Nick at The Man On The Moon, Cambridge,
Saturday 29 November 1997 - by Catherine Wightwick


I was in the Man On The Moon - a pub that has now changed its name. It was the first time I saw Nick solo and he blew my socks off. An amazing evening.

Oliver (my younger son) was 9 months old - I think it was the first time I'd been out to a gig since I'd had him, and I was deep in the throes of hellish post-natal depression. I'd picked up a random flyer for the gig a week or two previously on a shopping trip, which stirred up happy memories of several very out-of-it Roy Harper gigs in the 80s, so I was curious to go to see what the son was like on his own. I'd seen him supporting his father a couple of times and been impressed. I went with my friend Paul, who played drums in the band I played bass in.

First on was a completely dreary local singer-songwriter who was really dire. If I hadn't been depressed before, I certainly would have been by the end of his set. I was very tempted to go home. Then Nick came on and it was a complete revelation - he started with A Hundred Things and I could just not believe the things he did with his guitar. He also had his 12-string with him and played Riverside, which was lovely. Anyway, that started me on the slippery slope of going to see him play wherever possible...



Created 6 August 2002
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