Martin Simpson

“One of the virtuoso instrumentalists of the English music scene… sounds better than ever” **** The Guardian

One of England’s most revered folk performers, widely acknowledged as one of the finest acoustic and slide guitar players in the world, Martin’s interpretations of traditional songs are masterpieces of storytelling. His remarkable solo shows are intense, eclectic, spellbinding and deeply moving. Always prolific, and never one to rest long without a guitar in his hands and a song in his head, Martin Simpson continues to travel the length and breadth of the UK and beyond giving rapt audiences passion, sorrow, love, beauty, tragedy and majesty through his remarkable intimate solo performances. Martin has been nominated an astounding 32 times in the 18 years of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards – more than any other performer – and has won numerous awards.

Supporting Martin with an opening set will be Jon Wilks. Jon is a singer, songwriter and acclaimed fingerpicking guitarist whose work is rooted in English folk traditions, memory, and place. His album “Before I Knew What Had Begun I Had Already Lost” (2023), was named Folk Album of the Month in The Guardian. In 2024 he showed us his his musical and story-telling talents at St Laurence, and we are delighted to have him back again