SHOREHAM guitarist Richard Durrant aims to become a hat-trick hero next month – with his third successive sell-out show at his home venue of Ropetackle Arts Centre.
There was standing room only at the Little High Street venue for Durrant’s winter solstice concert in December and one-off folk reunion with Nick Pynn and Tom Arnold last month.
His loyal local audience now have a first chance on Saturday, March 9, to enjoy the world-class musician’s brand-new touring show, which has already gone down a storm up and down the country.
Included is a special treat for the young-at-heart in Durrant’s 10th-anniversary tribute to the late, great Freddie Phillips. Phillips died in 2003, but his guitar music lives on in the accompaniment to the much-loved BBC TV trilogy of programmes Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley.
Durrant recalls sharing a BBC Radio London slot with Phillips back in the 1980s when he (Durrant) and Mark Burke were showcasing Phillips’ music as The Two Fattest Boys in the Class. “He was a lovely old gent,” said Durrant, “and told us he was chuffed to bits we were playing his music.”
Durrant’s 2013 UK touring show is packed with stories and music from a lifetime of playing the guitar.
Using the most intriguing musical stepping stones, he is a cross between Marco Polo and Dr Who as he strides across continents and centuries with breathtaking agility.
Expect to hear classic repertoire from JS Bach and Django Reinhardt, music from Venezuela and Paraguay, plus a showstopping section devoted to Romanian and English dances, described as “fast, complicated and groovy” and played with the aid of a laptop.
Tickets for the Ropetackle gig, which starts at 8pm, are available on 01273 453422.