Chris Wood is an uncompromising writer whose music reveals his love for the unofficial history of the English-speaking people. With gentle intelligence, he weaves the tradition with his own contemporary parables. He returns to Kings Place for this special Folk Weekend gig.

A self-taught musician, composer and song writer, Chris Wood is a lifelong autodidact whose independent streak shines through everything he does. Always direct and unafraid to speak his mind, his song writing has been praised for its surgical clarity. He cites his major influence as “Anon”.

His most recent album So Much to Defend has received wide critical acclaim and includes reflections on minor league football, empty nest syndrome, learning to swim, Cook-in Sauce and, not least, the Gecko as a metaphor for contemporary society.  Hollow Point; his chilling ballad of the shooting of Jean Charles Menezez, won a BBC Folk Award (he’s won six) and emphatically secured Wood’s place as a serious speech-master for the unofficial history of England.

Collaborators include Martin Carthy, Dizraeli, Billy Bragg, Andy Cutting, Andy Irvine, Karine Polwart, Jean Francois Vrod, The Imagined Village, Hugh Lupton, Martin Butler and many others.

On stage, Chris has the air of a craftsman who no longer needs to be precious about his art. Without any apparent effort he reaches deep into an enviable repertoire of songs before revealing another gem.

This event will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.