We were privileged once again to be entertained by the great Nick Harper – guitar virtuoso, singer/songwriter extraordinaire, entertainer par excellence, poet and performer, raconteur and comic – all rolled into one! He never disappoints.
This time around he was with his trusty acoustic. He beguiled us with his wizardry, strumming patterns, weird chords, tuning and detunings, fabulous picking, runs of notes and vocal gymnastics. The between-number banter is always astute, humourous and quick-witted. The melodic, lyrical songs are so heartfelt and mesmerising. The powerful, thunderous louder numbers are so forceful and full of energy. He finished with a long extravaganza of ‘Love is Music’ incorporating everything from Talking Heads to the B52s. Exhilarating and exceptional!
Nobody approaches this level of intensity and virtuosity. Nick is a one-off!
With Nick you know what you are going to get – a politically aware, outspoken performer who speaks for mankind and the planet with an honesty and openness that is rare.
You are not going to receive a sanitised, censored rendition; he always speaks from the heart. On or off stage what you see is what you get.
His warmth and honesty shines like the sun to bring warmth to the darkest nooks and crannies. I always come away smiling and buzzing with newfound vitality and love.
It was also such a pleasure to meet up with ex-students of mine – people I introduced to Nick many years ago and who still carry the flame. So lovely to hear how well they are getting on. Always enjoy meeting after all these years. Fond memories. Much love to you all!!
