sound very goog location en Richard was gre at. Also the drummer and the Bassplayer.Thanx Ton en Dien Knol from the Netherlands

Millennium Park in Chicago, US on Mon, 16 Jun 2014

Still killing it. One of the greatest places on the planet to see a show.

He's always amazing, but this was one of my favorite performances. The solo set drew from some of the older corners of his catalog, and the Electric Trio is my favorite configuration of any I've seen over the past 25 years. Incredibly talented, joyful and tight. "Can't Win" was amazing.

The setting was beautiful and the artist matched the location! Big RT fan here, one of his best shows I've seen! How about making him a "regular" on the summer concert schedules!

What an absolute joy--solo acoustic set followed by the electric trio, with music drawn from every corner of RT's songbook. Sound was wonderful--I was down in the 7th row for the first set and out on the lawn in the 2nd, and it really sounded great from both places. I've seen / heard Richard many, many times, and he just keeps getting better. Fantastic performance. Finally, finishing last encore with a spontaneous, 10-minute thunderstorm was a little flashy, but clever nonetheless.

Rated concerts

• Levitt Pavilion in Los Angeles (LA), US Thu, 10 Jul 2014 100% from 3 ratings
• Millennium Park in Chicago, US Mon, 16 Jun 2014 97.5% from 4 ratings
• Patronaat in Haarlem, Netherlands Fri, 25 Sep 2015 90% from 1 rating
• Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, US Mon, 27 Nov 2006 25% from 1 rating

Ratings View all

• one of the best: 6 75%
• fantastic: 2 25%
• great: 0 0%
• disappointing: 0 0%
• should've stayed at home: 0 0%

Biggest fans

Richard thompson 2024–2025 tour dates view all, richard thompson tour history, about richard thompson.

Richard Thompson was born 74 years ago, on Sunday, 3 April 1949.

Based on our research data, it appears, that the first Richard Thompson concert happened 46 years ago on Fri, 23 Mar 1979 in Guildhall - Cambridge, UK and that the last Richard Thompson concert was today on Wed, 29 May 2024 in Royal Concert Hall. - Glasgow, UK.

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• May 29, 2024
• Album Reviews , Reviews
• By Jim Hynes
• No Comments

In Glide’s review of Richard Thompson ’s 2018 13 Rivers, we closed by saying “…nothing else labeled ‘folk rock’ sounds like Richard Thompson. Like Hendrix, he’s his own genre, one the major virtuosos of our time.”  With certainly nothing to prove, Thompson sallies forth six years later with Ship to Shore, reinforcing that point of view through its twelve songs, which, in Thompson’s own words, traverse traditional British, Scottish, and Irish music as well as jazz, country, and classical. You’d be very hard-pressed to find another artist of his ilk. Ship to Shore is Thompson’s twentieth solo album, notwithstanding his groundbreaking work with Fairport Convention and then partner Linda Thompson.  He consistently delivers, working with his longtime band here – guitarist Bobby Eichorn , bassist Taras Prodaniuk , and drummer Michael Jerome. Joining this core group are harmony vocalist Zara Phillips, fiddler David Mansfield , and engineer Chris Bittner for this album recorded in Woodstock, NY. 

Thompson stamped his style years ago as more of the most skilled guitarists (few have his left-hand dexterity) on both acoustic and electric and as a leading purveyor of ‘dark’ songs.  Nonetheless, no two guitar solos are alike, and his story songs are often imbued with a dry, sarcastic wit and literary quality akin to that of the best novelists. His intricate pathways would be difficult for most musicians to navigate but his core band knows how his songs develop. They have played with him on the road for years, too. Recognizable touches are sprinkled throughout, beginning with the reel-like riffs that usher in the opener, “Freeze,” a song about procrastination, a lack of courage, and filled with what ifs,” culminating in a classic closing verse – “ Where are the arms of that priest/How can you tell you’re living/If you never arm-wrestle the beast?”   “The Fear Never Leaves You” plies similar lyrical turf in trademark stomping fashion, that’s been part and parcel of his style since 1974’s I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight landmark with Linda Thompson.

Album highlight and single, the infectious “Singapore Sadie” delivers quieter fare in a tune he and his band have been playing live frequently, featuring Mansfield on fiddle and the mystical kind of lyrics we might associate with Dylan’s mid-sixties output. Michael Jerome’s Latin-like rhythms power “The Day That I Give In” as Thompson sings in his most forlorn way about unrequited love, one of his favorite subjects. The traditional British folk we associate with drunken sailors and smoky pubs imbues the gruesome, at times, “The Old Pack Mule,” in which Thompson rips off searing guitar licks. The tempo ratchets up on the jangling “Turnstile Casanova” as he paints the portrait of a bleak, desperate tabloid character who is all the rage one minute, only to disappear the next. Fleeting love or, better said, instant obsession, is the subject of “Lost in the Crowd,” practically a cinematic vignette, culminating in “The night was like a shroud/She was Lost In The Crowd.” Thompson’s sizzling guitar burns white hot in the pulsating “Maybe,” yet another one about an elusive love, rife with clever wordplay – “Eyes like diamonds, teeth like pearls/A jeweler’s dream, a gem of a girl.”

At times, Thompson tends to drag as in the dirge “Life’s a Bloody Show,” but an examination of the lyrics and his customary bent for political commentary indicates he may be writing about #45 – “Just pretend your sneaky lies/Your nasty little alibis/Somehow all add up to be the truth.”  Yet, he renders the album’s strongest cut in terms of melodic hooks, guitar riffs, and utterly despondent vocal in “What’s to Lose,” about a desperate, confused character who has run out of options. This is the ELECTRIC Thompson that fans adore. In a bit of symmetry, he invokes folk strains through the lament of the violin and folksy picking in the closer “We Roll,” one of the few songs that offers bright moments.

For many, Thompson is an acquired taste. There’s little, if any, middle ground. So, while this may not attract new fans, it will more than satisfy the legions of those who stay attuned to his every move. It’s as solid as any of his recordings.

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• Wednesday, May 29, 2024

CONCERT REVIEW: A Richard Thompson show is still worth the trip

“Well, it’s gotten me this far,” proclaimed Richard Thompson Sunday at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts, recounting his defiant rejoinder when a manager decried Thompson’s downbeat, doomy songs of death and other losses.

“This far” is a durable (five decades) career as folk-rock icon famed for pristine but passionate guitar mastery; a resonantly expressive, cavernous voice and, yes – downbeat doomy songs of death and other losses. In fact, Thompson told that tale himself amid a flow of new songs including a grimly clinical account of slaughtering a pack mule. Really.

A guitar fan blindfolded and brought unawares into the Academy of Music Sunday night would have recognized Thompson’s gleaming tone in the first silky runs of “I Misunderstood” whose aching lyrics mourned a break-up. Stretched syllables at the end of each phrase accentuated the loss; meanwhile, his guitar air-carved images of stunning sonic beauty in intense push-pull with the words.

