ONE of the finest ever acoustic and slide guitar players is coming to Basingstoke next month.

Martin Simpson will be playing at Basingstoke's The Forge on Friday, November 18.

Universally hailed as one of the finest ever acoustic and slide guitar players, and a fine banjo-picker to boot, Martin's solo shows bear witness to an artist at the very top of his game. Whether interpreting material from tradition, or singing his own potent self-penned songs, he is a remarkable storyteller: captivating and profoundly moving.

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He was famously asked “What’s it like being the best guitar player in the world?” but Martin’s modesty and grace prevented him from answering the BBC Radio 4 interviewer’s question recently, but the facts speak for themselves.

Forty years after he recorded his first album, Golden Vanity, in 1976, Martin is known as a guitarist of formidable talent. Equally at home playing English traditional folk, American folk and blues and his own compositions, he is consistently named as one of the very finest fingerstyle guitar players in the world. It is therefore a show that residents in Basingstoke and the surrounding areas are encouraged not to miss.

He is also listed in Gibson Guitars’ Top 30 Acoustic Guitarists of all time, and Acoustic Guitar readers voted him number 12 guitarist in the world in 2005. 

On top of this he also had the most nominations of any performer in the 18 years of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, which was an astonishing 32 times, 13 of those as Musician of the Year, winning that particular accolade an impressive two times.

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The intimate solo performances Martin gives go from strength to strength – every gig is a masterclass, giving rapt audiences passion, sorrow, love, beauty, tragedy, and majesty through his playing. Those who attend are therefore in for a real specil treat as he takes to the stage in Basingstoke.

Tickets for Martin Simpson are priced at £22; under 25s £17 (includes £4 booking fee).

For more information or to book tickets, contact the Anvil Arts box office on 01256 844244 or Alternatively you can visit anvilarts.org.uk.