Today we have …
We first met Kirk at a roof party in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, that our friend Asher put on.
Kirk’s talent as a performer blew us away. The set he turned out with a friend, who added backing by beat boxing, was tremendous.
The roof top party was so much fun, with Kirk’s magic, barbecue, deep conversations beyond the shallow ones we had become numb to working in hospitality, and friends peaking out far too soon and falling asleep upside down on a stair case - you know who you are!
The next day was a beautiful day and a group of us, still riding off a great night albeit a little more subdued and blurry eyed, descended on a local cafe for cooked breakfasts before heading back along the coastline and inland to the Yorkshire valleys.
We didn’t see Kirk play again until a random meeting at The Puzzle Hall in Sowerby Bridge. Once again, doing his thing in a seemingly effortless manner and blowing our minds!
The Puzzle was a welcome hive for local musos keeping live music alive tucked away down a cobbled side road by the canal. The venue was a unique historic building. The stage and area for listeners was no bigger and a couple of modest sized living rooms, keeping a real intimate atmosphere. The bar was a little corner in the next room where they served our favourite strong Belgian beers. The Puzzle went on to build an outdoor stage with a covered area which was a great idea, especially for the bigger events they put on.
We haven’t seen Kirk live since (a bit hard out in NZ!) but these two occasions will forever stay with us.
Having a couple of albums out and available for us to listen to is a decent compensation for not being able to see him live.
We had to pick one album but both are equally great - that soulful voice, intricate fingerstyle guitar, the depth and challenge of lyrics over clever and well thought out arrangements creates a listening pleasure every time we put his work on. All this mixed with a Northern soul, makes us feel at home!
The passion Kirk has for his art is admirable and even his keeness to help out, when we asked, with advice and pointers drawn from his own journey, and the opening of the door to the incredible works of Bert Jansch, are things that show a genuine salt-of-the-earth heart within.
Thank you for your work, Kirk, and we look forward to seeing the magic you are crafting away in the face of an increasingly difficult world of art. Keep it up!
Fantastic! 😁
10/10