Preview: John Smith Live

Image: John Smith

We've got good news for fans of UK folk; we've got ticket on sale for Devon troubadour John Smith in both Preston and Liverpool. The isnger, who has seen his star rise supporting the likes of John Martyn, Iron and Wine, Seth Lakeman, Davy Graham, John Renbourn, David Gray, Jools Holland, and Gil Scott-Heron, has become a show stopper in his own right, as emphasised by his latest beautiful album Great Lakes (stream below on Spotify).

John Smith’s musical destiny was cast in his early life, informed in no small part by the records his father chose to play during family gatherings at their West Country fishing village home. Ry Cooder’s late 70s masterpiece Bop Till You Drop was particularly influential, having a mesmeric effect on his imagination. ‘That really hit me hard’ says John. ‘Just hearing that really intricate guitar and soulful singing. I just remember not knowing what this thing was, or what it meant, but I knew I wanted more’.

John Smith / Dennis Ellsworth / Jamie Brewer live @ The Continental, Preston Wed 4th Dec

These tickets are on sale for John Smith / Dennis Ellsworth / Jamie Brewer. Skiddle.com is an official ticket outlet for this event. All credit card purchases you make at Skiddle.com are encrypted through our Secure Server Technology

Get events tickets from Skiddle

It was not long after this that his father entrusted the young Smith with his own guitar, equipping also him with the skills to navigate his way through Led Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir’. ‘I was only 11’ Smith smiles, ‘I remember saying to him ‘How have they made another world with music?’ Then he played me Tom Wait’s Invitation To The Blues and the Bert Jansch & John Renbourn album and I was gone. I basically stayed in my room practicing for 8 hours a day until I left home. You can see colours when records are that good.’

Recently, John Smith had a revelation. He realized that all he really wants to do is write the songs that other people will want to sing along to. As a teenager, he used to spend nights sat alone in his room, listening to waves crashing against the rocks. Inevitably he’d be playing his guitar. His favourite sound in the world is still a steel string guitar being played late at night, but these days, happily, there’s more and more and more of us listening in to what he’s trying to say.

John Smith live @ The Kazimer, Liverpool Sat 7th Dec

These tickets are on sale for John Smith. Skiddle.com is an official ticket outlet for this event. All credit card purchases you make at Skiddle.com are encrypted through our Secure Server Technology

Ticket sales from Skiddle