Chris Euesden is one of life’s journeymen musicians. Over the years, he’s been a songwriter, performer, label owner, compere, sound engineer. He helped students at York College learn about music and has been a stalwart at York’s Black Swan folk club for many years. Euesden has quietly done his thing in York for decades. I remember him putting up posters in the 1990s for acoustic gigs. He promoted the now legendary Townes Van Zandt and a young Kate Rusby, among others.
By Miles Salter
Euesden is also a devotee of Bob Dylan. He was first captivated by the American songwriter in the sixties, seeing him play at Sheffield City Hall in April 1965. When Dylan plays Blackpool next month, Euesden will be there – for the 50th time. This devotion extends to a collection of Dylan albums. Euesden also leads ‘Blonde on Bob’, a sort of local Dylan ‘tribute’. The band has changed a few times over the years since its first outing in 1997.
Dylan can be a bit of a male infatuation – and it’s true this gig had its share of older blokes – but there were also females in the audience to see Euesden and the band work through the Planet Waves album, recorded in just three days and released in 1974. Euesden achieved in one evening what Bob has never done in fifty years, as several songs from the album have never been performed live.
Songs on the album include the always affecting ‘Forever Young’ (one of Dylan’s more vulnerable songs) written for his son Jesse. The track closes side one AND opens side two, so we got the two speeds, sandwiching the interval.
Backed by Chris Swindells on bass, Johnny Hardcastle on guitar, Ryland Swindells on drums and Tim New on sax and flute, the audience listened attentively. A few old faithfuls were in the audience, including Euesden’s wife Mary and Black Swan stalwart and Scottish folk singer Eddie Affleck.
The band really took off in the show’s final twenty minutes, with versions of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, and ‘I Shall Be Released’. There was also a great rock ‘n’ roll take on ‘Rita May’, which is a heartbeat away from Little Richard (the early rock n rollers were a big influence on Dylan).
The band sounded so good in the closing songs that I wanted to hear more. When the line in ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ about ‘one hand waving free’ was sung, a couple of hands went up. Music is a liberating force. In the church of Bob, age doesn’t matter too much.
Euesden is now older than Dylan was when ‘Bob’s Bus Pass’ was performed in 1997. His voice may strain a little at times but his open-hearted on stage personality is undeniable. Blonde on Bob return for their annual post-Christmas bash in December at the Black Swan. Chris and Bob, keep on trucking. May you stay forever young.
Blonde on Bob played at The Crescent on Monday 12 October 2026.