The first of quite a few shows we’ve got lined up at the Apex in Bury St. Edmunds, Oysters 3 is an offshoot of the Oysterband and consists of John Jones, Ian Telfer and Alan Prosser. All founder members of the group, this was billed as a chance to hear some of the best known material in a stripped back, acoustic environment.
Most of the songs stood up well in an acoustic setting and, as to be expected, the singing and playing was exemplary. Aided by a nice line in anecdotes (especially from Ian Telfer), the set pretty much covered all phases of the Oysterband canon, including its origins as a Ceilidh band in the late 70s. Apparently the idea arose from Sidmouth and Shrewsbury Festivals recently asking them to do ‘something different’ as well as the regular Oysterband style of concert. At that stage they more or less improvised the show and then wondered how on earth they’d never thought of doing this before’
A very entertaining two hours or so, wrapped up nicely with a ‘without microphones or any amplification’ finale that must have harked back to the early days playing in folk clubs up and down the country. If pushed, I still prefer the full band sound, but it was still excellent to hear these songs in a more intimate and personal environment.