Nick Harper @ The Listening Room - 23/01/09

This was one of the best gigs I have ever been to....

Kicking things off was the extremely talented Gavin Moore. Gavin has played here on several occasions and I never get board of listening to him. He has an ear for a great tune and his vocal complement the music perfectly. He is about to release his second album, so I'm sure we will welcome him back here a few times more.

For those of you have not seen Nick Harper before, I can't really do justice in words what a Nick show entails. Showmanship, guitar playing of the highest order, a soaring voice and a witty line in banter are about as good I'm going to get here... Ohhh... did I mention that he is a bloody genius.

Taking the stage in Willy Wonka style (you had to be there... honest), the tone was set for what was one of the most unforgettable experiences we have had at The Listening Room. Nick was clearly enjoying himself as much as the audience. The on-stage banter was reciprocated by the audience, lending an almost house concert feel to the night.

Quite happily taking requests, favorites like Radio Silence, Blue Sky Thinking, Imaginary Friend, By My Rocket Comes Fire, The Field of the Cloth of Gold and Karmageddon were all duly dispatched when asked for.

We were also entertained by stories of his recent work with the Love, Hope, Strength foundation, which involved playing gigs in the mountains of Nepal and Peru and meeting some of the nicest people he had came across despite the situations they found themselves in.

All told Nick played for over 3 highly entertaining hours without a break and no need to say that his standing ovation was richly deserved. The man deserves to be a far bigger star than he is, but for now I'm just glad he comes and plays gigs like this for us.

Please check out the Love, Hope, Strength Foundation website and make a donation to this wonderful charity.