Home Service

Event information

Fronted by the iconic figure of John Tams, the eight-piece Home Service were considered by many to be the greatest folk-rock band ever. The reunion of this classic band came about after the discovery, in early 2011, of some previously unheard live recordings made by their former sound engineer on a couple of cassette tapes that have languished in the back of his wardrobe for the last 25 years. These recordings, made at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 1986, exhibit a power and commitment that was never fully captured in the studio, so a live album release immediately became inevitable. With an album to promote, live performances were the obvious next step. So, with everyone truly inspired by the might of these recorded performances, Home Service is once again back in business.

Home Service was originally formed from the creative nucleus of the Albion Band line-up that produced the classic ‘Rise Up Like the Sun’ album, singer and songwriter John Tams feeling the need to explore more contemporary themes in his writing and its musical interpretation. The band was also born out of a desire to work with a brass section, an idea which emerged when trumpet player Howard Evans joined the Albion.

Since their reformation, the band has headlined at major festivals throughout the UK and won the ‘Best Live Act’ at the BBC Folk Awards in 2012. So don’t miss what is sure to be one of the most amazing nights we’ll ever have at The Live Room!

‘….the brass section play like the Devil’s own pit band; Graeme Taylor’s guitar can strip paint, Steve King conjures a whole orchestra from his keyboards, and John Tams’s vocal smoulders and roars’ - ***** R2

‘The very mightiest of sounds that could grace any stage, with nothing remotely comparable in the folk-rock arena in terms of maximum visceral and emotional impact...a totally essential purchase: no argument.’ - Net Rhythms

‘Blistering...truculent folk-rock’ - ***** The Financial Times