WITH such a clean, distinctive guitar style, Martin Simpson has no need for a backing band.

The English acoustic virtuoso warmed the capacity crowd with a well-received set of traditional English and American songs. His encore version of The House Carpenter brought the house down.

By then there was little disputing his prowess and his quiet humour had kicked in. Not so at the beginning.

While the guitar playing immediately shone clear, Simpson's singing was weak and his between-songs banter laboured.

If anything, his take on traditional material such as Creeping Jane was too pristine, lacking grit and thereby resonance. His own compositions were mostly unremarkable.

Fortunately, the set picked up pace with a stark Dives and Lazarus (from The Bramble Briar) which sounded as though he meant it.

Simpson spent a number of years living in the United States, and like any good folk musician has clearly spent quality time with the elderly and dying in search of fresh material.

The less embellished tunes worked best, particularly a haunting version of The Blacksmith (from Kind Letters, recorded in Robin Hood's Bay and due out next year).

Simpson is obviously invigorated by the return to the UK.

He still maintains a youthful air, looking rather like a younger John Martyn. His version of John Hardy even sounded rather like the irascible Scot, while the slide blues I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes was simple and telling.

Although Simpson as a performer is pleasant rather than exceptional, his influence as a guitar player will endure.

Updated: 10:22 Wednesday, October 20, 2004