A WILTSHIRE TALE (Written and performed by Nick Harper. Directed by Jo Newman)

 

A Wiltshire Tale is a journey through Wiltshire’s history, landscape and wildlife. Depicted through the voices of three immortal characters, in this one-man show we bear witness to this most magical of counties in spoken word, poetry and live music.

"The Bard of Wiltshire” - Mojo magazine

“Betjeman with a guitar” - Guitarist magazine 

Presented by: Wiltshire Creative, a new pan-arts organisation that incorporates Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury Arts Centre and Salisbury International Arts Festival. The show runs for two hours with a break. The first half is mainly spoken word, the second half, mainly music. Suitable for children 14+

Son of the legendary UK singer-songwriter Roy Harper (whose influence upon other musicians has been acknowledged by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd and others), Nick played the guitar from the age of 10 and, surrounded by the likes of Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Dave Gilmour as he grew up, it was no surprise when Nick made his recording debut on his father's Whatever Happened to Jugula? in 1985. 

Nick was a touring member of Squeeze from 1996–97.

"Harper has so much musicianship in him that it just leaks out all over the place. He does things to his guitar that would have had Segovia weeping into his Rioja" - The Times

His live shows are a wild ride - from personal introspection to biting political satire via a charmingly caustic wit that would make Groucho Marx proud. He often segues from his own compositions to well-loved covers he makes his own - he takes on Presley, Zappa, Jeff Buckley, Led Zeppelin, Monty Python, Pink Floyd and Public Enemy (yes, on an acoustic guitar). He also has the alarming ability to break guitar strings almost by sheer force of will… and then change them without dropping a beat. For over a decade, he has been dazzling audiences and reviewers alike with this heady mix of virtuosity, boyish charm, showmanship and sheer bravado.

In 2007, Nick set a world record for the highest gig on earth at Kala Pattar above Mt. Everest Base Camp, whilst helping raise over £200,000 for the fight against cancer.

Nick on the Interwebs:

http://nickharper.bandcamp.com/album/nix

http://www.harperspace.com/nick-harper-discography.html

https://www.facebook.com/Nick-Harper-154937337982435/

Our Director Paul Bickmore (better known as Bik) spends a lot of his time tracking down a varied, interesting range of performances for us to host here at The Art House.

A seasoned musician himself (as well as being the man who does the sound engineering on the night - something he does extremely well), Bik hand-selects the very best acts to showcase in our gallery space - his criteria?  

Travel information:-

We are a city centre venue and parking can be in short supply.  If you are driving, please make sure you leave plenty of time to find a space click here for a map of where the nearest parking spaces can be found.

We recommend Kings Park Road car park:
We are about 10 minutes walk from Southampton City Centre train station (head up the hill toward the Guildhall clock tower) and on the route for most city centre buses (the Unilink U1 stops virtually outside.)

Do you have a question about coming to this event?  Please click here for a list of our event FAQs

Click here to go to The Art House what's on page

 Accessibility info:-

Events are generally suitable for adults, young people and older children - children must be accompanied by an adult at all times, however. Young children are also welcome to come along but be aware some poems and songs may contain adult content (although we try to keep these until after children have left!)

Most events are held on our first floor, accessible by a wide staircase with a sturdy banner. Comformatable seating is provided.  We regret that, due to space and other constraints, we are generally unable to relocate our events to the ground floor for those who require ground level access - so sorry.

FAQs

Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?

Events are open to all ages unless otherwise stated, however please note that our mission is to provide creative activity primarily to adults, therefore most of our programme is aimed at 16 years and over.  Performances may include stronger language.

Life drawing classes are open to over 18s only.

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

Please click here for details of how to find us.

What can/can't I bring to the event?
Please don't bring your own food or drink to The Art House.

Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
The best way is by email to info@thearthousesouthampton.co.uk

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
If you have a smartphone, we prefer that you save paper and show us your ticket on a phone.

What is the refund policy?
Tickets are not refundable unless the event is cancelled.

The name on the registration/ticket doesn't match the attendee. Is that okay?
As long as the person making the booking is with you, that's fine. 

All bookings for events are subject to our Terms and Conditions which can be viewed here.