Peter Viney's Blog

Support Holly Carter

The Concert Hall
Poole Lighthouse

Thursday 10th September 2026

Its in the concert hall. Recently solo artists have found themselves in the adjoining theatre which is smaller, but Richard Thompson is Concert Hall status.

HOLLY CARTER

Holly Carter- vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Joe Wilkins- electric and acoustic guitars

I looked on set list com. Previous sets include Song to Woody and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. The set list was there for Poole which is a bonus, because it’s hard to pick up titles. I can’t argue, but listening to the CD today Ashes of Joe Hill sounded familiar and she introduced a song about the IWW or Wobblies, the trades union in 1917 USA, and that was fourth so Our Hands Are Tied,

1 Stella
2 Stetson Kennedy
3 Out To Sea
4 Our Hands Are Tied
5 What You See
6 Song to Woody
7 Morewen

What a fabulous guitarist and singer she is! She had accompaniment from Joe Wilkins, alternating on electric (Fender Jaguar) and acoustic. I’d class her as English Americana. In a huge concert hall, electric guitar can sound abrasive, but she played finger style and it worked. I always feel sorry for support singers bereft of the drums and bass on their records.

Stella, My Hands are Tied and Song to Woody are from All of You and Me. If you’re a support and therefore most of the audience don’t know you, it’s always wise to include one cover, and hers was Song to Woody from the first LP, Bob Dylan. A first rate version it is. She put down her guitar and sang it with Joe Wilkins playing guitar.

Stetson Kennedy was about a character who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. The Fender Jaguar wove a lead round the song.

What You See opens the latest album, another with attractive guitar figures, It’s a single and there’s a lyric video online.

She finished with a solo instrumental, Morewhen, demonstrating her extraordinary ability.

My Support test? I bought 2 CDs. Leave Your Mark this year, while All of You and Me (Two) is a recent re-recording of a five year old album.

She’s on tour on her own. Check it out. I wanted more.

RICHARD THOMPSON & ZARA PHILLIPS

SET LIST

RICHARD THOMPSON SOLO
I Misunderstood
Genesis Hall
Turning of The Tide
Pharoah
Johnny’s Far Away
Walking On A Wire
If I Could Live My Life Again
Walking The Long Mile Home
1952 Vincent Black Lightning

RICHARD THOMPSON & ZARA PHILLIPS
Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking
Withered and Died
She Twists The Knife Again
Pipe Dreams
The Rattle Within
She Sang Angels To Rest
Dry My Tears and Move On
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

ENCORE
Down Where The Drunkards Roll (Richard Thompson)
Wall of Death (Richard Thompson with Zara Phillips)

It’s nine years since I last saw him in Poole, before that was Salisbury in 2011. I remember the history of English song set. I even saw him with Fairport Convention but have zero recall of the concert. This time he’s performing with his wife Zara Phillips which potentially opens up some of the best songs in his extensive catalogue to improved live performance, both songs with Fairport Convention and with Linda Thompson. He still has black jeans and a black beret. He is sartorially consistent. His relaxed banter between songs is marvellous. I won’t ruin future shows by quoting it.

But it doesn’t open up the back catalogue. The first half of the show is Richard solo with acoustic guitar. His voice sounds even better than it ever did. His guitar playing is as ever, incredible. Unlike most he uses just the one acoustic guitar throughout.

Then Zara Phillips comes on halfway through for the current virtual single, Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking, and does a strong second vocal. I expected her to take a lead vocal in at least one verse, but she never gets it, Is it avoiding stepping on the memory of Linda’s vocals? Is it that he’s so used to singing solo lead vocal? She sounds perfectly capable of singing lead and her solo album was on sale. She’s relegated to a background role, except for the two songs from the imminent album and then she’s still accompanying vocal. Yes, a female shadow voice enhances the effect of his gruff masculine voice, that’s all good, I’m glad she was there, but … but why not let her have the spotlight just for a verse? I’d want her to take the lead vocal on some.

The set starts with I Misunderstood, from Rumour & Sigh, a demonstration of the power of his vocal.

For Genesis Hall I think I prefer Richard solo to the original Fairport Convention. He says they ‘invented a genre.’ They did, but not really with Genesis Hall. Both the song and Meet on The Ledge seem to me now an English Jefferson Airplane rather than the birth of English folk rock. No less enjoyable for that.

Turning of The Tide is from Amnesia in 1988. I never realised it was specifically about Fairport’s first foray to Hamburg clubs, but that makes sense and brought a new dimension to the lyrics. Even on strong rhythmic songs like this, I think he sounds better solo than he did with a band live. There’s a flexibility about no backing musicians that he knows how to benefit from. He’s quite capable of creating an urgent driving beat without bass and drums.

