Steve Knightley to play The Apex later this month

Renowned folk songwriter and former Show of Hands frontman, Steve Knightley (pictured above) is embarking on a nationwide tour to promote his latest album, “The Winter Yards” and is due to play The Apex, in Bury St Edmunds, later this month.

With a reputation for haunting narrative songs and captivating storytelling, Knightley’s new album is an evocative continuation of his influential legacy in acoustic music.

 Knightley’s music is deeply intertwined to geographical places, particularly the West Country, where he currently resides.

His body of work, infused with a profound love of English traditional folk music, the songs of Bob Dylan and the poetry of Ted Hughes, showcases an ability to craft compositions that connect historical narratives with contemporary topics.

A recurrent theme in Knightley’s extensive repertoire is his commitment to addressing social issues.

“Country Life” earned him the title of “The gravel-voiced spokesman of the rural poor” (The Guardian), while his anti-banking anthem “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed” clinched the Best Song award at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

While Knightley had a stint in the London rock scene in the 80s, his return to the West Country marked a shift in his musical trajectory.

As a guitar teacher he played a formative role in shaping the talents of young musicians including P J Harvey.

However, it was in 1994 that Knightley’s music career took off, when he co-founded the iconic band Show of Hands alongside multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer.

The group, lauded by Peter Gabriel as one of the “Great English Bands”, became a cornerstone of Knightley’s enduring musical legacy, while Knightley’s prowess as a songwriter earned him the title of Tom Robinson’s “Songwriter of the 90s”, three BBC Folk Awards and six performances at the Royal Albert Hall, including his most recent in 2023.

Steve Knightley and The Winter Yards Band are at The Apex on Thursday, October 23, at 7.30pm.

See www.theapex.co.uk or ring 01284 758000 for more details and to book tickets.