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The Strawbs @ Robin, Bilston

Mar 7 2006 By Jon Griffin, Birmingham Mail

DAVE Cousins and the rest of the Strawbs may resemble kindly grandparents rather than lean, mean rockers these days - but appearances can be deceptive.

Arm them with electric guitars and plug in the amps and the Strawbs can rock as hard as any fresh-faced Kerrang-type wannabes - and a great deal more melodically to boot.

Like a cross between Jethro Tull, Steeleye Span and early Dylan, Cousins and his men weave intricate musical patterns which can still send their hardcore following into raptures.

Kicking off with the timeless - and still magical - Lay Down, the band delivered an intriguing cross-section from a 30-year plus musical odyssey which shows no sign of drawing to a close.

It was maybe a little unwise for drummer Rod Coombes to be granted a five-minute drum solo but who cares when you can encore with a great track like Part of the Union - and even fly in the song's writer John Ford to lead a nostalgic journey back to 1973?

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