Best. Finest. Interesting words. The Los Angeles Times says of Richard Thompson: “The finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix.” That was Scott Timberg, who, of course, also worked with Richard Thompson on Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967–1975. A fine memoir. Dylan then Thompson? Well, some might see Neil there. Or Cohen. Or Joni. Or, actually, some of the newer voices. There’s a pool, isn’t there? Thompson’s definitely looming large in that pool. Guitarist then – someone once told me that Stills on the first Manassas album was nothing special “because that’s just all wah-wah.” And yet… still listening to that album fifty years on. Others have suggested that Hendrix wasn’t all that, the teeth playing, the behind-the-back, all that was just common showboating of his contemporaries as well. And yet…still listening to Axis Bold As Love. Apparently, super-fast fretting and shredding is the mark of the real guitarist. Tell that to McGuinn.
What we can say is that Richard Thompson is one of the finest songwriters in a broad sweep of genres, and his guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, is superb, certainly nearer to God than Clapton in this writer’s opinion. But why all this discursive contemplation? Well, there’s no point in us telling you, dear reader, who Richard Thompson is; we are going to assume you already know. From Fairport through solo and duo albums with Linda Thompson and as a serial collaborator, he has delivered excellence time and again. In 2017 the AMAUK gave him a lifetime award, and in 2022 we tried our best to convince you, despite what you may have heard to the contrary (what is this folk thing anyway?) that he was indeed a solid Americana artist.
And so, the song Sorcerer’s Apprentice has a bit of Byrdsian jangle to it, Thompson has toured with McGuinn, and the old band were a bit Byrdsian in the very early days. It comes from the new album Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, which is released on October 16th, 2026 via New West Records. His UK dates for this year are done with, but he returns in 2027:
April 27 – Swansea, Wales – Grand Theatre
April 28 – Southampton, England – O2 Guildhall
April 30 – Bristol, England – Beacon
May 01 – Coventry, England – Warwick Arts Centre
May 02 – Liverpool, England – Philharmonic Hall
May 04 – Glasgow, Scotland – Royal Concert Hall
May 05 – Gateshead, England – The Glasshouse
May 06 – Sheffield, England – City Hall
May 07 – London, England – The London Palladium
