On Friday night, Nick Harper, who is almost local (having been brought up near Marlborough and still living in that area) kicked off his tour in Old Town at the Vic. I had never been to this venue before and in truth was a bit apprehensive, expecting it to be busy and loud on a Friday evening. When we arrived this was not the case and people were just sitting quietly around waiting for Nick Harper to start playing. Though when leaving the intimacy of the downstairs venue around mid-night the pub had indeed become a lot noisier and very busy (it was Friday night after all).Nick is the son of Roy Harper and I first saw him perform at Swindon's Arts Centre a few years back. He is a brilliant guitarist, in fact I have never seen a guitar played the way he plays - he almost always breaks a string before the end of the evening. He also a superb song writer with a witty slant on most scenarios plus a lot of interaction and banter with the audience - some of whom seemed to be part of his large contingent of mates.
In between songs he talked about the Love, Hope and Strength Foundation to which he is committed:
LHSF is an international, music-centric cancer charity dedicated to providing support for cancer centers, and inspiration to those affected, throughout the world. The mission is to save lives, right now, with the advances that have already been made in cancer care. We do not fund cancer research, rather we use our funds to purchase medical equipment and supplies, raise awareness through special events, documentaries and media, build cancer centers and find bone marrow donors. (Mission Statement)
To find out more check out Nick Harper's website Harperspace
http://www.harperspace.com/nick-harper-lhs.html
It was one of the best music evenings I've had in quite awhile. The venue was small and intimate but with an excellent air conditioning system. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
