Singer/songwriter David Hirst captivates from the moment you first experience his ethereal mix of traditional English folk, exquisite acoustic guitar playing, sensitive vocals and smart sense of lyric. Hailing from the north west of England, David Hirst’s songs have a strong narrative with powerful storylines woven into his addictive melancholic melodies. A recent write-up in The Manc Review likened him to Chris Isaak, Roddy Frame, and Gotye, though Hirst counts folk revivalists Martin Carthy, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention; British songwriters John Martyn, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, Donovan, Laura Marling; and American songwriters Neil Young, Paul Simon, Bonny Prince Billy and Bill Callaghan among his influences. DH Park GC 16.5.13 (4)As well as writing songs about his own life, David Hirst finds much of his inspiration from literature. In particular, the late 1960s movement of New Wave Sci-fi writers – Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Harlan Ellison, John Brunner – authors whose works reflected and commented on the times they lived in. Hirst is currently working on an album of songs inspired by historical texts and fiction about The Great War of 1914–18. The focus of the work is the many ordinary people affected by war, from the infantry soldier to the casualty clearing station nurse and the civilians back home. During a typical David Hirst performance, as well as his trademark nylon string and haunting vocals, David treats audiences to subtle electric guitar, dulcimer and steel-string acoustic. He is a frequent solo performer in and around Liverpool and organises the annual “Folk in the Park” festival in Southport. David is known to many as the frontman of Misery Guts, a Liverpool-based outfit whose three single releases “Trying to Be the Sun” (2009), “Spiders (2009) and “More Human Than Human (2010) have received considerable critical acclaim. The group toured in support of Cherry Ghost in 2010. (from the artist's website http://www.davidhirstmusic.com/category/bio/)
