Jonathan Byrd (and Jess Morgan) at The Bank in Eye

Jonathan Byrd and Johnny Waken
Photo by The Bank in Eye 

We originally planned our current trailer tent holiday around two gigs near to each other on consecutive nights. Sadly the Philip Henry and Hannah Martin library gig was cancelled (that's the third we've had cancelled this year. Perhaps we should stop booking our tickets so far ahead?!), but we were treated to an absolutely fantastic evening in the little town of Eye on Saturday. Eye is a historically interesting destination in itself and I will blog about that soon, but for today I want to talk about amazing music and a lovely venue!

North Carolina's Jonathan Byrd has been touring his music for the best part of twenty years so I was surprised than we had not stumbled across one of his gigs before. A singer-songwriter and guitarist, I loved his thoughtful lyrics and the range of his music which takes in many styles from a capella blues to beautifully crafted story songs with a couple of cheesier country numbers along the way. We saw him accompanied by the inimitable Johnny Waken - a talented multi-instrumentalist who managed the whole (stiflingly hot) evening in full three-piece suit with a tie. Perfectly dapper! Dave and I both felt privileged to have seen such an incredible performance and Dave even said this was the best new-to-us musician he has seen for several years!

There are four more gigs on the UK Tour including tonight so, if they're not already sold out, get your tickets through these links:
19th June - Leicester
20th June - Bristol
21 st June - London
23rd June - Saltaire

The Bristol gig will be supported by Jess Morgan from Norfolk who we also saw at The Bank on Saturday. She has a gorgeous voice and good songs on unusual topics and I was happy to have discovered her music as well. Judging by the quality we saw and heard on Saturday I am happy to recommend The Bank to anyone living near or passing through Eye. It's a non-profit cafe and art space located in the old HSBC building and utilising some of the bank's wooden counters which gives the place a unique look. Well worth a visit!