Friars Folk & Roots will be hosting a series of premier concerts, fringe events, and a new Folk & Roots Festival at The Blackfriars Priory, starting on Thursday, April 18
Gloucester Folk & Roots
Friars Folk & Roots will be hosting a series of premier concerts, fringe events, and a new Folk & Roots Festival at The Blackfriars Priory.
In a coup for Gloucester, Martyn Joseph is performing at the opening event on Thursday, April 18, when he visits the city as part of his Songs for the Home Coming Spring Tour. A regular headliner at Cheltenham Racecourse’s Greenbelt Festival, this is his first time in the city.
Martyn Joseph is as performer like no other.
Touring in support of a brand new studio album Songs for the Coming Home, shades of Springsteen, John Mayer, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews there may be – but he stands in his own right, built on a reputation for giving what thousands have described as the best live music experience of their lives.
Martyn’s ability to transcend preconceptions about how one man and a guitar can sound is testament to his talent and stage presence. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there’s more than one musician on stage. The shows are intelligently constructed, Martyn presenting his audience with challenging narratives and with an intensity that hits with the power of a right hook. He tempers this with songs that comfort and speak to the soul. His great improvisation and immediate topicality lead to an organic fluidity that makes every show different. His comfortable rapport and conversation with his audiences, his sense of humour and his ability to make everyone feel at home lie right at the heart of the evenings success.
Juxtaposition is a key theme in Martyn’s work. The simplicity and the complexity of the human condition and all that it encompasses is underpinned with a heady promise of hope. There is a versatility to Martyn’s music that is hard to categorise. Many have tried, resulting in labels such as Folk, Rock, Soul, Folk Funk and Americana; all of which somehow miss the mark. But sometimes music doesn’t need a defining genre and with the ability to articulate a sense of the bigger picture, Martyn’s music and social commentary manage to empower and speak for many. His songs are pictures, and stories, and feelings all put to music and delivered by a master craftsman.
Martyn Joseph. A unique talent driven by passion and love for his trade, continues to write, sing and play from the heart.
“Britain’s best kept secret… a challenging songwriter and a compelling courageous live performer” – MoJo 4* review
“One of the most charismatic and electrifying performers in Britain today… tough and passionate”"¨Tom Robinson – BBC 6 music
“One of acoustic music’s most original voices, and most forward looking of his generation of singer/songwriters” – Q Magazine
“A profound experience” – The Boston Globe
“Songs of social commentary as much as love, with a rootsy sensibility”"¨Time Out
“Written with craft, performed with passion” – Financial Times
“He is one of our most intelligent writers. He gets better and better like the finest of wines” – Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
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Luke Jackson
On this tour Martyn will be supported by BBC Radio 2 Folk Award double nominee, Luke Jackson, a young roots singer songwriter from Canterbury, who performs with passion and writes with a maturity that belies his years. While many of his contemporaries are chasing their five minutes of fame in the disposable world of TV talent shows, Luke is ploughing an independent furrow, writing songs of depth and emotional value that connect with audiences the length and breadth of the country.
He is one of the finest emerging talents in the roots and acoustic scene today and is developing into a consummate live performer who once seen, will certainly not be forgotten. His debut album, More Than Boys, produced by Martyn, was released in August 2012 to great acclaim.
“A huge talent is emerging” – Acoustic Magazine
“An affecting and highly promising debut album – one to watch” – Daily Telegraph
Tickets are £15, available in person from the Guildhall’s box office, by calling 01452 503050 or online at www.gloucesterguildhall.co.ukDoors open at 7.30pm
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Twitter: @FriarsFolkRoots
