he was reported to be leaving steeleye span in 2004 and has hinted frequently that he may retire from regular touring in the near future. despite this, he has featured strongly on all their recent albums, and has been in the band throughout all their recent tours, with the exception of the spring 2009 tour where he was replaced by pete zorn due to ill-health. he returned for the winter tour that year, and despite suggesting during the tour that he would be retiring from music, he went on to play on several tours between 2011 and 2016 and contributed prominently to the 2016 album "dodgy bastards".