Jay rocks

A unique talent is on display next week.

Martyn Joseph is a performer like no other.

He has been called the Welsh Springsteen, but there are also shades of John Mayer, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews there may be – but he stands in his own right, built on a reputation for giving what thousands have described as the best live music experience of their lives.

Juxtaposition is a key theme in Martyn’s work. The simplicity and the complexity of the human condition and all that it encompasses is underpinned with a heady promise of hope. There is a versatility to Martyn’s music that is hard to categorise. Many have tried, resulting in labels such as folk, rock, soul, folk funk and Americana; all of which somehow miss the mark.

But sometimes music doesn’t need a defining genre and with the ability to articulate a sense of the bigger picture, Martyn’s music and social commentary manage to empower and speak for many. His songs are pictures, and stories, and feelings all put to music and delivered by a master craftsman.

In 2013 Martyn released a CD of Bruce Springsteen songs, to great public and critical acclaim, with the glowing endorsement of Dave Marsh, acclaimed American music critic and official Springsteen biographer.

2014 saw him take the spirit of his music onto a more practical footing with the launch of his Let Yourself Trust, a not-for-profit organisation which aims to make a small difference out of great love and commitment by challenging injustice wherever it’s found, educating via advocacy, campaigning for human rights, and raising issues that have been forgotten or ignored via fundraising initiatives, thus bringing about greater awareness for beautiful people in powerless situations.

He plays the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, on 30th October. Tickets £15 from www.wegottickets.com 0871 230 0010

Martyn Joseph. A unique talent driven by passion and love for his trade, continues to write, sing and play from the heart.