Some of the Wild Hare Club performances that have burned brightest have been those by Nick Harper. Never less than fully committed, Nick is an extraordinary guitarist who has been described as a ‘Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar’ (Guitar Magazine) on account of his guitar pyrotechnics as showcased here. This facility as an instrumentalist shouldn’t obscure the fact that Nick is a great songwriter too with songs that embrace pretty much all aspects of what it’s like to be human. Nick can also be very funny as can be heard on his song about another fabled wit, Dorothy Parker, which you can find on Bandcamp. Anyhow, no need to take my word for how special he is, because the great and the good have been lining up to give Nick their endorsement:
"Hey the boy is good!" says Robert Plant and "Roy’s boy? He plays like a demon," adds Jello Biafra. Perhaps most tellingly is this uttering from the late, great Bert Jansch who Nick was lucky enough to play alongside, "That boy is too good." Says it all really - Nick’s the real deal.
For those who want to know more, here’s the official biography:
Nick Harper is one the UK’s best kept musical secrets. Those who have witnessed the spellbinding, one-man show will tell you this. A childhood growing up surrounded by the musical prowess of some of the ‘60’s most revered songwriters and musicians, not to mention being son of Roy Harper, along with 20 years of crafting songs and touring the land has spawned a truly one-off, original guitarist and songwriter who stands alone as a UK great, to be cherished & revered.
For over two decades, he has been dazzling audiences, reviewers and fellow artists alike with his heady mix of virtuosity, boyish charm, showmanship and sheer bravado. An imagination bursting with ideas has seen Nick release 11 solo albums to critical acclaim, earning a Number 1 spot in the charts with the seminal hit ‘Blue Sky Thinking’.
More recently, in 2017, Nick recorded his full band album ‘Lies! Lies! Lies!’ with legendary producer Tchad Blake at Studio La Fabrique, South France (studio of choice for Nick Cave, Morrissey & Radiohead). The album received strong support from BBC 6 Music coupled with Nick and band being greeted by rapturous, capacity crowds on the tour that followed.
Early 2018 saw Nick return to the live circuit with a newly formed solo set featuring quadraphonic sound & re-imaginations of songs pre-chosen, by request, by Nick’s fan base. The ‘100 Things’ tour proved to be a hugely successful return to the stage with all but a handful of shows selling out.
2018 also saw Nick Harper perform his first spoken word piece, ‘A Wiltshire Tale’, at some of UK’s most prestigious venues. It is a journey through Wiltshire’s (where Nick later grew up) history, landscape and wildlife. Depicted through the voices of three characters, this one-man show bears witness to this most magical of counties in spoken word, poetry and live music.
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