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Strawbs frontman details the band’s upcoming studio album, The Magic Of It All.
Strawbs’frontman, guitarist and longest-serving member, Dave Cousins, has revealed how the reverence held in South Africa for the band’s 1970s albums Grave New World and Bursting At The Seams led to the creation of latest release The Magic Of It All – out via Cherry Red on July 14.
“I first went to South Africa in January 2020,” Cousins tells Prog.“I found out that we were actually very highly regarded at the time of Grave New World because it reverberated with the battle against apartheid. Singles like Lay Down and Part Of The Union [both from ’73’s Bursting At The Seams] were really popular with the anti-apartheid movement because of what they were saying.”
Such is their legacy in South Africa that filmmaker Niel van Deventer approached Cousins with the idea of making a documentary about Strawbs while new songs were being recorded in Cape Town. Cousins set to work while van Deventer filmed around him. In addition to being joined by Grave New World-era bandmates John Ford (bass) and Blue Weaver on production duties, the recording line-up was bolstered by local musicians Schalk Joubert (bass), Mauritz Lotz (guitars) and drummer Kevin Gibson. The surprise changes have caused an online backlash among fans, forcing Cousins to defend his decision via social media.
Cousins is fulsome in his praise of his new cohorts: “Mauritz is apparently the finest guitar player in South Africa. He brought in Kevin and befo
