Peter Knight and John Spiers Announce First UK Tour in March 2018

In the summer of 2016, the organisers of FolkEast Festival had the grand idea of pairing Peter Knight (ex-Steeleye Span) and John Spiers (ex-Bellowhead) for a special ‘one off’ concert at that year’s festival.

In the event, it ended up being a genuine festival highlight, with no space to be found in the Marquee and people standing five-deep in the pouring rain. For a few minutes at the close of their performance, with a standing ovation and roars for more, it didn’t seem as though the audience was going to let them go….it was a genuinely spine-tingling occasion. As the MC commented, it was one of those occasions when people could say “I was there”.

It came as no real surprise that the one-off special led to a more permanent arrangement, and with their debut studio album ‘Well Met’ ready for imminent release, Knight and Spiers undertake their first UK tour in March 2018.

Before the tour (dates below), there will be a special Double Bill on February 26th at Warwick Arts Centre featuring Knight and Spiers and The Gigspanner Big Band (featuring Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin) whose live album we reviewed in August.

“The Gigspanner Big Band are a unique musical proposition; they are taking folk music down new and enthralling paths. They are also one of the most exciting live bands you are likely to see this year (or any year, for that matter), and this recording documents their energy, skill and hard work brilliantly.” Thomas Blake (FRUK)

Listen to The Cuckoo, a medley based around English tunes on the theme of the Cuckoo. The Cuckoo song / The Cuckoo’s Nest / The Cuckoo’s Nest (Longborough Morris).