Leon's work remains relevant and memorable

Nov 9 2009 by Martin Ellis, The Journal

Leon Rosselson, The Sage Gateshead

BILLED as "Turning Silence into Song", the concert was a celebration of Leon Rosselson's 50 years writing and performing Rosselsongs.

Having emerged in the 1950s folk revival, Leon went on to reach a national audience performing on That Was The Week That Was – famed for his sharp wit, as a radical, a children’s entertainer, folk singer, author and satirist.

At Friday night’s gig, Leon was joined on stage by some of Britain’s finest traditional singers:

Sandra Kerr, Frankie Armstrong, Janet Russell, Roy Bailey and Martin Carthy.

The evening was introduced as an evening of music following the theme of the “the right to be heard and the power of song”. Leon commented to the audience that he had spent 50 years writing and performing songs about world issues, only to find the world in a worse state than when he started!

With the high-calibre line-up you might have expected a highly polished and slick performance.

It wasn’t. It was a gathering of old friends who clearly have a fond affection and respect for Leon Rosselson. This helped make the night fresh and special.

Leon and his friends performed songs written from every decade of his 50-year career. His early songs still relevant, with his latest songs demonstrating why many consider Leon Rosselson to be the greatest satirist in British folk music.

Memorable, poignant, moving and amusing.