PENARTH Acoustic Club will host two Celtic songwriting heroes on Friday, April 15 at the Conservative Club, Penarth, as it continues its monthly mix of music and poetry.

Welshman Christopher Rees, a founding member of the Penarth Songwriters’ Circle, will make his debut appearance to perform material from his forthcoming new album, The Nashville Songs. With six highly acclaimed albums already under his belt, this new album features songs written in Nashville in collaboration with some of country music’s best songwriters.

Rees’s distinctive take on Roots/Americana music has been championed by the legendary Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and MOJO magazine editor in chief, Phil Alexander, and has drawn critical acclaim from some heavyweight touring partners such as Steve Earle and John Cale.

Once described as “raw, hypnotic and at times dangerous”, Rees has twice received a Welsh Music Award nomination for Best Male Solo Act.

Wayne Brennan is a singer/songwriter and recording artist from Offaly, Ireland. He released his first album, In my Hands, in 2009 and has toured extensively supporting such acts as Gypsy Kings and Alabama 3. He is a seasoned performer on national radio and TV in Ireland and had a top 20 hit in his home country with his song And I Love which currently has over 600,000 hits on YouTube.

In the past two years Wayne has won three national song contests in Ireland with songs from his new album Live, Love, Sing and Dance and his live performances, characterised by his silky vocals and impressive guitar skills, have made him much sought after on the live music circuit.

Poet Emily Blewitt is welcomed back to read from her forthcoming debut collection How to explain Hiraeth to an Englishman. Her work has been widely published in The Rialto, Prole and Poetry Wales amongst others.

An award winning poet, Emily finds inspiration from her childhood memories and has recently completed her PhD in English Literature at Cardiff University.

Mixing the very best live acoustic music and poetry, the Penarth Acoustic Club is hosted by musicians Adrian Lewis, Phil Nedin and Nick Treharne and provides an excellent atmosphere for both the audience and performers alike.

Doors will open at 7.30pm for performances to begin at 8.15pm. Tickets cost £5.

For more information contact Pencerdd Music, Station Approach, Penarth on 029 2070 9982.

Tickets are available from Pencerdd Music and Griffin Books, Windsor Road, Penarth. Bar facilities will be available.