When my husband Dave presented me with tickets to go and see ‘Way to Blue’, a tribute to the late singer song writer Nick Drake, I was instantly touched by his kind thought. It wasn’t until the week before the event that I realised that Nick Drake did not reach everyone’s heart, Nick Drake? Was the most popular response I received?

We are so fortunate in Coventry to have such a great facility such as The Warwick Arts Centre right on our door step, providing access to all sorts of musical and artist talents. It is one of the great benefits to living in the area.

The audience was comprised of a variety of inconsistent age groups, from young student types, to what I would describe as the older academic kind, plus everyone else in between.

Not knowing what to anticipate, the first thing that I noticed when entering the auditorium was evidence of a substantial orchestra. A vast array of stringed instruments including electric guitars, piano, double bass, violins, viola, cellos, not to mention drums, were inaudibly waiting to perform in their own rights.

I knew at this point that we would be in for a great night of entertainment .First to the stage was Robin Hitchcock, who successfully got us in the mood for the evening’s list of diverse guest artists.

Krystle Warren, Teddy Thompson, Lisa Hannigan, Green Gartside,  who you may recognise as the lead singer from Sctitti Politi, Vashti Bunyan, Kirsty Almeida and Scott Matthews were amongst some of the most talented artists that I have ever seen perform ‘live’ on stage.

Each and every performer managed to capture and reproduce the gold dust left by Drake, each in their own inimitable style took us on a journey through the world seen through Nick Drake’s eyes. Through such classics as Northern Sky, River man, Free ride, Fruit tree to mention but a few.

 I left the auditorium saddened by the loss of such a great artist, who felt that he had not succeeded in life.Through using words and music as his vehicle, he more than successfully managed to paint humanity as he saw it .By achieving this he touched the hearts and souls of millions, who as well as enjoying the music could perhaps relate to the haunting yet melancholic lyrics that exposed his deepest internal thoughts and feelings to the world.