When someone is as passionate about their music as Mark and Lewis Nelson so obviously are, they pour their hearts and souls into their performance and the result is that feel-good factor that sets you up for the rest of the week. Add to that the same dedication and passion for food, cooking, service and atmosphere that the Gallaghers provide at the Parks Art Deco Café in Blackpool’s Stanley Park and you have the perfect recipe for a real treat.
Mark and Lewis, who were joined in the second half of the afternoon by Marcus Nayor played acoustic guitar and sang at lunchtime on Sunday, 27th November 2011.
Their performance took me straight back to Strasbourg one winter in my youth, when two young buskers called Barry and Dave played guitar and harmonised the songs of Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen… Mark and Lewis Nelson also write their own material and it is important to encourage anyone who does that.
Numbers performed during the afternoon included a variety of genres and eras, including “Save Tonight”, “Sound of Silence”, “Father and Son” and one of Mark’s own compositions “Summer”. Lewis did a solo spot featuring an excellent version of “Nights in White Satin”, Mark also performed a rousing solo set, featuring “Brown-eyed Girl”, “The Boxer” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.
Special guest Marcus Naylor put in a great performance, singing a couple of covers from Show Of Hands: "Cousin Jack" and "Crow On The Cradle" as well as Damien Rice's "Amie", before finishing with a highly emotive version of Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars".
Check out the Lancashire Songwriters group on Facebook.
