Crispin Halcrow was on first, performing songs that in his own words were rather depressing. However, the audience was captive throughout, and whilst his songs may have been dark, they were also rather moving at the same time, with a talent for fingerpicking shown by Crispin on his guitar. Near the end of his set, Crispin switched from playing guitar to ukulele, showing how diverse he could be. A cover of Billy Joel’s And So It Goes hinted at some of Crispin’s influences, and whilst a relative newcomer to the York scene, he will be one to watch out for in the future.

Sam Griffiths was up next, performing with friend and Double Bass player Bradley Blackwell. Sam is well known in York, especially amongst the folk and acoustic scene so many of the people in the audience had probably seen him play before and he did not disappoint. Sam was absolutely captivating and is a fiercely talented young man who wears his heart on his sleeve when performing his beautiful folk tunes. He can often be found playing at various open mic nights and similar evenings around the city, and should definitely be checked out if you haven’t already.