In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the classic Amsterdam hit, ‘Does This Train Stop At Merseyside?’, Ian Prowse is riding the rails across the UK. The fifth stop of an extensive tour saw him stopping in Norwich for the first headline show of his career in the city. Bringing a band of old and new friends to The Waterfront Studio for a night of rock n roll, the Merseyside hero rocked up and brought his songs from the heart with him.
Crashing onto the stage, Prowse was followed by five other musicians who would proceed to captivate and stir a Norfolk crowd. Kicking off the night with ‘Takin On The World’ from ‘The Journey’, Prowse was keen to get a rocking night started, one that would be a perfect celebration of his career so far. His band, Amsterdam, are tight, clean and connected with 30 year veterans and newbies all sharing a connection which runs through this group and sparks a sound that would likely fill any venue.
A set list of big hitters, slower acoustically fuelled moments and a ‘Whole Of The Moon’ cover thrown in for good measure, there were multiple moments when Prowse and the Amsterdam band took over The Waterfront Studio. With so many of Prowse’s songs having a political notion, the “Scouse Springsteen” comparison doesn’t seem all that of an exaggeration , he’s a songwriter for the people. Those people might just be from somewhere closer to home than New Jersey.
Before diving into ‘My Name is Dessie Warren’ from the 2016 album ‘Campaneros’, Prowse proved that he’s a hell of a storyteller outside of music too. The tale of the Shrewsbury Two construction workers hit home for the audience, full of those who had likely headed out on a Friday night after a long week at work. Telling the real, honest, human stories of those like Dessie Warren is where Prowse really demonstrates his unique talents as a songwriter and artist. With as much integrity as the day it was released, he told that tale with the passion it deserves.
‘It’s a different fight ailing you every day, my friend, you just gotta let it out. Email me and I’ll email you back. You just gotta let it out,’ he reminded us. ‘Battle’, the opening track of 2022’s ‘One Hand on the Starry Plough’ saw Prowse bringing an arena size anthem to the local Norwich venue. A reassurance that life gets tough but the days keep rolling, it is in musical moments like this that you can see where Prowse sits comfortably and fits confidently. Looking around at the group of people gathered to listen to these reminders, it was clear that his genuine passion for the everyday was entirely honest. “When I’m struggling, personally, or in my career, or in my relationship, I turn to one person for guidance: Joe Strummer”, Prowse let us know. If he wasn’t sure already, then this celebration of a tour will make it pretty clear that his listeners turn to the Merseyside hero for guidance in the same way.
Ending the night with somewhat of an encore – “we’re not going to leave the stage, because that’s just time wasted when you could be listening to good music” – the band showed off on ‘Raid The Palace’, ‘Fair Blows’, and the song that Prowse himself is most proud of: ‘Home’.
Ian Prowse has a fan-base, he has people that hang on every word and move to every note. His first headlining gig in Norwich brought them out, and whether they’ve been following solo Prowse, Pele or Amsterdam, having the words come directly from the source and hearing the stories behind them, meant the world to them. Sometimes words reach people in an unexpected way, on this evening in March these songs found their cult following in Norwich. When this following formed is not something I can determine, but by the passion and connection they showed, the way they hung on every word, they’ll be following Ian Prowse onto any and every train.
A beautifully written and perfect summary of an Ian Prowse gig experience!
Thanks Chris, he puts on a great show!