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Vin Garbutt

Venue: The Met
Town: Bury
Date: 25/4/14
Website: http://www.vingarbutt.com

A veritable veteran of the acoustic folk music scene, having spent forty odd years travelling, touring and playing, Vin Garbutt is another fine example of why the North East is proving to be a bit of a hotbed for fine folk music right now. Along with the Young 'Uns and Megson, he makes up a fine trio of acts who are fiercely proud of their roots and more to the point, proud enough to shamelessly sing in their own accents.

Taking a break from his allotment and returning to Bury "before I go bald and start looking daft" (the first of numerous self-depreciating yet comically droll asides of which there are many and too numerous to recall) his show combines both entertainingly witty between song diversions and sharply observed and delivered song. "I thought it was a cream," he comments when he tells a story about a group of sixth formers who'd come to one of his recent gigs having listened to his music on Spotify. Then there's his take on Rudyard Kipling - a most off the wall narrative based around Kipling (the verb) , some of which may have some substance before he reaches the point of introducing Kipling (the author) which ends with a delivery his musical version of 'If'. He's simply one of those people whose engaging presence grabs your attention and just makes you smile.

Amusing as the banter is, the atmosphere swiftly takes a turn and becomes more sober as he delivers the punchlines, as much of his material has a more sincere and genuine aspect based on his folk background and his social commentary and observation. He makes several references to the work of Graeme Miles - the Teeside songwriter and champion of singing in your own accent to whom he paid tribute for his chances to become a singer who would travel the world and see the sights he describes in his song 'My Eldorado' and also in 'Ring Of Iron'. There are also references to characters such as seventeenth century poor man come good, Tom Ferris, who built the beggar's bridge in Glaisdale and to John Gates, the dressmaker who Vin met in a strange 'song character comes to life' moment some time back.

Ending the set with a couple of tunes on the whistle which appears from what looks remarkably like a pencil case - and another waggish aside - before returning for an encore which he declares: "this is a good finisher - I've never done an encore after this one." It's 'The Fallen Of Fulstow' and it's not hard to disagree with his own words - "it's a beauty". Coming from his soon to be recorded/released record, it tells of the Lincolnshire village of Fulstow and the story behind the village which rejected a memorial to its wartime dead only until very recently when the government finally gave permission to include the name of shellshock victim, Private Charles Kirman who had been shot dead after going absent without leave in 1917. It was a chance to finish the evening reinforcing what he does to a tee - some wonderful guitar playing and a song with a clear message sung in a clear strong voice.

The famed friendly banter of course is worth the ticket price alone. "To cut a long story short" is a phrase which might be made for Vin Garbutt. The songs aren't bad too either and what many people might miss is the fact that he's also a damn fine guitar player - the subtlety of his playing and the quality of his material often hidden behind the scatty, touching on slightly eccentric persona. Mind, be warned, a quick glance at his website address might possibly be read as 'Vinegar Butt' for those whose tendency is to skim read - who knows, it may just be an anecdote which finds its way into his next show.

Words & Pictures Mike Ainscoe