Hailed as “the future of folk music”, John Smith has built a reputation as one of the UK’s finest guitarists and songwriters.
Raised by the Devon seaside and making his bones in the bars and clubs of Liverpool, Smith has released five albums with over 33 million Spotify streams and has played to audiences in living rooms, festival tents and sold-out concert halls the world over.
Steeped in the lineage of British folk, taking his cue from Richard Thompson and John Martyn, Smith has evolved a transatlantic blend of fingerstyle and slide guitar techniques. His intimate takes on love, loss and the journey we make, combined with his innovative guitar work, have won him a loyal following.
He has opened for Iron and Wine, Tinariwen, and Ben Howard; has guested with artists such as Jackson Browne, Martin Carthy, Richard Hawley, Jarvis Cocker, Jerry Douglas, Glen Hansard and Rodney Crowell.
And in his occasional role as sideman, he has played guitar for such artists as David Gray, Lisa Hannigan, Lianne La Havas, Joe Henry and Joan Baez.
Now on Thursday 21 May, 8pm John Smith will perform live at Pocklington Arts Centre (PAC) fresh from a string of Australian dates.
PAC director Janet Farmer said: “With his honey-on-gravel voice and mesmerizing blend of fingerstyle and slide guitar techniques, Smith is without doubt the perfect addition to our live music programme for 2020.”
“He has quickly amassed a huge following of loyal fans, has opened for folk greats including John Martyn, Davy Graham and John Renbourn who described him as ‘the future of folk music’, and now we have the privilege of welcoming him to the PAC stage.”
Smith has released five records – Headlong (2017) reached #15 in the Indie Breakers chart, #1 on iTunes’ Singer-Songwriter chart, and has amassed over 23 million Spotify streams.
His album Hummingbird was released worldwide in 2019 and last September he released a single Burden of the Road, which quickly gained attention among Spotify’s editorial playlists.
Tickets for John Smith live at PAC on Thursday 21 May, 8pm are on sale now priced at £15 each.
For more details and tickets visit www.pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01759 301547.