Martyn Joseph

Event information

Bar opens 7.15 pm, band on stage 8.00 pm

Martyn Joseph is as performer like no other.

He has been called "The Welsh Springsteen", but there are also shades of 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.

Bruce Springsteen's work has always been sighted by Martyn as a huge influence and Autumn 2013 will see him release "Tyres Rushing by in the Rain", an album of Springsteen covers, all carefully chosen with some unexpected lesser-known gems as well.

Martyn Joseph. A unique talent driven by passion and love for his trade, continues to write, sing and play from the heart.

www.martynjoseph.com

"Springsteen-indebted Americana, suspended folk chords glistening beneath troubadour tales, his lyrical eloquence still inspired almost 30 years on from his debut" - MOJO

"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 Time
"He is one of our most intelligent writers" - Bob Harris - BBC Radio

'He is one of our most intelligent writers. He gets better and better like the finest of wines' - Bob Harris - BBC Radio 2