Steve Knightley

For Show of Hands lead, Steve Knightley, the rise to folk stardom has happened in perfect tandem with Exeter Chiefs’ success. This is a tale of romance, rhythm and rugby, told by a man who has performed under the bright lights of the Royal Albert Hall, with his club’s badge worn proudly on his chest. 

Exeter Rugby is very much in my DNA. I was born in Exeter, next to the old County Ground, which was the home of the Chiefs until about 2006. So obviously, I used to go across the fields and sneak in to watch the visiting South Africans, or the All Blacks. 

I started playing at school, when I was about eleven. My first club was a local side called Withercombe, and we used to play Exeter Colts. The club was way down the pecking order, but still on the radar for some big teams like Gloucester or Harlequins, who would come down and hammer them every now and then.

I was a centre or a wing: not quick, but solid. I finished playing at about 21, or 22. Then the music took over, and I moved myself to London, became a professional musician in 1992, on the folk and roots scene. In those days I was doing pubs and bars, and little clubs throughout the West Country. 

The Chiefs were in Division Three South, and I started to go and watch them again in the mid-90s, and have been doing so ever since, home or away. If I can, I try to organise our tours around their away matches. Only problem is when BT Sport changes the fixtures at the last minute. We might have an evening gig in Leicester, expecting to watch the game there in the day, only to find out it’s been moved to a Friday night!

As we became more prominent in the folk scene, they became more prominent in rugby. I was immensely proud to still be associated with the club. Our first Royal Albert Hall gig ws in 1996, and we've done five since then. Some of the Exeter directors came to the last one we did in 2017, I wore my Chiefs jersey for that one. 

I’ve played at Sandy Park three or four times now. We’ve done a few fundraisers. I played a benefit concert for Richie Baxter, Rob’s brother. I also did another one for Neil Clarke, the hooker. 

I’ve become part of the fabric of the club, I have a seat in the new grandstand, and it’s been part and parcel of my life ever since. Guys that I used to play with now sit behind me, some of them are in their 60s now. In the directors’ box, there’s blokes who played even before my time. The club has kept its local family connection, and I think that is important. 

We’ve also had the chance to do the walk out music for the team. We worked with the chant that the fans do, added some drums and a bit of a celtic rhythm. We wanted to create something for the club, something that wasn’t familiar to just anybody. 

Michele Campagnaro, or ‘Campo’, used to come to me for guitar lessons. He was a very good mandolin player. Also, Santiago Cordero was one of my favourites. His dad was a jazz musician. Of the old timers, I used to like Trevor Harris, he was always fighting. 

I can remember fixtures from the County Ground, and the new home. The pitch at the old ground was pretty grim. It would get very muddy, and you would have the Speedway track with cars parked around it. You can tell yourself it had atmosphere, but it was nothing like Sandy Park. When you go to that ground, you get a sense that the club is thriving, and it is. 

Exeter versus Plymouth Albion was always a heated contest. I remember Rob Baxter having a match-long confrontation with a really ugly Plymouth lock. I watched it with a friend of mine, it was his first rugby match. He couldn’t believe how battered and bloody they were, but still shook hands at the end. I guess that's just rugby for you.

I feel like the Chiefs are a real South West brand these days. They have in many ways put the city on the map. You have fans coming up from Cornwall to watch them play. That was pretty much unheard of back in the day. In a 30 mile radius of Sandy Park, you’ve got about fifteen or twenty towns with rugby rivalries. You’ve got Crediton, Tiverton, Barnstaple, Bideford. All these little towns have rugby clubs.

The biggest moment for me was being asked to play before the Saracens semi-final in 2017. The year that we won it, I played on the pitch in front of the East Terrace. I had a radio system so I could wander all the way around the ground. That was a wonderful moment. 

My wife always says ‘a day with a gig and a game, that’s about all you need.’ I must say, she’s quite right.