Show of Hands

Show of Hands Folk Musicians

Biography

2012 will be a milestone year for folk icons Show of Hands, as they mark a 20-year stand-out career with a celebratory fourth “Big Gig” at the Royal Albert Hall.

One of Devon’s greatest success stories the dazzling duo of 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 three sell-outs at the world famous London venue.

 The triple BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards winners (Best Live Act, Best Duo and Best Original Song) are undeniably one of the strongest current forces in acoustic music – England’s finest and most popular roots duo and something of a “people’s band”, regularly voicing the hopes, fears and life stories of scores of people in song.

An alchemist couldn’t have come up with a more potent, magical mix than that of Beer, who can, as The Scotsman observed, “plays nearly every stringed instrument known to man” and the inspired Knightley, described by Radio 2’s Mike Harding as “one of England’s greatest singer songwriters”.

Hailing from rock backgrounds, today their engaging music dips and dives through roots, rock, blues, country and traditional folk genres to make an unmistakable signature sound played out on a wealth of instruments from slide guitar to mandocello, fiddle to South American cuatro. A whole world in one gig.

The enduring partnership has seen a marked rise in profile in recent years, coupled with acclaim for their latest studio album Arrogance Ignorance and Greed, bringing numerous prime time TV and radio appearances from BBC-1’s flagship rural affairs programme Countryfile to The Andrew Marr Show and BBC Breakfast TV T while Steve has a programme devoted to him and his songwriting on BBC Radio 4’s Open Country.

Their live gigs always promise a memorable, harmony-rich-rich programme of punch-packing original songs.

 

“One of the great English bands” – Peter Gabriel


“This is a band performing at its passionate peak” – The Independent


“Steve Knightley is one of England’s greatest singer songwriters” – Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2


“Phil Beer can play virtually every stringed instrument known to man” – The Scotsman

Video
Media coverage
An interview with Steve Knightley, Show of Hands' singer songwriter in which he talks about his own roots and offers tips to new and budding musicians.