The Torch Theatre on Saturday 9 August is the place to be to hear the songs of Nick Drake - one of the most mysterious and enigmatic characters to become part of the UK’s ‘arts scene’ during the 1970s and 80s. He’s the most revered and loved of all this country’s singer/songwriters and has given us timeless songs that shed all the tears of life within their fragile yet perfect lines.

Singing Nick’s songs will be the singer and guitarist Keith James - a concert performer who has appeared in Denmark, Norway, Holland, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Ireland, The USA and Brazil as well as in almost every arts centre/theatre in the UK. Two decades have now passed since Keith paralysed the whole country with this stunningly beautiful concert. In 2001 he was the first artist ever to bring this intriguingly fragile music to theatres across the UK in its live form. The result was six years of highly acclaimed tours amounting to over 1000 concerts in venues across the globe, including all of Nick’s schools and colleges - even Glastonbury Festival.

As a Cambridge literature student, Nick began writing and performing his fashionable poetry in, what was then, a blossoming arts song writing scene amongst the London-Oxford-Cambridge scene. Nick was quickly noticed by Island Records and within less than a year had recorded ‘Five Leaves Left’ his first brilliant album, still considered a unique masterpiece to this day – so much so, that it was almost impossible to follow – causing his development in the music scene to entirely flounder until being rediscovered and celebrated by a new audience with a fresh listening approach in the early 2000s.

The most loved contemporary poet and songwriter, Nick recorded three cherished albums between 1969 and 1972 but was almost entirely unknown in his day. After his tragic death in 1974 aged only 26 his music almost disappeared into obscurity. Now, thanks to a massive resurgence of interest and a worldwide re-evaluation of his genius, Nick has become a national treasure.

Keith has dedicated his entire working life to music, song writing, poetry and performing. (..and is now completing his first novel..) A unique and somewhat solitary musician, who many years ago, chose not to take part in the ‘pop’ music world, or to a large extent, the ‘folk’ music world, trusting in himself to follow his own path as a genuine and individual performer and recording artist. To begin with he carved a unique niche playing in Wine Bars in the late ‘70s where he discovered the ability to draw an audience into the central purpose of a song. Since then he has developed and matured into one of Britain’s most trusted concert performers with a strong, supportive audience who appreciate the depth of understanding that comes from a lifetime of dedication and study.

Keith’s talents as a musician have also been enriched by his work as a record producer; a wide understanding of sound not only enables him to understand the acoustic value of every venue - working with sound engineers to deliver a quality concert that is both intimate and enthralling, but has also proved invaluable when producing his own albums.

Tickets for Keith James – The Songs of Nick Drake on Saturday 9 August at 7.30pm are £20. Visit the website for further details www.torchtheatre.co.uk / phone the Box Office on (01646) 695267 / or click here.