No respite in sight, Thompson next wove wounds together in a web-work of scars in “Poor Ditching Boy.” He crooned, “The storming wind cut through to my skin, but she cut through to my blood.” More darkness fell in “The Ghost of You Walks,” though he sounded less bitter at least, and the guitar rescued us. So did the adrenaline locomotive overdrive of “Valerie,” fans signaling their recognition with happy applause. Here, at least, Thompson made stoical, resigned peace with love’s fate while his guitar solo launched from flat-picked chords to racing fingers picking upward at top speed.

Shifting focus from personal to political, Thompson decried the depredations of “Pharaoh,” proxy target for corrupt politicians, in waltz time. “1952 Vincent Black Shadow” charmed and dazzled as it always does, an armed robbery murder ballad powered by fourth-gear guitar.

“Walking the Long Miles Home” recalled school-night treks after epic rock shows at London’s Marquee Club, ca. 1965. This felt nostalgic, uncomplicated and sweet; especially in deep contrast with a criminal’s behind-bars regrets in “If I Could Live My Life Again.” This paired perfectly with the similarly rueful “Hokey Pokey,” as he brought out singer/wife Zara Phillips for harmony. No, this wasn’t the nursery rhyme, but another felon’s lament.

Phillips stayed to sing on the next six songs, three of them new from his new “Ship to Shore” album – due next month when Thompson turns 75. “Singapore Sadie” sketched intrigue in an exotic port, “The Old Pack Mule” recounted an ill-fated animal’s surgical disassembly and “The Day That I Give In” – well, that title tells the tale. Mixed in were older numbers: the ominous “Words Unspoken, Sights Unseen,” the agitated, agonizing “She Twists The Knife Again” and the playful circus saga “Wall of Death” – his second motorcycle song of the night. “Knife” cut deep, an insistent staccato beat, guitar wailing in minor-key torment.

They left the stage after “Wall,” then Thompson uncorked a surprise encore. “The Dimming of the Way” wasn’t on the set list (which obliging and very good soundman Tom showed me, quipping that Thompson’s scrawl was opaque as hieroglyphics) but the late-60s Fairport Convention classic (sung originally by the wonderful Sandy Denny) has become an onstage staple on recent tours.

Phillips rejoined him for “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight,” a duet Thompson recorded with first wife (and mother of singer son Teddy) Linda in 1974. This rocked capably enough, but Linda’s shadow fell across it; a singer of greater depth and subtlety than Phillips. That said, Phillips sounded best when singing slightly off the beat, jazzy, jaunty and cool.

Thompson’s sold out show, which singer-songwriter Rachel Baiman opened, wrapped Northampton’s 10th annual weekend-long Back Porch Festival, a project of Jim Olson’s Signature Sounds which is headquartered behind the Parlor Room venue. Businesses and nonprofits sponsored performances by 50 artists including Thompson and Baiman, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Peter Case, the Mammals, the Tarbox Ramblers, Misty Blues and dozens more, including tributes to Willie Nelson, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Sinead O’Connor and Shane McGowan. Fans lined up to see them in 10 venues including the Academy of Music — like an art deco cross between the Troy and Cohoes Music Halls — and the cozy Parlor Room, also bars, bistros, brew-pubs and pop-up venues.

The town felt fun, engagingly alive, but without overcrowding anywhere. As the beloved but long dormant Calvin Theater and Iron Horse both prepare to re-open, the Back Porch Festival pleased Northampton music lovers on its own terms, plus music pilgrims from all over New England, and New York City. It also foretold a return to pre-Covid vitality in a diverse music scene just two hours from the 518.

I first saw Thompson play the Iron Horse sometime in the 80s, once driving Greg Haymes and Michael Eck there on a night when mine was the only functioning car among the three of us. My first-ever Thompson show was on a harrowing January night, driving alone in freezing rain, both ways. He was worth it then, and still is.

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Richard Thompson: Opera House, Manchester – live review

Richard Thompson Opera House, Manchester 31st October 2021

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson brings his current acoustic tour to the Edwardian opulence of Manchester Opera House for a Halloween treat.

Special guest for the tour is Katherine Priddy , a rising star of the UK folk scene. Standing alone on stage with acoustic guitar, her voice immediately grabs our attention. There’s something richly pastoral, almost ethereal about her singing. At times her phrasing and tone are reminiscent of Nick Drake and there’s a timeless feel to the music. It quickly becomes apparent that she’s also a talented guitarist. With songs referencing literature and Greek mythology, she’s clearly well-read but also finds space to cover everyday experiences with ex-boyfriends. It’s an impressive performance leaving me keen to hear more and investigate Katherine’s recently released debut album.

Richard Thompson walks on stage with guitar in hand. Pausing only briefly to smile (or perhaps smirk) at the audience he launches into Stony Ground, a brutal tale of an old man’s lust for a neighbour. On record it’s a vehicle for a raw extended electric guitar workout; played acoustically it’s equally stunning and an immediate testament to his fretboard virtuosity.

If I Could Live My Life Again comes next. It’s a recent song; one of several aired tonight and recorded during lockdown that he’s released as digital EPs. Musically it’s quite a simple affair with lyrics about caged frustration and looking back. It works well acoustically and of the new material that he plays this, and The Fortress (that he plays later) with its typical Richard Thompson chugging rhythm, are probably most enjoyable on first listen.

He slows things down with Salford Sunday; not part of his regular setlist and no doubt performed with tonight’s venue in mind. Lyrically and tonally, it’s a downbeat song with references to the weeping sky and rain beating down. On a night when it rains before, during and after the gig, this seems quite apt to me. We get some wry, sardonic banter about Mancunian weather and the relationship between and Salford and Manchester. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to appreciate his irony and humour.

Tonight’s performance isn’t quite a typical Richard Thompson gig; he’s got a book to promote. Beeswing isn’t so much a biography as a collection of reminiscences from his early career. Initially, I’m a little disconcerted watching him sporadically reach for his sheaf of papers to read extracts but they’re generally well chosen and provide enlightening contexts for some of his songs. It emerges that Turning Of The Tide is a response to his experience with a lady of the night in Hamburg during an early Fairport Convention tour. In Walking The Long Miles Home meanwhile, he reflects on his musings during ten-mile walks home from The Marquee Club as a sixteen-year-old after watching The Who and others at the venue.

Mid-set he delivers a couple of real highlights. We’re invited to sing the chorus to Down Where The Drunkards Roll and duly oblige; sounding far more tender and sweet than more raucous renditions I’ve previously heard. Richard seems genuinely impressed. As he plays the introductory notes to 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, they’re greeted with spontaneous applause. It’s a great song showcasing both melody and his gifts as a storyteller. Tonight he delivers an extended version with some spellbinding guitar. It’s a real affirmation of his reputation as one of the greats and no surprise that it gets the best audience reaction of the night.

Partner and recent collaborator Zara Phillips joins Richard on stage to sing harmony and backing vocals for the latter part of the show. They begin with the Wall Of Death. It’s a Richard and Linda Thompson song, originally featuring dual vocals, but I’ve heard it performed so many times with just Richard’s voice that their version feels somehow diluted. Elsewhere, Zara’s contributions are far more impressive and she gives Keep Your Distance a real Americana/country feel with echoes of Emmylou Harris in her delivery.

