Roots Unearthed: Martyn Joseph
St David’s Hall
Over the years I’ve caught Penarth singer/songwriter at a variety of venues, from music festivals to church halls. Each environment Martyn plays usually boasts a sell-out audience and his recent Roots Unearthed gig in St David’s Hall’s L3 lounge was no exception.
There was a warm welcome at the beginning of the concert for American singer/songwriter Willy Porter who mixed intricate guitar playing with some stunning original material from his CD release How To Rob a Bank, which told stories of prosperous lifestyles which don’t live up to expectations.
After Willy’s stunning half hour set-piece Martyn Joseph took to the stage, mixing his own good natured humour and honesty with original acoustic material mixed in with old favourites including a rare performance of Larry Norman’s The Great American Novel and Bruce Springsteen tracks Thunder Road and The Promise which feature on Martyn’s Springsteen homage album Tires Rushing By In the Rain.
A finale which saw both Joseph and Porter united on stage for a joyful audience brought a fabulous musical evening to a close. Maybe, next time Martyn plays St David’s Hall, he should play the main auditorium, I’m certain a concert of this calibre could have drawn in an even bigger crowd than the venue allowed on this occasion, which is a shame because this music deserves to be enjoyed by the masses.
Andy Howells
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