Home Service — A Live Transmission
Folk rock band, Home Service were formed by ex-members of the Albion Band in the 1980s. Only two of the original eight members remain, Michael Gregory (drums and percussion) and Graeme Taylor (electric guitars), the rest of the current lineup includes Andy Lester (Trombone), Shane Brennan (Trumpet), Andy Findon (Saxophone), Steve King (keyboards and tenor saxophone), Rob Levy (bass guitar), and last but not least, the legend that is Bob Fox (acoustic guitar and vocals).
Folk rock band, Home Service were formed by ex-members of the Albion Band in the 1980s. Only two of the original eight members remain, Michael Gregory (drums and percussion) and Graeme Taylor (electric guitars), the rest of the current lineup includes Andy Lester (Trombone), Shane Brennan (Trumpet), Andy Findon (Saxophone), Steve King (keyboards and tenor saxophone), Rob Levy (bass guitar), and last but not least, the legend that is Bob Fox (acoustic guitar and vocals).
A Live Transmission was recorded during the band’s 2024 tour at shows in Balham, Wavendon and Bury St Edmunds and features songs that have long since become an established part of the band’s repertoire alongside songs brought to the band by their newest member, Bob Fox.
The album opens with "Napoleon’s Grand Marche" & "Walk My Way", the first is an instrumental that immediately lets you know just what the band’s sound is all about. The mix of trad folk and woodwind playing a traditional song, arranged by the band, is a little too trad for me, whereas "Walk My Way" leans a little heavier on the rock side of the band with vocals from Bob Fox, and is much more up my street. This is followed up by another traditional song, "Bonny At Morn", a track that I have loved for many years. My personal favourite adaptation is a really melancholy and atmospheric version by Rachel Unthank and the Winterset from their album, The Bairns, however, this version, while very different, is a cool, slightly more uptempo version that works really well with Bob’s vocal style. Next, we have another medley, this time "The Road to the North", an acoustic instrumental by Alistair Anderson and the traditional song, "A White Cockade", which has an almost reggae vibe to it. "Bramsley" is up next, and it’s a joyous celebration of the band’s massive sound written by Graeme Taylor. The horns really come to the fore on this one. The John Tams composition "Snow Falls" is next. It's a wonderful, delicate tune that perfectly suits Bob’s vocal style. "Battle Pavane" & "Peat Bog Soldiers" are up next, the first of which is an instrumental, traditional song played largely on woodwind instruments, whereas "Peat Bog Soldiers" is a far rockier affair with crunchy guitars and even a couple of rock-style guitar solos. This may be my favourite track here.
"The Old Man’s Song" is up next, and after a sparse opening with some fairly big keyboard chords and Bob’s voice, more layers are added with some almost Hispanic sounding horns giving the song an original flavour. "Papa Joe’s Polka" is another traditional song arranged by Graeme Taylor with the horns once again taking centre stage. The next track is yet another medley, three songs this time, the traditional song "My Bonny Boy", John Tams’ "Scarecrow" and Vaughan Williams’ "The Lark Ascending. Scarecrow" in particular is a personal favourite, it’s an anti-war song with a strong message that is perfectly performed here in a slightly rockier style, whlist Andy Findon closes this threesome with his beautiful flute performance of "The Lark Ascending". The band bring the album to a close with "Battle of the Somme", an instrumental piece written by a pipe major during WW1 to commemorate those who died during the Battle of the Somme.
Overall, A Live Transmission is a great live record that sees Home Service continuing to perform even without John Tams in their ranks. The inclusion of Bob Fox is a masterstroke; it’s so good to hear him backed by a full band, he brings a new element to the band, and he sounds so fresh and excited to be there. Musically, the album is sheer perfection, every note is a work of art, and every musician fits perfectly within the whole. I personally really love their folk rock material, whilst the more woodwind influenced material is less to my taste. However, I must also state that I can appreciate the diverse collection of songs they have brought together on this album, and in particular, each musician’s talents. If you love Ashley Hutchings’ The Albion Band, you will love this. I feel almost guilty to be marking this as a 3 out of 5 album, but that only loses marks because not all of the material is to my taste, it is certainly not about their ability as musicians, songwriters and arrangers, which is impeccable.