Jethro Tull: Seven Decades

Dating all the way back to the late 1960s, the darlings of quirky prog rock are still on the road with the Seven Decades tour. As with many long-lived bands, Jethro Tull has gone through many changes in its roster; and its leader, multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson and the man who popularised the flute as a rock instrument (!), is the sole member of the original lineup – but then Jethro Tull has always been his band, reflecting his musical vision.

On tour is the current incarnation: Joe Parrish on guitars and mandolin, John O’Hara on keyboards, Scott Hammond on drums, David Goodier on bass, and Anderson fronting and fluting. It’s the lineup responsible for the bands’s 23rd studio album RökFlöte – rock flute, of course – released in April 2023 and generally well received.

The touring set apparently includes at least one song from each decade of Tull, some fan favourites mixed with a few rareities. You probably won’t get too much one-legged fluting (Anderson is 76 now) and reportedly the iconic codpiece has apparently been left in the 70s. But you never know …