BUNTERS BAR,TRURO (17TH AUGUST)




MARTIN RICHARDS

Well picking up his acoustic guitar, Martin Richards mumbled a greeting to the half empty pub and launched into his first song. A seasoned performer with the now defunct Porters, Martin stood alone on stage, largely unnoticed by the few people in the room. His voice was nervous and only came alive near the middle of his set when he started singing Bob Dylan, Suzanne Vega and Simon & Garfunkal covers, (which is a shame as his own songs were strong and worth hearing).

Backing himself on an acoustic guitar and doing loose covers is a sure fire way to lose the interest of a sparse crowd and at times he struggled to be heard between songs, as he tried to communicate with the audience. However, it was as he saw the light at the end of this indifferent tunnel that Martin finally started to `perform` and allowed his strong voice to soar. He finally seemed to be enjoying himself by the end and the crowd was just starting to get into the tunes, as he finished.

A strong ending.

(Photos by Johnny Echo Echo)