Finger Pickin' Polemic

A personal reflection by Forbes Mutch of folk musician Martin Simpson’s concert at St Andrew’s in March 2024

I may have said this before, but there is something about musicians and live performers that seems to preserve them in a time capsule, never ageing and, as Bob Dylan sang, remaining forever young. Perhaps it’s the rhythm of music that acts as a preserving elixir or the interaction with audiences that fuels longevity. I don’t know the answer but, when I see Martin Simpson on stage at St Andrew’s five years after his previous visit, I can’t help thinking that he looks younger. In 2018, Simpson quipped that he had reached retirement age. Now, he stands before us again in his in his black T-shirt, blue jeans and working men’s boots, visibly defying his 70-year watershed.

It is hard to believe that it is five years since his last appearance here. His was one of the first concerts to kick-start the folk programme at St Andrew’s and his virtuoso gig that evening set the bar for the many high-quality performances that have followed. Right from the beginning he helped put the church on the map for other well-known folk artists to visit and applaud the church’s acoustics.

Simpson is one of the hardest workers on the folk circuit, having toured continuously since he left college in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire at the age of 17. He has appeared live in venues around the world – although mainly in Europe and America, where he lived for several years in the 1980s. He has recorded over 20 solo albums, appeared as a guest musician on countless collaborations with other famous folk singers, such as, among others, June Tabor, Kate Rusby and Ashley  Hutchings. And he has won countless music awards, including Artist of the Year in the prestigious BCC Radio Two Folk Awards, twice.

While he plays banjo and electric guitar, he has made his name primarily as an acoustic and slide guitarist. Tonight, at St Andrew’s, he keeps it simple by playing one guitar, although his intricate finger-picking style and occasional bottle-neck slide highlights often confuse the listener into thinking there are two musicians on stage. It’s as if a ghost version of the main man is playing an accompaniment in the shadows of the pulpit.

He begins tonight’s set with a prolonged tuning up, but even this is riveting, packed with anticipation. It merges seamlessly into his opening song Leaves of Life, which he says is a gypsy Easter carol – appropriate for a church – which he learned from folk singer Norma Waterson and has been inside him since he first heard it as a teenager. This is followed shortly by a couple of bird songs, the first is Dark Swift and Bright Swallow, joined by what is probably the highlight of the first half, Skydiver, the title track from his most recent solo album. He wraps these songs in eloquent storytelling and scene setting and explains that this song was commissioned by TV naturalist Chris Packham.

The second half begins with an American feel, with the Appalachian fiddle tune and ballad Yew Piney Mountain, which Simpson sings almost in an American accent. It’s not long before he returns to his English roots, however, singing about the struggles of the northern working class, of miners and a broadside ballad about a highwayman saying goodbye. By now we are beginning to realise how biting some of Simpson’s lyrics can be, how condemning he is of politicians and ‘the system’. This is particularly noticeable when, towards the end, he gives us a version of No Country’s Law, with the lyric most talked about by the audience after the gig:

There's always the money for missiles and tanks,
There's always the money for generals and banks,
There's always the money for new ways to kill,
But a limited budget for you if you're ill.
Yes, there's always enough for a war,
But there's never enough for the poor.

Welcome back Martin Stewart Simpson. As Wikipedia tells us, even at 70, you are still a supreme English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. Your music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in Britain, Ireland, America and beyond. You build a purposeful, often upbeat voice on a spare picking style. Thank you for a great gig. Don’t leave it five years before you return.

Forbes Mutch

“Martin is in a class of his own. He is such an expressive player; he is ingenious in his use of the guitar. You can listen to one of his songs and three or four minutes in, he has only used the top four strings and not even played a bass note yet, and when he does, it feels like an orchestra coming in. His clarity of playing is just amazing.” Jackson Browne

“Martin Simpson has transcended borders and oceans to quietly become a superb storyteller and musician of great depth and unquestionable taste.” Stephen Fearing

“One of the virtuoso instrumentalists of the English music scene” - The Guardian

“Simpson has become a fine interpreter of traditional and other songs, as well as a notable writer of his own” - The Times

‘Simpson’s latest is a potent blend of the highest calibre… Simpson has never sung or played better’ - Acoustic Magazine

‘One of our finest traditional musicians, Simpson’s latest album offers a roving overview of his talents’ **** 4 Stars - Uncut

PHOTO CREDIT:  Geoff Trinder
 

Find out more about Martin Simpson

https://martinsimpson.com/