By Geoff Bowers

I sincerely hope that your editor didn't miss the opportunity to see Special Consensus this time 'round? I had winced a little to see that the line-up had changed when the promo' stuff came. Ineedn't have had any qualms!

I just don't know how Greg Cahill manages to find such overwhelming talent. This band is truly awsome! No one who saw the Lonesome River Band would say anything other than "Great! - Marvellous," but the night Special Consensus put on in Nottingham was just something else...

Replacement mandolinist, vocalist and fiddler Josh Williams, has to be the best mandolinist that these tired eyes have beheld: Astounding fireworks deliveredwith youthful nonchalance and ease!

Greg Cahill's banjo attacks more and more every time we see him.

Josh Williams, Chris Waltz, Tim Dishman, Greg Cahill

Tim, 'The Dish' Dishman plays bass and sings a fine tenor harmony and Chris Walz has moved into a much more powerful gear on his lead vocals and guitar.

The whole character of the band has done the same - muchmore of the straight powerful bluegrass than before. There was also some fine, beautiful, powerful gospel singing which went down to great applause.

The band had reached us after sell-out performances in Cheshireand London

and where clearly very tired when they arrived. The audience could never know that when the concert started. There where even people there who had followed them up from London to see them again!

This band opened up theNottingham Concerts at the Test Match Hotel in '98 and it's fitting that they've brought that venue to an end due to forthcoming "improvements" to the building which will make concerts impossible! Real smart these breweries aren't they? Fortunately, it's forced us into an even better venue but it's still left us feeling quite nostalgic.

I reckon that to top that on their next trip, they're going to have to have God on the dobro and The Devil on fiddle! Happy, happy days...

Geoff Bowers', NottinghamWrite to Geoff

3rd Feb 2001