Pharoah also comes from Amnesia, and links well to the current political situation. It’s not one that stuck out for me when I got the original album.

Johnny’s Far Away was described as a sea shanty, but a cruise ship sea shanty. It was audience singalong and either the audience picked up fast or a lot of us bought Sweet Warrior (2007). I missed the fiddle part, and it’s a perfect song for Bellowhead. Have they done it? Jon Boden and Richard Thompson’s similarity in delivery are apparent on this song.

Walking On A Wire was described as a song from an album nobody bought. Well, I did. The LP in 1982. Then I bought the CD version. Then the deluxe CD. It’s from the final Richard & Linda Thompson album, Shoot Out The Lights. I found this bizarre, in that it’s an almost definitive Linda Thompson song. Richard wrote it, but surely he was getting inside her head as they broke up publicly and had to tour afterwards. So he takes it over. Maybe it would have been poersonally problematic to have Zara Phillips sing it instead of him … which is what I’d have expected. On the original, Richard is the shadow voice.

If I Could Live My Life Again was unfamiliar. He said it was from a Covid EP that no one bought and they have stacks of left. I will seek it out.

Walking The Long Mile Home had a great intro story. No spoilers. It’s from the one with my favourite sleeve, Mock Tudor (1999),

As soon as he started 1952 Vincent Black Lightning there was that sudden audience recognition applause from the first couple of guitar notes. Odd. Maybe it’s because it so often live. Rumour & Sigh from 1991. OK, he’s written hundreds of songs, but it was never in my A list of his songs. I think I’m alone there.

This is the point where Zara Phillips comes on. No, no one made obvious jokes about Princess Margaret’s daughter. Except me. They did Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking, which is online to stream.

As they said on the concession stand, the new album Hippies, Thugs and Heroes is a month away. A bit remiss with a long tour where he could have sold lots of copies. Zara added that strong second vocal, but it’s not especially apparent on the streamed album track.

As they started Withered and Died, again I was waiting for the female lead vocal, but no, the lead is Richard and she sings second vocal. It’s from I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, but if you’re reading this, you will know that. He sings it impeccably but it’s cemented in my consciousness as her song.

This cruel country has driven me down
Teased me and lied, teased me and lied
I’ve only sad stories to tell to this town
My dreams have withered and died

She Twists The Knife Again is from Across A Crowded Room (1985) the last Joe Boyd produced record. Psychological analysis is not my thing, but in the aftermath of that break up, it really sounds like the answer to Withered & Died. They’re placed side by side in the set list.

She never leaves me my dignity
Makes a dunce of me in mixed company
No bygone can be a bygone
She throws the spanner in and she puts the screws on

Pipe Dreams is another from the forthcoming album Hippies, Thugs & Heroes, and is not on iTunes. It’s the strongest song for Zara, because it’s very Everly Brothers in feel, and the two vocals seem essential to it. I’d have made it the first virtual single and it is the only one where they seem on equal (Phil & Don) footing.

The Rattle Within comes from 13 Rivers, so comparatively recent (2018). Both singing, but in spite of great rhythmic playing, it really misses the percussion track.

She Sang Angels To Rest, the second from Sweet Warrior lends itself well to having the second vocal. It brings the pace right down. I mess the violin.

Dry My Tears And Move On stands up well in the set. Back to Mock Tudor.

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight would be my first choice of all his songs, so you know it’s the final song. Those first notes state it and we’re away. Another everyone identifies with Linda Thompson. I thought this is where Zara will get at least a verse, but no way. Just shadow vocal again. It’s a brave one to do without the great brass band part. In fact Zara gets the backing Ooooooh part.

Down Where The Drunkards Roll is the first encore. Richard came back on alone and did it solo. It’s also from their ultimate album, and again originally a Linda lead vocal, but he does it alone. Yet it sounded so great with a female top line and his gruff male voice way back in sections. Give her a chance! I thought, but maybe that would be pushing her into a direct comparison?

Zara came back on for Wall of Death, from Shoot Out The Lights. The original was both singing together. They did here, and after Pipe dreams our best chance to hear her, but really, her mic needed to be at the same level as his. He has such a strong projection that it might be very hard to balance at the sound desk.

OK. I enjoyed every minute. Excuse the mild gripes. I do think she needs to get more mic time and volume.

SEE ALSO
Richard Thompson – 2017