Almost inevitably, they close with a rousing rendition of I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight; with Zara’s voice giving the song a real sense of Richard and Linda’s original.  They’re ably supported by the dulcet tones of the audience on the chorus, eventually departing the stage amid reciprocal applause.

Returning alone, Richard plays the equally inevitable Fairport standard, Meet On The Ledge. The crowd are quick to contribute but once again they’re very restrained. Maybe it’s an age thing; there’s lots of white and greying hair around me tonight. Zara comes back on stage and they continue with the very folky Tinker’s Rhapsody before finally closing with The Storm Won’t Come; slow-building and guitar-driven. It’s an excellent way to finish.

Considering Richard Thompson’s vast canon of work, people inevitably disagree over what he plays at a gig. Personally, I’d have preferred more from his recent 13 Rivers album but maybe it’s a little too electric for an acoustic show. Putting aside my personal tastes, we’ve had a great evening. He’s delighted us with songs from across the years and proved himself yet again to be a stellar guitarist.

With the chorus of The Storm Won’t Come ringing in my ears I wander off into the Manchester mizzle; hoping in vain that it doesn’t. As it turns out, even Richard Thompson can’t hold back the weather. The storm does come but I’ve enjoyed a memorable night; a Halloween that’s delivered a bounty of treats.

Richard Thompson’s website is here . You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here

Words and photos by Trev Eales. More work by Trev on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s profile . His photography portfolio is here

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BOSTON'S PREMIER ONLINE ARTS MAGAZINE

Concert Review: Eminent Singer-Songwriter and Guitarist Richard Thompson at the Shalin Liu Performance Center

By Blake Maddux

The caliber of Richard Thompson’s voice is undiminished. His always expressive, frequently soothing timbre was perfectly intact.

Richard Thompson at Rockport’s Shalin Liu Performance Center. Photo: Blake Maddux

The esteemed singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson said after his opening number (“Stony Ground”) at Rockport’s Shalin Liu Performance Center Thursday night, “This is my first time here. It’s all very exciting. Especially the lobster rolls.”

It was very exciting to me, as well, even if I hadn’t treated myself to any of the local fare.

Having seen the OBE recipient at pretty much every venue that he has played in Cambridge, Boston (except the Paradise), Somerville, Newburyport, and Beverly since 2004, it was quite a thrill to see the folk-rock luminary at yet another, and a grand one at that.

While it is difficult (but not impossible) to imagine the 73-year-old putting on a bad show, I have found myself disappointed over the years by what I have yet to hear him play live.

This slight disappointment again reared its head late last week.

Given the high bar that Thompson set early in his career as a cofounder of the pioneering folk-rock assemblage Fairport Convention, it was only reasonable for Shalin Liu’s paying customers — of which I was, admittedly, not one — to have expected a certain level of quality from his set of offerings.

Thus, my personal uncertainty regarding the wisdom of some of his inclusions.

“Valerie,” the fourth song of the evening, is a great pop ditty with some strikingly clever rhymes (e.g., “She don’t get home till 5 or 4 or 3,” “I can’t afford her on my salary”). However, it is hardly — despite the typically dazzling fretwork — exemplary of Thompson’s songwriting mastery.

I have long wondered why he keeps this one around. Perhaps the audience’s response at its beginning, middle, and end should settle the matter for me.

“Walking the Long Miles Home,” is another completely acceptable tune that is enjoyable to sing along to.

But the rhymes aren’t especially imaginative and the content hardly seems to indicate that it was inspired — as he told the crowd and wrote in his 2021 memoir (click for my Arts Fuse interview about it) — by his wee-hour voyages back to his parent’s suburban house after seeing two sets by The Who in London on school nights.

If he is going to pick two tracks from 1999’s excellent Mock Tudor , which he did (the also good-not-great “Cooksferry Queen” was the other), I suggest that one of them be “Sights and Sounds of London Town,” which I’ve never seen him perform.

As for selections from his time with his former wife Linda, Thompson introduced “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight,” the title track from their 1974 debut, as “more danceable and fun,” and also “a hit in the UK … the only one.”

That’s fine and all, but why in nearly two decades has he never treated an audience (at least that I was in) to that album’s “ When I Get to the Border ” (or “The End of the Rainbow” or “We Sing Hallelujah”)?

He was smart, though, to choose “Wall of Death” from 1982’s Shoot Out the Lights , which only I and few others do not consider to be one of the greatest rock albums of the past 40 years. (And to have Zara Phillips accompany him on it. More on her later.)

Thompson’s representation of his time (1967-1971) with Fairport Convention was hard to protest. “Genesis Hall” and “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” (which was voted Favourite Folk Track of All Time by BBC Radio 2 listeners in 2007) are as good as anything from that group’s catalog.

He acknowledged that he could not sing “Who Knows…?” as well as the incomparable Sandy Denny did, but asserted that his work was done if he prompted you to seek out the original version on YouTube.

But if I had my choice of a pair of Fairports, I’d go with “Crazy Man Michael” – a jaw-dropping version of which appeared on Acoustic Classics II in 2017 – and “Now Be Thankful,” which RT saw fit to include on the 2021 digital release Live From London .

The rest of the set was peppered with plum picks, but all of the so-far unmentioned ones were from 1991 onward, meaning that he neglected (forgot about?) 1988’s stellar Amnesia .

Among the plums were the sublime “Persuasion” (co-written by Crowded House’s Tim Finn), the poignant “The Ghost of You Walks,” the rollicking “Johnny’s Far Away,” and “Keep Your Distance,” which Thompson claimed “should have made him a household name” as the “social distancing theme” song.

The last was one of several on which Zara Phillips , a fellow singer-songwriter and author who is partners with Thompson, stepped up to the mic.

Others included “Tinker’s Rhapsody” from the 2021 EP Serpent’s Tears ; “Singapore Sadie, which he indicated would appear on a 2023 release; and “She Was Lost in the Crowd,” a song that I did not recognize and on the details regarding which Thompson was mum.

Phillips was admirably up to the task of handling the parts sung over several decades by Denny, Linda, Judith Owen (“Word Unspoken, Sight Unseen”), and Siobhan Kennedy (“She Never Could Resist a Winding Road”).

Thompson, meanwhile, was also in predictably fine form throughout the 21-song set. The caliber of his voice is undiminished. He might not sound like a 20-something, but he never really did, and he certainly hasn’t suffered the stress that one would expect more than 50 years of performing to induce. His always expressive, frequently soothing timbre was perfectly intact.

Last but not least, the late film critic Roger Ebert postulated that “no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad.”

Although Ebert admitted to at least one exception in each case (and apparently did not review the one movie that they were both in), I can confidently say that no Richard Thompson concert that includes either “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” or “Beeswing” can be altogether bad, even if it excludes stuff I’d love to experience in a live setting.

