A sell-out crowd at Rugby Roots created a great atmosphere for Phil Beer and Steve Knightley, both multi-instrumentalists and fine singers. They were backed by Miranda Sykes whose double bass added an extra, beautiful texture to the musical mix.
Phil and Steve's success – which has included full houses at the Albert Hall – is built almost entirely on word of mouth and their internet fan club, Longdogs, which is based in Rugby.

So it was appropriate that they used the occasion to launch a new CD of live performances in aid of cancer charity CLIC Sargent and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Steve's young son Jack is recovering from leukaemia.

They showcased many of their finest songs, including Country Life, The Blind Fiddler and an encore of Roots, for which Steve needed a little help from the audience because of a bad cold.

But there was also plenty of new material to interest the regulars – some new in the sense of having been written only two days ago, and other new versions of traditional songs. And there you have the best of Show of Hands, a fascinating mix of the timeless and the new, bringing fresh life to the roots of English music. John Howes

* To buy the CD, go to www.longdogs.co.uk

Verdict: Powerful and uplifting.