Born from Birds

After watching the Great Lake Swimmers I went off to take a quick gander at renaissance. The band was actually born out of the Yardbards, but had a near-complete overhaul early in their career and its true roots are in Phase II of the band, inaugurated with the arrival of guitarist Michael Dunford and other members of The Nashville Teens who were called in to fulfill a performance contract. There were many arrivals, departures and returns before its true heyday in the early half of the 1970s, and the current band can boast at least two majore players from that era.

And here they are, Annie Haslam and the aforementioned Dunford.



We also have David Keyes on bass, a more recent recruit, and Tom Brisling, keyboardist for many (including Marshall Crenshaw, intriguingly enough).



The whole lot, playing Mother Russia.



I soon made my way back to see Andrew Bird's set. Bird's always an interesting performer to watch, though having seen him before the surprise factor wasn't quite as significant. Still, it's pretty amazing to see him construct his loops, though even without his music would be easy on the ear.

First, a snap of Bird's horn and his monkey.



Bird fidddles about.



The man and his monkey.



Percussive action!



Andrew sings!



A shouty bit!



... and some guitar action.



And that's that, other than a few quick snaps of Steve Hackett not worth exploring further.

• Show reminder: Polarity could go either way at The Rainbow.