This one included both. That should tell you a lot.

And the more I think about it, the fee that Thompson could command for a “highest quality material” show would probably be prohibitive.

Blake Maddux is a freelance journalist who regularly contributes to the Arts Fuse , the Somerville Times , and the Beverly Citizen . He has also written for DigBoston , the ARTery , Lynn Happens , the Providence Journal , The Onion’s A.V. Club , and the Columbus Dispatch . A native Ohioan, he moved to Boston in 2002 and currently lives with his wife and five-year-old twins — Elliot Samuel and Xander Jackson — in Salem, MA.

I’ve seen him 20 times electric and acoustic and apparently you missed out on the Granger of the best guitarist from Britain

Hello Geoffrey.

Thank you for reading and commenting. I have seen him at least a dozen times. I have also interviewed him twice since 2019.

No one who is inclined to read a review of a Richard Thompson concert needs to be informed or reminded of his prowess on his six-string instrument of choice.

Again, I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment.

Best, Blake

I’ve only seen the great man perform once, at an in-store at a record store in New Jersey in 1999 or so, promoting what was then his new album. He played a 45-minute set that left the audience very happy, and then signed CDs.

A series of unfortunate events prevented me from using the ticket I had to see him in Newark, NJ in December 2021. Es una lastima.

I think that we disagree on a couple of things: I think that some of the songs you thought were not his best (e.g., “Cooksferry Queen”) are better than what you said.

But different people like different things and have different opinions. I

I wish I’d been in Rockport that night!

(Also, the lobster rolls in Rockport are a million times better than the ones in Newark.)

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REVIEW : THE RICHARD THOMPSON BAND –  HISTORIC CLASSIC CONCERT – LIVE IN NOTTINGHAM 1986 (2024)

Richard Thompson is one of the world’s most critically acclaimed and prolific songwriters. He was named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top twenty guitarists of All Time and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards for Songwriting on both sides of the Atlantic – from the Americana Music Association in Nashville to Britain’s BBC Awards and the prestigious Ivor Novello. There`s a new release this month of a concert from 1986 where the singer-songwriter had a full band line up which included Christine Collister (vocals/acoustic guitar), Clive Gregson (guitar /vocal), Rory McFarlane (bass) and Gerry Conway (drums). After a brief introduction, the opening salvo, `Fire In The Engine Room` races along and hints at the fragile nature of love while `When The Spell Is Broken` has some complex guitar chord intricacies and is a deeply emotive listen that appears to reflect on a romance that has died. `You Don’t Say` has a chugging reggae vibe before Christine Collister leads us into `Warm Love Gone Cold` and when Thompson joins it becomes an almost melancholy tale of heartbreak. One of my favourite songs `Wall Of Death` follows, a kind of anthem to seize the day and break from the chains of your daily life.  Mr Thompson introduces `Mind Your Own Business` as a bit of mindless fun, which is what in essence , it is. Clive Gregson takes over the vocals on `Summer Rain` a track from his `Strange Persuasions` solo album and if you close your eyes it could almost be Van Morrisson. There`s a delightful fifties retro feel to `Valerie` which relates to a relationship which may or may not be a healthy choice.   `Shoot Out The Lights` is a hell of a song and came from a time when Richard and Linda Thompson`s marriage was imploding, and this recording seems to sum up all the acrimony of this unhappy period. We have a more introspective and measured melancholic number in `Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed` about an unexplained death with some delightfully intricate guitar chord riffs. `She Twists The Knife Again` is another tale of a dysfunctional relationship which exudes all the bitterness of the situation. The first half, side or cd closes with `Jenny My Love` a deeply reflective number about failings in a relationship that is almost spellbinding and no better a song to end on. The second disc opens with `For Shame Of Doing Wrong (I Wish I Was A Fool Again)` a fairly extended version which is full of lyrical regret and a blistering guitar solo. The latter part has whimsical band introductions. We have a much more melancholic ballad with `Long Dead Love` another tale of a romance gone awry. A composition full of pain and heartache. `I Ain’t Gonna Drag My Feet No More` has a feel of strength and resilience about it with both Christine and Clive filling in on backing vocal harmonies. I felt there was more of a stream of consciousness about `Love In A Faithless Country` an almost conversational piece shared over a fairly haunting stripped guitar tone with Christine`s shuddering harmonies interspersed. The fast paced break up song `Tear Stained Letter` closes out the show, which becomes a kind of band jam. The troupe return with a cover of `John The Gun` a song written by Sandy Denny, Thompson’s bandmate in Fairport Convention and it`s a pretty intense listen, a number that the guitarist played on when first released. An anti-war song that seems pretty relevant in these troubled times. We have a straight up, no nonsense, rock n roll outing with `Skull & Crossbones`. The fairly stripped back and enthusiastic `Withered & Died` appears to be a secondary encore before this show closes out with `Open Fire` a track that has the audience screaming and clapping along as Clive Gregson handles the vocal duties as it bounces along. A fairly animated number to end on. If you`ve ever had the pleasure of attending a Richard Thompson gig or show, you`ll already be aware of the depth of his talent and the self-depreciating humour he shares and this concert from nearly forty years ago is a wonderful snapshot in time of all that and much more. It runs at over two hours in length and gives a flavour of the range of not only his vocal dexterity but also his lyrical talent. This release was a pleasant surprise from the vaults and hopefully there`s a few more, where this one came from.   Rating 9/10

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Richard Thompson Setlist at Bristol Beacon, Bristol, England

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• Freeze Play Video
• Hard on Me Play Video
• Withered and Died ( Richard & Linda Thompson  song) Play Video
• The Old Pack Mule Play Video
• Turning of the Tide Play Video
• John the Gun ( Sandy Denny  cover) Play Video
• Al Bowlly's in Heaven Play Video
• The Day That I Give In Play Video
• Beeswing Play Video
• A Man in Need Play Video
• Take Care the Road You Choose Play Video
• Singapore Sadie Play Video
• What's Left To Lose Play Video
• Guns Are The Tongues Play Video
• Tear Stained Letter Play Video
• Dimming of the Day ( Richard & Linda Thompson  song) Play Video
• The Bells of Rhymney Play Video
• Jealous Words Play Video

Edits and Comments

9 activities (last edit by andykeener , 27 May 2024, 09:34 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Singapore Sadie
• The Bells of Rhymney
• The Day That I Give In
• The Old Pack Mule
• What's Left To Lose
• Dimming of the Day by Richard & Linda Thompson
• John the Gun by Sandy Denny
• Withered and Died by Richard & Linda Thompson
• Guns Are The Tongues
• Take Care the Road You Choose
• Turning of the Tide
• Al Bowlly's in Heaven
• Tear Stained Letter
• Jealous Words
• A Man in Need

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Richard Thompson

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Bristol Beacon

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• Richard Thompson This Setlist Start time: 8:40 PM 8:40 PM

Richard Thompson Gig Timeline

• Apr 12 2024 Scottish Rite Auditorium Collingswood, NJ, USA Add time Add time
• May 25 2024 Cambridge Corn Exchange Cambridge, England Add time Add time
• May 26 2024 Bristol Beacon This Setlist Bristol, England Start time: 8:40 PM 8:40 PM
• May 27 2024 York Barbican York, England Add time Add time
• May 29 2024 Royal Concert Hall Glasgow, Scotland Add time Add time

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At The Barrier

Live music, reviews and opinion / est. 2018, richard thompson, katherine priddy – the opera house, manchester: live review.

