Show Of Hands announces Royal Albert Hall special

Show Of Hands: singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer

Folk legends plan fifth ‘Big Gig’ with several special guests, including Miranda Sykes, Rex Preston, Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin

Leading folk duos from both sides of the Atlantic will be among special guests for Show Of Hands’ 25th anniversary show at the Royal Albert Hall this Easter. The popular Devon band will mark their milestone year with a return to one of the world’s most famous stages on Easter Sunday – 16 April 2017.

Singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer have forged one of the most successful ever partnerships in acoustic roots music and have already scored four sell-outs at the iconic London venue. Now they will to head back to historic 5,000-seater hall for a fifth time, accompanied by their long-term special guest: bass player and vocalist Miranda Sykes, appearing as a duo with mandolin player Rex Preston.

Returning to the Albert Hall for the first time since clinching the Best Duo title in the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards will be the much celebrated pairing of Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin. The third duo will be Canada’s Matt Leonard and Leonard Podolak who supported Show Of Hands on tour in 2012. Podolak is a five-string claw hammer banjo player, best known for his work with the Juno/Grammy award-winning Canadian band The Duhks.

Also in the line-up will be Devon’s Lost Sound Chorus who last year appeared with Show Of Hands at Exeter Cathedral in a concert marking the centenary of the first day of Battle of the Somme. Long-time collaborator, composer and keyboards player Matt Clifford who famously worked with The Rolling Stones will also be on the Albert Hall stage as will teacher Chris Hoban, who has penned some of Show Of Hands’ more recent songs including Katrina, Hallows’ Eve and The Old Lych Way.

“Hiring somewhere as high-profile as the Albert Hall is obviously not something you undertake lightly but it’s a challenge we relish,” said Knightley. “We are lucky enough to have an incredible fan base, not only in the UK but in France, Holland, Germany and beyond and hopefully a lot of them will be there to help us celebrate a quarter of a century as Show Of Hands!”

A special hard-backed souvenir book marking the band’s 25th year will be on sale on the night, entitled No Secrets. For Royal Albert Hall tickets visit royalalberthall.com and to find out more about the band go to showofhands.co.uk

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