An evening with Paul Armfield

Paul Armfield plays Cafe No9 on Sunday 1 November, with support from Michelle Laverick. Armfield is a singer, songwriter and bookseller based on the Isle of Wight, and his songs sit in that literary, chanson-influenced territory where the lyrics take centre stage. He draws on classic English and American songwriters and the European chanson tradition, with Jacques Brel among his particular influences.

He's released a string of critically acclaimed albums over the years, and two of them give a good sense of how he works. 2015's Found was inspired by old photographs, and 2020's Domestic paired ten of his own linocuts of native plants to each track. He's a double bassist as well as a guitarist, and has played with the Dance Preachers; he's also been Joan Baez's guitarist since 1998. His playing appears on Michael Kiwanuka's best-selling single 'I'm Getting Ready' and on collaborations with jazz pianist Greg Foat.

There's a bit of a variety act hidden in there too: he's an accomplished musical-saw player, busking under the alter ego the Stranger On The Saw, and he works as an occasional funeral celebrant. Guy Garvey, Chris Difford, Lauren Laverne and Caitlin Moran have all praised him, with Moran describing his music as 'as toasty and lovely as Christmas morning'.

Doors open at 7:00pm, with the music starting at 7:30pm. Tickets are £15, plus a £1.50 booking fee.