Halloween night, so tricks AND treats with Richard Thompson

While we’re being topical, it could have even been ‘a night at the opera’ ( good title for the bootleg that may well soon appear on Dime … the York gig is already up ) with the colossus that straddles the genre of Folk Rock along with The Guvnor, Ashley Hutchings, and their peers in Fairport Convention.

Fairport of course, is a band we support wholeheartedly at ATB as well as Tommo himself, most recently with the Richard and Linda Hard Luck Stories treasure trove. However, before we wax lyrical on the main event, we found the appetiser the perfect illustration of why you should always make the effort to get down early enough to see the support act.

Katherine Priddy whose The Eternal Rocks Beneath we were very taken with, provided an exquisite half hour that proved a case of less is more.

She’s on tour in December and we already have Jon Kean in place, forming a queue in Trowbridge (actually it’s only a few miles from his house, so he’ll be able to walk it). No Manchester date but there’s always 2022.

Trending the theme of ‘bringing the family on tour’, her roadie is her mum, keeping her in check while she runs through a short set of material. Presented in stripped back arrangements – and stripped back to the extent of a fragile delicacy – it’s nice to hear after she namechecks the Radiohead influence on the sonic palette of the new album. There are nods to Greek mythology in Icarus and Eurydice which go down well with the classicists in the Manchester audience and a nod to the headline act with the tumble of fingerpicked guitar notes on Letters From A Travelling Man.

It seems an age since Thompson’s 13 Rivers appeared in 2018 and even longer (obviously) since 2015’s Still. Despite having no new album to promote, although he was active enough writing and recording in the dreaded lockdown, with Serpent’s Tears getting a few plugs during the evening; the gorgeous The Tinker’s Rhapsody getting a prime slot in the encore. We’re in the process of playing catch up, so have the pleasure of experiencing Richard’s postponed solo show and IMHO as they say, there’s no finer sight than RT in full flight with an acoustic guitar.

The man with the beret (let’s now go down the Alan Partridge “ I like your beret ” routine) follows the evening’s theme of keeping things in the family by having partner Zara Phillips join him onstage for the latter half of the set. He’s shared the stage with daughter Kami in the past (we saw The Rails support at The Lowry in 2015) so no surprise when he remarks how Wall Of Death benefits from an extra voice. One of the songs from his work with former wife Linda along with the main show closer I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, there’s an element of coming full circle in how those Richard/Linda songs should be performed.

First off though, we find our modern day hero dipping back not too far to Electric for opening flurry of Stony Ground that rings out boldly and finds him, not for the first time, stepping to the side of the mic for a little Beatle bow and the chance to tell us all how good it is to play for live people rather than to a wall. We know the feeling and are more than happy for him to run through a set that like a good football team, is built round a strong spine. So yes, we get the unsurpassable 1952 Vincent Black Lightning that never – ever – fails to please. Old Planty may have disowned Stairway long ago, but you can’t really imagine Thompson giving 1952VBL a rest for too long. It’s more thatn just a crowd pleaser. There’s a Down Where The Drunkards roll where he encourages us to imagine we’re in a big folk club and sing along and Beeswing gets an early outing and smatter of applause as the opening bars roll out.

And like many good football teams, the strong spine is accentuated by classy performers showcasing their wares all over the pitch. Several are introduced with a reading; an excerpt, where appropriate from his own Beeswing memoir that , naturally, all us cultured Mancunians have already devoured. Fairport in Germany and the pleasures of the Reeperbhan, the beginnings of the band and then their first US tour and being met with a degree of hostility by one of Thompson’s musical heroes, all add context as well as reminding us to have another dip into the tome when we’re home.

The latter anecdote serves up a song being released but not played; not even making the original Full House album but thankfully restored, Poor Will And The Jolly Hangman prompts the reminder that we can finally look forward to the twice postponed fifty year anniversary of the full album performance – fifty two by the time Cropredy 2022 comes around. There’s a tongue in cheek Keep Your Distance, that finds him remarking on the missed opportunity for the marketing men to provide an anthem for social distancing and it would be rude not to be in town and not play Salford Sunday. It was a Sunday after all, although the same song in the Salford Quays Lowry theatre some years ago inevitably caused some consternation with town boundaries… The place that Ewan MacColl called the dirty old town and that Thompson name-checked in his lyric as the ugly town – that I’m sure he changed to ‘lovely town’ – could be my hearing or the effect of the overhang at the back of the stalls.

Whether or not, as he mused, it would earn him local celebrity status or even that of local icons of the likes of Joy Division is immaterial. The thing that stood like a shining beacon at Manchester’s Opera House, is that Richard Thompson is back with a passion and a drive that any young musician would do well to emulate. Phenomenal.

Richard Thompson online:  Website  /  Bandcamp  /  Facebook  /  Twitter

Katherine Priddy online:  Website  /  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Instagram  /  Youtube

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Categories: Live Reviews

Tagged as: acoustic , Fairport Convention , Featured , folk rock , Katherine Priddy , Live Review , manchester , opera house , Richard Thompson , zara phillips

Published by Mike Ainscoe

Mike has been photographing and writing about bands going back many years. A former writer and Reviews Editor on Louder Than War as well as several online music blogs, he also contributes to Fireworks and to Powerplay Rock & Metal magazines. View all posts by Mike Ainscoe

2 replies »

Excellent photographs and review Mike. What I find so impressive about RT is the quality of his recent work. Agree Tinker’s Rhapsody is lovely but I also found last night’s performances of As I Hold You and The Storm Won’t Come deeply powerful. Long may he run.

Totally agreed Andrew. He seems to be getting stronger and stronger when many of his peers, through no fault of their own (blame age!), are shadows of their former selves. Looking back at the set, there’s hardly a weak link and time has shown how he’s created a really impressive and influential body of work. Love him with just the acoustic though…

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Richard Thompson tour dates 2024 - 2025

Richard Thompson is currently touring across 2 countries and has 21 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at Royal Concert Hall. in Glasgow, after that they'll be at Glasshouse International Centre for Music - Sage 1 in Gateshead.

Currently touring across

Upcoming concerts (21) See nearest concert

Royal Concert Hall.

