Nick Harper Live Review @ The Maze - Forest Tavern (Nottingham) - 16 Feb 2008

Nick Harper Live Review @ The Maze - Forest Tavern (Nottingham) - 16 Feb 2008

Photo By:Jennie Lewis

Live Review

Nottingham’s ‘The Maze’ is an intimate venue of candles and tables for two. Tonight it’s packed with people chatting, laughing and occasionally glancing at the empty stage, waiting for tonight’s only artist. As Nick Harper takes to the stage it’s clear that, in the ten minutes since I interviewed him, the ghost of fatigue has been fully exorcised and he stands in the stage lights as the epitome of the consummate entertainer. Lifting his acoustic guitar, he immediately commands an attention that comes easily to the gathered fans. With no preamble he launches into ‘There’s No Truth Up in the Mountains’ and as a newcomer to Nick’s music I am immediately impressed.

The opener is an obvious introduction for Nick’s theme for the evening, his recent epic journey to play the world’s highest gig on the slopes of Everest. His songs are punctuated with stories from his adventure, or possibly vice-versa as both are compelling, engaging and well performed.

Over an impressive selection of songs, his vocal range is matched only by that of his guitar playing. The delicate silences that allow for breathing space (or would if the audience weren’t holding their breathe) in ‘Real Life’ are impressively contrasted by the thumping, percussive playing in Aeroplane – a density of noise emerging that would put four-piece bands to shame. His rendition of Jerry Reed’s ‘Guitar Man’ is a lesson in rock and roll performance, and as the song’s finale descends into windmilling arms, Axle Rose howling and a reverb’ laden crescendo, it’s hard to believe that one man and his guitar can rock so hard.

Amidst all this virtuosity, Nick writes intelligent, thought provoking, uplifting songs. He covers philanthropists, ‘Treasure Island’, the Bolivian president, ‘Evo Morales’ and Sixteenth Century diplomatic tournaments, ‘Field of the Cloth of Gold’. Each nudge towards these stories feels empowering rather than mawkish.

What emerges over the evening is that Nick is not one for pretension. Hearing the wild cheering that greets his last song he avoids the common pretence of disappearing offstage for the requisite two minutes, instead launching into a final, heartfelt rendition of ‘Blue Sky Thinking’. If you haven’t seen Nick Harper live, go and do it now. He’s playing until March 16th – you won’t be disappointed.

James Thomson

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