Barry Letterworth and Crispin English were stalwarts of the burgeoning West Kent folk revival scene in the mid 70s. Performing as Rolled Oats they released ‘Get Your Oats’ on Thanet Records, a move that would prove controversial. Signing to an East Kent label lead to a gig boycott in the Sevenoaks area and a scuffle breaking out at the Rye Pavilion at what was to have been their homecoming show. There was some dispute as to whether the tussle was due to the contentious recording contract or merely a dispute over an unpaid bar bill. Either way the gig was cancelled and the album largely overlooked.

Together with drummer Dave Toad they formed Spadeoak, an attempt, in their words “to dig deeper into the roots of folk”. Searching for a heavier sound while remaining acoustic presented difficulties with Toad’s thundering triple bass drum set-up rendering Letterworth’s mandolin and English’s zither largely inaudible. Encouraging ‘Toadie’ to set his kit up in the pub car park also proved unworkable with Letterworth’s carefully researched and occasionally informative song segues often being cut short by prematurely overzealous drum intros from their off stage and out of sight stickman.

After a fierce debate as to what constituted ‘plugging in’ Spadeoak were granted use of amplification provided their equipment was powered by onstage generators running on corn oil. Compensating for the engine noise meant playing at almost deafening volumes and with the added vibrations causing havoc with the delicate zither tuning, live work was suspended and Spadeoak withdrew to the studio.

The resulting album, ‘Knee to the Groyne’, a title that alluded to an incident on Whitstable beach in which English sustained a modest leg injury tripping over an anti coastal-erosion spur, quickly cemented their reputation as Kent’s premiere ‘hard folk’ outfit. With demand to see the band live rising a solution to their generator issue came in the form of an invitation to play the Rudgwick Steam & Country Show. Steam power (also the title of their follow up disc) afforded Spadeoak new freedoms and with negligibly less onstage on noise to contend with the group devoted themselves to the gruelling steam fair circuit for next seventeen years.

A hog on the roast makes you hearty
good ale in the jug makes you merry
But there’s ne’er such fine faire
as she who lies there
Sweet Gwen, for your love I am hungry

For apples and pie there be custard
for beef well done, good mustard
But there’s ne’er such fine faire
as she who goes there
Sweet Gwen, for your love I have lusted

(chorus)
Sweet Gwen, sweet Gwen
say when, say when
I pour my love over you
Sweet Gwen, sweet Gwen
say when, say when, say when…

From ‘Say When’ Spadeoak

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