#thecellars

44 years and counting; The Strawbs prove they’ve still got it.

Founding Strawbs member Dave Cousins, along with Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk, make up the acoustic Strawbs: the current Strawbs line-up that has now been touring since 2004. The Cellars at Eastney was completely packed last night for the Portsmouth leg of the folk rock band’s current tour, with one audience member remarking “I can’t believe a band like this would come here”.

Four decades later, the passion heard on their original material is not lost in their live set. Dave Cousins’ unmistakably powerful voice, along with intricate guitar parts from the trio, makes for a compelling spectacle, though the group remained modest throughout, joking “We’re going to take a short break to plug in the pacemakers”.

Between anthems like Benedictus and Autumn, Cousins reminisced about the band’s early days in The White Bear, London, as well as record deals, touring and the people they met during their career.