Glasshouse International Centre for Music - Sage 1

Aviva Studios

Victoria Hall

Birmingham Symphony Hall

New Theatre Cardiff

Portsmouth Guildhall

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome

Royal Albert Hall

Frets & Refrains 2024 - Richard Thompson’s Acoustic Guitar & Songwriting Camp

Levon Helm Studios

Daryl's House

Earlville Opera House

Theater at Innovation Square

Stuart's Opera House

The Kent Stage

Sunoco Theater, Whitaker Center

Cape May Convention Hall

Gems of the Adriatic Cruise 2025

Past concerts

York Barbican

Bristol Beacon

Cambridge Corn Exchange

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Recent tour reviews

Phew! A pell-mell tilt through some RTs back catalogue with an eclectic selection of guests. Starting with Hugh Cornwell (late of The Stranglers) who was in a school band with RT the rotating line up included Dave Pegg, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattocks, Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Loudon Wainwright, Danny Thompson, Bob Mould, Judith Owers, Kate Rusby, Derek Smalls, Maddy Prior, Dave Gilmour and assorted members of the extended Thompson clan.

Highlights: following Dave Pegg's mandolin rendition of Down with the Drunkards Roll, with Bob Mould's full-on take on Turning of the Tide; the guitar/accordion duet that followed Beeswing; Linda Thompson's appearance onstage to huge applause; every single note Danny Thompson played; and the members of Fairport playing Who Knows Where the Time Goes with Olivia Chaney.

This was an absolute blast and I hope Richard enjoyed it as much as I did.

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13 Rivers tour Sage Gateshead 24th October 2018.

Good mix of songs from latest 13 Rivers album and plenty of old favourites. Fabulous and energetic guitar playing as ever. Band musicians were excellent.

Enjoyable and accomplished support act (Joan Shelley and Nathan Salsburg).

On what was I believe his first performance in Belfast Richard Thompson brought the house down at the Belfast Empire music hall. With a great back up he produced a masterly display of new and older material delivered to an eagerly awaiting audience. Hopefully it will not be long until he is back though I doubt it will be in such an intimate venue. Five star performance.

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• Richard Thompson
• Teddy Thompson

Concert Review: Richard Thompson & Friends in Woodstock, NY

by Jim Beviglia June 30, 2013, 11:09 am 1 Comment

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Although Richard Thompson was the headliner on Friday night at The Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York, the show was more like a big reunion. The first half of the evening featured some of the leading lights of the Woodstock folk scene performing in front of a rapt audience of locals. There was also the Thompson family reunion, as Richard, two sons, and even a nephew took charge in the second half of the show.

All of the evening’s performers were part of a guitar camp that Richard Thompson hosted in the Catskill Mountains, and several audience members were attendees of that camp. As a result, it was an interesting show in that there were few apparent barriers between the performers and their audience, a feeling exacerbated by the intimate nature of the venue.

Sloan Wainwright, Happy Traum, and Martin Simpson carried the load for the first part of the show. They performed an obligatory mix of covers and originals, and the nostalgia they brought to the table was undeniable. Still, it was all a little polite; even when Traum was joined by John Sebastian on harmonica for a take on his old buddy Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” the two veterans mustered reverence for the track when a little irreverence might have gone a long way.

The second half of the night was immediately jolted to life by Teddy Thompson, who brought wiry energy and plentiful hooks along with his acoustic guitar, enlivening the audience just a few bars into his opening track. Teddy has a powerful, cutting voice and songwriting chops galore. He was only on stage for four songs, but in that time he showed exactly why he deserves a much wider audience.

It was closing in on 11PM ET when Richard Thompson hit the stage, but any worries about a tired audience were quickly dispelled when he tore into the bittersweet glory of “I Misunderstood.” Thompson dipped briefly into the Fairport Convention catalog, but he mostly stuck to his solo work of the past few decades as well as a couple fine offerings from his most recent release, Electric. The new ones fit among the classics seamlessly: Ballad “Saving The Good Stuff For You” was a real honeydripper, while “Good Things Happen To Bad People” was feisty and fine.

Of course, Thompson’s guitar wizardry was on display on every track. He somehow makes his acoustic sound like an entire band, mixing tripping folk melodies with sudden blasts of staccato rock power. His blistering take on “Valerie” gained an explosive ovation. And when he performed “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” well, it goes without saying that it was a knockout.

Late in the evening, Thompson brought out the whole clan: sons Jack and Teddy on bass and guitar, with nephew Zak Hobbs and honorary family member Sebastian filling out the lineup. The quintet tore through a stunningly vibrant version of “The Price Of Love,” taking an Everly Brothers oldie and making it sound like their newest release. Gentle nostalgia is fine now and again, but Richard Thompson’s performance in Woodstock demonstrated that he’s charging relentlessly ahead even when he takes a quick look back.

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Ahoy there! Richard Thompson’s new album “Ship to Shore” and tour announced

The legendary Richard Thompson will return with “ Ship To Shore” on May 31, 2024 via New West Records. The 12-song set was produced by Thompson and recorded in Woodstock, NY. It follows his 2018 studio album “ 13 Rivers” and his 2021 memoir “ Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975″ , a great read! In crafting the album, Thompson retreated to Woodstock, New York, where he was joined by his longtime band — guitarist Bobby Eichorn, bassist Taras Prodaniuk, and drummer Michael Jerome — along with harmony vocalist Zara Phillips, fiddle player David Mansfield, and engineer Chris Bittner. The team apparently worked quickly — roughly a week to track, vocals included.

The album will be available across digital platforms, compact disc, and standard black vinyl. A limited “Deep Blue” colour vinyl edition of 500 with a bonus orange flexi disc featuring a demo of the song “Trust” will be available via Rough Trade. An autographed compact disc edition and a limited Orange & Yellow Marble colour vinyl edition featuring a 5×7 archival print autographed by Richard Thompson will be available via Independent Retailers and is available for pre-order NOW via New West

Richard Thompson “Ship To Shore” Track List: 

• The Fear Never Leaves You
• Singapore Sadie
• The Day That I Give In
• The Old Pack Mule
• Turnstile Casanova
• Lost In The Crowd
• Life’s A Bloody Show
• What’s Left To Lose

Richard Thompson On Tour (Full Band Shows) 2024:

25/05/24 – Cambridge – Corn Exchange 26/05/24 – Bristol – Beacon 27/05/24 – York – Barbican 29/05/24 – Glasgow – Royal Concert Hall 30/05/24 – Gateshead – Glasshouse 31/05/24 – Manchester – Aviva Studios at Manchester Factory International 01/06/24 – Stoke-on-Trent – Victoria Hall 03/06/24 – Birmingham – Symphony Hall 04/06/24 – Cardiff – New Theatre 05/06/24 – Portsmouth – Guildhall 06/06/24 – Brighton and Hove – Dome Concert Hall 08/06/24 – London – Royal Albert Hall

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Album: Richard Thompson - Ship to Shore | reviews, news & interviews

• Album: Richard Thompson - Ship to Shore

The master and commander of misery and despair casts off into the deep once more

Any Richard Thompson appearance comes with a hallmark guaranteeing quality produce – be that an album or a stage show. 

Indeed, Thompson's 75 th birthday concert will land on 8 June at the Royal Albert Hall, with a dazzling range of musical guests to rival the same venue’s epic 70th birthday bash five years ago. Meanwhile, it’s been six years since his last album, 13 Rivers , an album he described on its release as “coming to me as a surprise in a dark time”.

