When it comes to formative experiences, nothing quite compares with the influence the music of Dave Cousins and the Strawbs have had on my life. If you’re not familiar with the Strawbs, you will be surprised to learn that not only have you already missed the band’s 30th anniversary, you had almost missed its 40th, next year. They have released at least 31 albums, including many live recordings and compilations. Formed in 1963 as the Strawberry Hill Boys, they played mainly folk and bluegrass. The band’s first major label album was released in 1968. Cousins has a once-heard-never-forgotten voice and no one has ever even attempted to impersonate it. There’s more than a touch of Dylan in there, a hint of medieval folk troubadour, but also something uniquely English and without equal. His lyrics articulate themes as diverse as the Crucifixion, adolescence or attempted suicide and, to this day, the sound of ‘Grace Darling’ brings a tear to the eye. At a time when most progressive rock bands were considered to have become self-indulgent dinosaurs, the Strawbs were capable of incisive social comment. In New Zealand (as elsewhere), they’re largely remembered for a protest song that became an anthem for global trade unions, although it was not written by Cousins but by the rhythm section of Hudson-Ford. Several different incarnations of the band, with Cousins as the only constant, are still actively gigging and recording. NZBC recently caught up with Dave for a mince pie and a pint of London Pride to ask what he’s been up to for the last 30-odd years. Merry Christmas, one and all. Read on...