Speed Beaver Music

This was Galley Beggar’s debut gig in London. They are best described as acoustic folk rock,
listing their influences as Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span,
Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Jethro Tull, Fotheringay,
Circulus, Bert Jansch and Pentangle.

I’ll ‘fess up straight away and say that Galley Beggar don’t play a style of music that
I would normally go out of my way to see – I was there primarily because my brother is their
drummer, but I ended up being quite glad that I went!

The setting was an acoustic night at the Loom Bar.
The venue is suited to solo artists and duos,
but accommodating a seven-piece band was, shall we say, a bit of
a squeeze, and the PA was a touch on the weedy side.

However, space issues and less than stellar sound apart, they played a solid, strong and melodic set. The audience was
attentive and enthusiastic, the band were obviously having a good time, and if I hadn’t been told,
I’d never have guessed that it was the debut of this line-up. One to watch, if acoustic folk rock is your bag…