Reviews 2025

Woodman Folk Club - Reviews
Hunter Muskett

Andy Whitehouse  4 April 2025

Click on photo to 
see larger image
Hunter Muskett wowed the Woodman on the opening night of their Spring tour. Originally formed in 1968 the trio comprising Terry Hiscock(Vocals, Guitar), Doug Morter(Guitars,Vocals) and Rog Trevitt(Bass, vocals and.......Glockenspiel) played a faultless set to promote their latest album "Roll On".

Whilst taking the majority of songs from later years of the bands existence, the beautiful ballad "Silver Coin", penned by Hiscock for his wife Denise, took the audience back to the early seventies; the only song played from the band’s early days in the current set. "Thief In Your Heart" opened the set with a perfect blend of three vocals showed the audience what a treat the night was going to be. "Lonely Waters" followed and although by their own admission they were not a chorus band, the Woodman choir didn’t take long to find a sing along part, much to the trio’s delight. "Fields Of France" told the story of men going across the channel to war. A Morter penned song which was conceived in 2015 to commemorate the 200 year Battle of Waterloo Anniversary and finished the following year when it was the 100 year anniversary of the Somme. Trevitt’s mandolin playing adding to the piece. "Ain’t Nobody's Business" brought a touch of blues to the set, a Taj Mahal inspired song written by Hiscock during lockdown got the feet tapping and the audience singing along but it was the closing song of the first set that rounded out a wonderful display of musicianship. "Roll On", the title track of the new album and inspired by Woody Guthrie could be described as pure class. A song that Mark Knopler would have been proud to call his own.


After the break "Clear Lake", once again had the audience singing along, a beautiful song written about the ’59 plane crash and Buddy Holly. The song not needing any introduction when ending with the Holly Classic "It Doesn’t Matter Anymore". The only cover of the set followed. Buddy Holly’s "Everyday" and the falling apart Glockenspiel which was a wonderful moment of the night. A debut of said instrument at the Woodman by all accounts. "Breaks Me Up Every Time" was a Morter penned tribute to his friend and fellow musician, Gerry Donahue. An old song recorded for the new album and a new ending that was almost right. Another new outing in the set was "Mendips", written about the anonymous return of John Lennon’s house name plate after the initial theft some twenty years earlier. A song that could easily have sat on a Beatles album. "Humber and Tyne" rounded the set off. A song about the BBC shipping forecast and inspired by Lonny Donigan. Trevitt’s mandolin again adding a Lindisfarne flavour to the song which is certainly no bad thing. A song to finish why they all started. The calls for more proved what a privilege it had been to see a group so on top, meaningful lyrics and superb crafted songs that felt as though they were being played for each audience member personally. The encore of "Broadway Lullaby" rounded the night off perfectly.

Dick Woodhouse opened up the night with six stunning songs of frivolity and fun, impeccably delivered as always. To go on stage ’cold’ and play songs of this complexity is something special and very few would manage to play so well. Opening with Do like to be beside the seaside, who knew there were so many verses of such a famous chorus. A couple of Jake Thackery songs, "Scallywag" and the "Hair Of the Widow Of Bridlington" were played superbly, by Dick’s own admission there are a lot of words in the latter and there really are a lot of words to fit in. I don’t think any were left out. "Sally Wheatley" rounded Dick’s all too short set off. A Woodman favourite to warm up the vocal cords for the headliners.