Findlay Napier

Findlay Napier plays The Willows Folk Club on Wednesday 11 November, from 19:15 to 22:30. He's a Scottish singer-songwriter and music teacher from the Isle of Arran, and this is one of four dates on a UK tour that also stops in Carlisle, Stoke and Margate.

Napier is described as a natural showman, and the set is built around a blend of sharp songwriting and warm, funny stagecraft. It's that second part that sets him apart from a standard folk singer; he doesn't just stand there and sing, he works the room, and the humour is as much a part of the evening as the music. If you've seen him before, you'll know the songs are the core, but the storytelling and the banter around them are what make it a night out rather than just a recital.

He's not new to the scene, either. He was previously a member of the Scottish folk group Back of the Moon, and these days he runs music writing courses, so he knows his way around a song from both sides of the stage. That background comes through in the writing—it's folk music with a clear sense of craft behind it, and the Scottish roots are right there in the sound.

The Preston date is at The Willows Folk Club, on Station Road in Wrea Green, PR4 2PH. It runs from 19:15 to 22:30, so it's a full evening's worth of music. If you're coming from the city, it's a short trip out to Wrea Green for a mid-week gig.