Thursday 23d of January saw a welcome return of Special Consensus to the Old Vic in Nottingham. The line up was: Greg Cahill (banjo), Josh Williams (mandolin/fiddle), Tim Dishman (bass) and new arrival Jamie Clifton (Oklahoma State Guitar Champion 2003) on guitar, replacing Chris Walz. Jamie played in a Tony Rice-influenced style and made it all look so easy. Additionally, he has a very good quality to his lead voice with, to my ears, just a hint of Ralph Stanley present; a worthy replacement for Chris Walz's talents, I thought.

In contrast to their last visit, the bulk of the lead vocals are now sung by Josh, who has a good, strong Bluegrass voice. Theier material was wide-ranging, from Flatt and Scruggs' Why Don't You Tell Me So, with its' gutsy Scruggs-style 'licks' from Greg, to Paul Simon's superb Leaves That are Brown and The Stanley Brother's Daybreak in Dixie. There were some of the groups own compositions, such as Greg's Cahill Special, and Josh's This ain't Alabama, Uncle George; I'd like to know the story behind that particular instrumental!

I've always thought that Greg's banjo playing on fiddle tunes is spot on - he manages to use a Scruggs-like drive while making it quite clear what the tune is; it's not cloyingly 'pretty' in style. Josh's mandolin style is beautiful, bringing to mind Herschel Sizemore in particular. On fiddle, Josh played Cherokee Shuffle with some fine higher register variations, with Greg contributing a terrific interpretation of the tune. As on their previous gigs, the group also played a couple of 'swing' era tunes, with Sweet Temptation and Blue Skies giving Tim Dishman a chance to contribute some very pretty walking bass lines. I thought Greg's tone a bit 'hard' on these; picking further from the banjo's bridge at least some of the time would have been better, in my opinion, but of course that's individual preference.

Jamie Clifton's guitar was superbly amplified by Geoff, our host. At how many venues do you get a boomy, bassy sound with a barely audible top range? And solos the audience can hardly hear? Not at the Old Vic! Every note crystal clear, perfect bass/treble balance, volume perfectly matched to the rest of the group, and no feedback squealing either. I've never subscribed to the view that dreadnought-style guitars are bass heavy; listening to Jamie's collings guitar reinforces my view further. There's no need for transducers in small venues, either! Don't touch those settings, Geoff!

Talking of small venues, about 70 people turned up, some coming from as far afield as Cheshire, Leeds and Doncaster. That's dedication! What a way to start the new year; a first class night of top-quality music thanks to Geoff and Pat and their truly special guests, Special Consensus.

Eric Kwiatkowski, Nottingham

1st Feb 2003