St Donats Arts Centre, Llantwit Major
Sat 3 Oct
It’s about 40 years since Martyn Joseph’s first performances in the local Eisteddfodau, and the veteran folk rocker is set to return to South Wales once again. With 30 albums and a string of top 40 singles under his belt, the Penarth born singer can pull a 5000-strong crowd to the Royal Albert Hall, but his return to South Wales sees him gracing the intimate 14th century Tythe Barn Theatre.
Joseph achieved a handicap of one as a talented teenage golfer and was the youngest ever player to win the Glamorganshire Golf Club Championship, a feat he repeated four times over. However, Joseph found his true calling in folk rock and political activism. This led to tours with Art Garfunkel and Jools Holland, the establishment of his own record label, and the lending of his voice to such causes as the anti-Iraq war campaign. The singer’s career is reflected with lyrical intelligence and a personable charm in his live performances, and songs inspired by his Welsh upbringing such as Proud Valley Boy will be especially poignant in what is always an emotive set. Joseph seems to revel in his years and he remains, according to contemporary and former collaborator Tom Robinson, ‘one of the most charismatic and electrifying performers in Britain today’. Such consistency is not exclusive to live performance either, and Joseph will undoubtedly play songs from his latest album Evolve, which attained ‘Folk Album of the Month’ status in Mojo.
A natural entertainer who exudes charming vivacity through a set list that spans three decades, Martyn Joseph’s homecoming performance is a must see for folk rock fans.
Info: 01446 799095 / www.stdonats.com (JW)