Mix things up, step out of the comfort zone and good things will happen in the live music world. There was an air of unfamiliarity to this gig bound together by one of the legends from the folk scene popping into your local town. This show was like many others in the late 2021 diary, subject to postponements and rescheduling since first announced. It helps when you are in the safe hands of Martin Simpson, and a turnout in the vicinity of three figures proved that patience is a virtue. A new scene was set and a gig with a difference joined the annals of those springing up from left field with a propensity to create more than a ripple.
The first unique feature was doors at 1:30 with organiser and local musician Sunjay playing for half an hour ahead of a short break suitable for the surroundings followed by Martin Simpson delivering a mesmerising hour and three quarter main set. All done and dusted by 5 and home for tea. Sunday afternoon shows have an air of civility about them, unless the temptations of being in a local brewery take hold.
Sunjay opened the show with an entertaining set blending intrinsic blues with a cheeky eye on light entertainment. A mix that served him well pre-lockdown via recognition in the folk world and hook ups with a Buddy Holly theatre show. His set here ended with a plug for new music out soon and a follow up to a previous record with the clearly explained title Black and Blues Revisited.
Martin Simpson needs no introduction to followers of English folk music, and has held a premium position in the hierarchy for most of the fifty years he has been playing professionally. The stories and anecdotes were as rich as the exquisite guitar playing. Although the songwriting credentials are in tact, there was a heavy leaning towards interpreting the works of others in the songs shared this afternoon. These ranged from traditional pieces sourced pan-Atlantic to celebrating the work of peers such as the late John Prine, Lyle Lovett, June Tabor and Incredible String Band.
Themes randomly swung between birds, environmental awareness, personal recollections and issues core to making the world a better place. A psychic energy encompassing the importance of song transmits from the presence of Martin Simpson in full flow. The only soft option is an affable style as the intensity demands a certain level of cultural and attentive application. Attending one of his shows rewards a commitment, whether you are a guitar junkie holding onto every tuning mode and chord change or besotted from the literary aspect of soaking up the stories and words. You don't have the accolades in Martin Simpson's locker led by BBC Radio 2 Folk nominations and subsequent wins without leaving an element of class in your wake. Especially when hitting the road playing shows to audiences of many diverse standings and levels of interaction.
It wasn't quite exiting the Green Duck Brewery in the hours of daylight as the diminishing November days ensured that. However there was a refreshing aspect to attending live music in the afternoon away from the sunlit festival days of high summer. So many parts of this gig clicked into place including a decent sound output from a venue that is an adapted drinking and brewing space, let alone one conducive with staging live music. Yet it worked and an overwhelming sense of success from all parties raised signals that there might be a future from the twin presentations staged so far. Matters were helped by booking Martin Simpson, an artist you know will never fail to deliver and enrapture an audience tuned into his eminence.
