This is only the second appearance of an Acoustic Sussex artist at The Red Lion in Turners Hill but the atmosphere bodes well for the future; its small size make it extremely good for an intimate concert. In fact, this venue has been used before - by the Crawley Folk Club amongst others. 

It's the time of the year I like, when the daffodils are past their best but are making way for the bright blue carpets of bluebells. The temperature is rising, the sap is rising and I fall in love regularly. Martin came to the front of the audience and introduced the support act, Cate Ferris with her bass player, Adam Staff and they stepped out of the audience and took up their positions. Cate started with a number called Fear which was all about the dangers of railway travel in this modern age or at least as she saw it. Her voice was sweet, strong and controlled, with nice artistic emphasis on the phrasing, a little reminiscent of Edie Brickell of New Bohemians fame in both tonal quality and vocal skill. It is a highly listenable voice, well away from the mainstream voice of popular music. The Brighton music scene, where Cate comes from is all the more interesting for her inclusion. My impressions are that with the overwhelming dominance of popular music being shoved down our throats, there is interesting music being played all over the place, including Brighton, which could just spark off a musical renaissance just like it did in the 60s. It's a pity I am too old to appreciate it fully. Still we won't have to wait too long before the few fuzzy edges get worn off Cate's professional persona and she produces some really neat guitar work and some biting songs that'll make everyone sit up listen. A young lady to be watched, as I did and thought she was beautiful. Needless to say, as Martin enquired at the end of the set, I had fallen in love, again! It's all there; it just has to be polished a little. Songs performed were; Fear, Whirling, 80 miles an hour, Discretely, See-Saw and Low Flying Airplanes. 

The main event was a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Canada who we had been waiting for a long time on Martin's recommendation. Stephen Fearing was born in Vancouver on the west coast, or the wet coast as he described it, but was soon to be on the move to Ireland at the age of 6 to live in Dublin for a good while and here he grew up, but now resides in Ontario. 

Stephen started off the evening with The Man Who Married Music, which was like a statement of his love for his profession with all its ups and downs. Stephen not only painted pictures during his songs but communicated feelings during the amiable banter between songs. Songs about driving across the vast distances of the North American continent. Stephen is a really mean picker and a really interesting to listen to and his voice, his own style mainly, but has traces of James Taylor on the quieter numbers. Most of the songs Stephen performed were full of interesting detail and instrumental dexterity and made for a pleasant evening listening to music. Who needs a band when you can play the guitar as well as this? 

His style, if you have to categorise it would be North American folk music a little country oriented with a little bit of 12 bar blues, with a really neat Canned Heat, refried boogie background. Songs performed were; The Man Who Married Music, Black Silk Gown, Born To Be A Traveller, One Flat Tire, Love Only Knows, Like The Way I Said, Dog On A Chain segueing into The James Medley, Yellow Jacket, The Fool Who Can't Forget, Vigil, Wailing Wall, Catch You Crying, Longest Road, Johnny's Lament, Blind Indifference, Ball And Chain.

Review courtesy of Bob Preece