Rare Paul Metsers gig in Southport

It's a quiet week in Southport on the acoustic music front until next Sunday when the Bothy Folk Club presents singer-songwriter Paul Metsers. Originally from New Zealand, Paul has lived in England for more than 30 years. His best known song is probably Farewell To The Gold about an unsuccessful gold prospector, which brought him to prominence in this country when it was recorded by Nic Jones on his influential Penguin Eggs album; it has also been recorded by artists such as Jon Boden and James Fagan with Nancy Kerr. But he does have more than one string to his bow and all of his song writing has always been well regarded.

More than 20 years ago, Paul gave up touring and live performance to spend more time with his family; consequently, he and his partner Pauline set up Sagem Crafts, a business making hand-crafted wooden traditional board games. Live performances are still rare, so the opportunity to see Paul is unlikely to arise again for some time. 

You can see Paul at the Bothy Folk Club this Sunday 3 February at 8.00 p.m. at the Park Golf Club, Park Road West, Southport, PR9 0JS. On-line tickets here.

Here is a video of Paul singing Farewell To The Gold. Don't be put off by the very quiet spoken introduction; the song itself is at the right level.