Dark times, you say? All rivers meet their end when they meet the sea, and Ship to Shore , featuring the same line-up of players in drummer Michael Jerome, bassist Taras Prodaniuk and guitarist Bobby Eichorn (with guests David Mansfield on fiddle and backing vocals from Thompson’s partner, Zara Phillips) has pulled up anchor to set sail into the stormy waters of a sea of troubles to haunt all those it encounters, a la the Flying Dutchman.

No one puts misery to music as ably as Thompson. Right from the off he proves a master and commander of that art, with the opening lines of “Freeze” –  “Another day without a dream, without a hope, without a scheme, another day that finds you crawling on your knees”. That’s another way of describing wet Wednesdays.

The following “The Fear Never Leaves You” comes with a softer musical edge, and a finely measured guitar solo surrounding lines like “if I could unsee the things I’ve seen [you can’t]”, while “Singapore Sadie” featuring Mansfield’s distinctive fiddle, is a character piece with the contrast and colour turned up high, and a chorus that rises and falls like a tide: “Her love is a mystical thing, I swear I hear the choirs celestial sing, her love doesn’t come every day, it comes like a bolt from the blue”. Sadie sounds like she once shared a pad with the subject of Thompson classic “Beeswing” before sailing her own untameable seas. There are a number of such figures - archetypes, I suppose - sprinkled through Thompson’s song book.

Discord, violence, cruelty, vindictiveness, envy, hate, despair, treachery: you’ll find all these in Shakespeare’s History plays, and they’re all present and correct on Thompson’s Ship to Shore , too, even if the crew has long run out of ship’s biscuits, even the ginger nuts, and the cabin boy has been cured and strung up as biltong, drying under a pitiless sun. “The Old Pack Mule” is especially harsh, lyrically, while musically, there’s a lot of bounce and – dare I say it – joy to be had, as tight as the ensemble is, and in the guitar work, which has never failed him and never will, it seems.

While songs like “Trust” and “Lost in the Crowd” wander off from me, musically, there’s much to keep you taut and focused, especially when we get to the closing “What’s Left to Lose” with an uplift of melody in its chorus giving the song buoyancy, however heavy the seas prove to be, while the closer, “We Roll”, sounds like a paean to the road, to being a musician with a case pulling out of the layby once again. It’s no Willie Nelson, who’s “On The Road Again” must be the ultimate song on this road, but it’s meaty, beaty, bouncy and with more Dave Mansfield fiddle, a warmer, softer landing point for listeners who’ve held on tight and true through this album’s heavy weather and murky, wreck-filled depths. In short, Ship to Shore is classic Thompson, the songster of misery and despair who doesn’t often change that tune while always delivering something tasty, fresh and new.

Richard Thompson's 75th birthday bash is at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 8 June

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Richard Thompson: 13 Rivers [Album Review]

Brian Q. Newcomb | October 9, 2018 October 9, 2018 | Reviews

Richard Thompson 13 Rivers New West Records [2018]

Fire Note Says: At 69, Richard Thompson, one of the world’s best songwriters as well as one or rock’s greatest guitarists, brings it altogether again on “13 Rivers,” one of the very best albums of his long and storied career. Album Review: Who knew there would be a year when classic rock bands would be hitting the road to cash in on their 50th anniversary? Eric Clapton hit the road celebrating 50 years of music in 2017, Ian Anderson is flouting Jethro Tull back on the road this year, Wayne Kramer’s gathered same punk & hard rock all-stars to flesh out an MC50 tour, there are two version of Yes out playing while claiming rights to the name, and Aerosmith will launch a 50th Anniversary tour in 2019. Most of these bands are hitting the road promising their hits, most of which, with a few notable exceptions, came in the first decade or two of their careers. A number of artists have launched “farewell” tours, folk like Paul Simon and Elton John who are planning to leave the road for good, and while Bob Dylan at 77 continues his Never Ending Tour, his last few albums have been covers of Sinatra and the great American Songbook. So it would seem that Richard Thompson at 69 is an anomaly, releasing an album of new original material 50 years after the debut of the self-titled Fairport Convention, and he’s still writing and playing at the top of his form. 13 Rivers is Thompson’s 19th full-length studio album, which doesn’t include the five with Fairport that more or less launched a British folk rock movement rooted in an appreciation of traditional English and Celtic music, and 6 more with his ex-wife Linda, including “Shoot Out the Lights,” the break-up album to beat all break-up albums, which Rolling Stone magazine ranked in several “Best Albums” lists for good reason. Thompson’s last fully realized studio album was 2015’s Jeff Tweedy produced Still , a great collection of songs that touch many of the musical bases of Thompson’s long and storied career, including that great album closer, “Guitar Heroes,” where he pays tribute to the musicians who influenced his own remarkable playing style: Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, Chuck Berry, James Burton, and Hank Marvin of The Shadows. While there’s little doubt that “Still” put all of Richard Thompson’s many musical strengths on display, on 13 Rivers we hear Thompson working at a deeper, more emotionally invested level. Beginning the record with “The Storm Won’t Come,” there’s a darker, more intense feel on top of the rhythm section playing a Bo Diddley beat, as Thompson sings of the sense of foreboding, or longing for a break in the weather that refuses to arrive. When he begins the guitar solo at 4 minutes in there’s an intensity in his playing, a fiery spirit that burns through most of the album, a fierce musicality in the bending of notes, in the melodic edge and the notes that bite like the wind. Back in 2003, Thompson took a challenge from Playboy to name the best songs of the last 1000 years, and recorded a live album titled “1000 Years in Popular Music,” playing his own arrangements of English folk music, Italian dance , Baroque music by Purcell, American composers Stephen Foster and Hoagy Carmichael, and modern pop by The Beatles, Squeeze, Prince, and even Britney Spears’ “Oops… I Did It Again.” He may be an amateur musicologist, but Thompson brings that knowledge into his own work on 13 Rivers . While these are all new compositions they rise from one deeply familiar with classic folk traditions, the “Rattle Within” bristles with angst and energy, and songs that lean on the blues tradition, “Her Love Was Meant For Me” and “Dog In You,” bring a fresh attack and an urgency that comes through both Thompson’s lyrics, his vocal performance and more intensely in his guitar playing, where he shows no hesitation to shred like the Hendrix fan every guitar player hides deep inside, but this is not speed for the sake of speed, or flash for the sake of flash, there’s a deep emotional undertone throughout; Thompson is playing at a high skill level, but there’s heart and soul on each and every lick. There’s a live in the studio feel throughout 13 Rivers , no doubt because Thompson produced the album himself, recording his fine band – Taras Prodaniuk on bass, Michael Jerome on drums, and second guitar player Bobby Eichorn – for ten brief days. The album was engineered by Clay Blair in the famous Boulevard Recording Studio, where albums like Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors” and Steely Dan’s “Aja” were recorded, and from 1985 to 2010 the home of Westbeach Recorders and bands like NOFX, Bad Religion, Rancid and The Offspring. Even on the quieter tracks, Thompson brings his compositional talents to the task, the finger-picked guitar strings and light cymbal taps ring out in “My Rock My Rope,” as the gentle, literate poetry unwinds the darker mood, but bright guitar solo floats on air. “Shaking the Gates” reverberates with that similar tonality, closing out the album with a somber hymn like quality. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of seeing Thompson live will know that while many of his songs speak of human tragedy and loss, but he has a wry, if dark, sense of humor as well, and there are a few nods to his somewhat infamous wit here too. “O Cinderella” offers the old fairytale with a unique twist, and Thompson intones that he “wants to make cupcakes” with the object of his desire. “You Can’t Reach It” is a bright pop rocker that plays against type, pitting his lyric about being “out in the cold” in an up-tempo melody that snaps and crackles. On “Tears” he sings about “curling up into a ball,” but includes a female chorus of backing vocals by Siobhan Kennedy, Judith Owen, and Zara Phillips, again playing against type, but then adds a guitar solo that flirts with stretching his broad sense of what notes are appropriate in the song’s given key to near the breaking point. It’s dark fun, yes, but it’s still fun. In a world where quite a few albums feel like little more than three singles and a lot of filler, Richard Thompson has dug deep and created a full meal deal. As a recording artist, songwriter, lyricist, singer and guitar player he’s hitting on all cylinders, and performing at a very high level, this feels like a very personal statement, but one that rings true universally, like all great folk music – whether traditional, rock & roll, or even punk – it speaks of what is true to the human experience in a very satisfying and musical way. Key Tracks: “Her Love Was Meant For Me” / “Bones of Gilead” / “You Can’t Reach It” Artists With Similar Fire: Eric Clapton / Tom Waits / John Hiatt Richard Thompson Website Richard Thompson Facebook New West Records – Reviewed by Brian Q. Newcomb

