As someone who has never had sufficient exposure to live acoustic blues, I am so glad Dom Martin was my introduction to it. On Saturday, the 13th of April, the last show on Dom Martin’s UK tour with Demi Marriner as the supporting act took place.
It took place in the Brighthelm Centre on North Road, a sequestered, cosy church and community hall that I would not have discovered had it not been for this concert. We were warmly greeted by the organiser and showed into the space where the concert would be held.
There was already blues music in the ambience that set the stage for the two artists. There was also a neatly organised corner for merchandise that the artists had put on sale for interested fans.
Promising Start: Demi Marriner
Soon, we had the tour manager announce the start of the show by calling Demi to the stage. She was introduced as a budding artist, but her talent showed no lack of professional flair. She started her set with ‘Sins,’ which was powerful in both tune and lyricism.
All her songs, like ‘Distorted Desires’, ‘Best of Me’, and ‘God nor Devil’, were exemplary of great songwriting and reminded me of a young Taylor Swift. In fact, I dared to mention this to her after the show, and she very graciously accepted the comparison.
Her grace was not unseen on stage either, as she interspersed her set with stories behind the songs, which kept the audience engaged and made the experience more meaningful for us as well. As she ended her set, the resounding and unceasing applause of the audience was proof of how much her performance was loved.
Dom Martin Takes the Stage
After Demi’s set, there was a short interval when the audience could break for refreshments and prepare themselves for the enthralling performance that was about to start. Dom Martin’s acoustic prowess, experimental style, and compelling stage presence shone through all of his numbers, like ‘The Fall’, ‘Easy Way Out’, and ‘Daylight I Will Find’.
He also took the opportunity to not only heighten the importance of supporting the new artists in the UK music industry but also did not shy away from being honest and vulnerable about his story with the audience, the story that in some ways led him to create such moving music.
His words on how it only takes one to pick up an instrument and play it for the sake of enjoyment have been on my mind since then, and I might have been inspired enough to pick up an instrument soon.
He was joined by yet another talented musician, Ben Graham, at the bass for a few of the songs, and after the much-deserved standing ovation, the audience was gifted with a joyful harmony between Ben, Demi, and Dom. By then, I could not believe the show had already ended, as I immediately started looking forward to hearing them live once again.
