Guitar’s the star for our Adrian (From Harwich and Manningtree Standard)

Guitar’s the star for our Adrian

8:20am Thursday 17th January 2013 in Sound Check By Neil D'Arcy-Jones

CLACTON singer/songwriter Adrian Nation has been so busy touring, it’s been a while since he played a gig so close to home.

But next month fans are in for a real treat when the former builder performs at the Firstsite art gallery for a cracking gig which not only features another great guitarist in Joel Fisk, but a friend Adrian has met on the road, Newcastle comedian Ian Gordon.

Influenced at an early age by Bob Dylan and guitar playing of Mark Knopfler, Adrian’s teenage eyes and ears were truly opened when the late Isaac Guillory “played the guitar like I had never seen”.

Adrian says: “Suddenly the acoustic guitar was a much bigger instrument than I ever thought it could be. My mind was set.”

While striving to write the songs, Adrian set about building an instrument on which to deliver them.

Working in collaboration with accomplished guitar maker Phil Vigor, Adrian built his own acoustic, which he used on his debut album, Sowing Seeds.

He adds: “It gave me real hope that I had the ability to write songs that had a purpose and meaning and which I would be proud to perform.”

Since then he has released follow-up Fall or Fly, which definitely flew, and continued to tour all over the country, in particular the North East, where he has a large fan base.

“This will be my first local event in over a year,” he says, “and I’m really looking forward to seeing a houseful of familiar faces.”

Adrian Nation plays the Firstsite Gallery, Colchester, on February 2 at 7.30pm.

Tickets are priced £8, available by calling 07542 101350.