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Review: Richard Thompson – Ship to Shore

I think it was around twenty years ago, probably at the time of The Old Kit Bag , that I was writing about Richard Thompson and observing the reliable high standard of songwriting you can expect to hear whenever he releases an album. I went on to note that, among those dozen or so new pieces, there will be at the very least two songs that would stand to be long-term Thompson classics, be it by his own standards or that of all singer-songwriters in general. Well, it was true then and it remains so to this day. Here on Ship to Shore , the man’s first new long player in six years, buried away as the penultimate track, is a song called What’s Left To Lose which absolutely shares a space with the many outstanding and enduring numbers Richard has ever delivered. Atypically Thompson, it is a song with pain and despair at its core, the singer asking in the chorus, “what’s left to lose, everything I had is gone?” It is also constructed with the craftsman-like hand of a master, everything from the shape of the melody, the ache in the minor tones and the guttural punch in the chord patterns as they wrap around those tortured words make this play like a song that was waiting for the right songwriter to snatch it from the song tree. It had to be Richard, didn’t it? When it comes to unfiltered doom and gloom served in a musical dressing that, against the odds, almost sends the listener heading back for more, nobody does it better.

That said, he is no one trick pony and never will be. As with the majority of his 21 st century albums of new material, it is the electric Richard Thompson stepping forward on Ship to Shore , accompanied by the core of his red-hot live band, namely bassist Taras Prodaniuk and drummer Michael Jerome. Recorded live in the room for the most part, the sound is filled out with extra guitar from Bobby Eichorn, fiddle by David Mansfield and vocal harmonies from Richard’s partner Zara Phillips. It is Zara who makes her presence felt the most among the supporting cast, for she is likely the subject matter of one of the record’s most insistently upbeat and bouncy tunes, Maybe . You see, for all his attraction to the darker subject matter, Richard has always had a finesse when it comes to launching a foot-tapping rocker, he can carve it up with the best of them and his attraction to rhythm and beat never sound forced. Indeed, tracks like this one or Turnstile Cassanova and the jaunty (not so much in subject matter, this one sings of a man so paralyzed by life he cannot even bring himself to end it) album opener Freeze give the record a pace that cause it to almost fly past too quickly.

Still, when he hits hard, there is no holding back; The Fear Never Leaves You is an early example of Thompson heading deep into the dark matter without an exit strategy. Focusing on PTSD suffered by soldiers after the Falklands War, it offers very little in the way of crumbs of comfort, preferring to microscope the harsh, unending reality of a trauma that cannot be remedied in a musical setting that scolds and soothes in equal measure. On other occasions, even Richard can find no other remedy than to stare a dire situation straight in the face and try laughing at it, a tactic he is employing on Life’s A Bloody Show which surely has Donald Trump buried among the subtexts on display. Singapore Sadie sails into view and is that Zara Phillips finding herself the muse to Richard’s detailed portrait once more?

Like all the best songwriters, he leaves enough space in the songs for the listener to make their own personal attachments, although the album closer, We Roll , does bring some cause for concern. With lines like “we thank you for all your love down the years, we hope we brought some joy and some tears”, is this Richard bidding us a more permanent farewell? Luckily, the man himself has spoken out ahead of the release to dampen down that suggestion, “I’m not intending to hang up my plectrum anytime soon”, he says, “if I don’t write, if I don’t perform, I get frustrated and I feel like I’m not being the human being I should be”. That is a good shout, for Ship To Shore is not the sound of an artist in any sort of decline, quite the opposite; the Richard Thompson of 2024 is a singer-songwriter enjoying the most vital of late golden periods, producing work to stand favourably alongside any from his previous fifty years.

Richard Thompson’s  Ship To Shore  is out on 25th May via New West Records.  http://newwst.com/shiptoshore

Catching up with Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson On Tour: 

05/25/24 – Cambridge, UK – Corn Exchange # 05/26/24 – Bristol, UK – Beacon # 05/27/24 – York, UK – Barbican # 05/29/24 – Glasgow, UK – Royal Concert Hall # 05/30/24 – Gateshead, UK – Glasshouse # 05/31/24 – Manchester, UK – Aviva Studios at Manchester Factory International# 06/01/24 – Stoke-on-Trent, UK – Victoria Hall # 06/03/24 – Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall # 06/04/24 – Cardiff, UK – New Theatre # 06/05/24 – Portsmouth, UK – Guildhall # 06/06/24 – Brighton and Hove, UK – Dome Concert Hall # 06/08/24 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall # 07/12/24 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios + 07/13/24 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios + 07/17/24 – Earlville, NY – Earlville Opera House * 07/20/24 – 07/21/24 – Guelph, ONT – Hillside Festival* 07/23/24 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart Opera House * 07/24/24 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage * 07/26/24 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest Café *    7/27/24 – Harrisburg, PA – Whitaker Center * 07/28/24 – Cape May, NJ – Cape May Convention Hall* 10/18/24 – New York, NY – The Town Hall # 08/23/25 – 08/30/25 – Venice, Italy – Harmony Voyages- Gems of the Adriatic Cruise

 * Solo Show

# Full Band

+ RT & Friends

https://www.richardthompson-music.com

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