More than once during his set, Martyn Joseph reflected on how to tackle the big things—by finding the small things within.
After 15 years of writing reviews, it’s still a mystery how to fully capture a Joseph gig. Because more than just a performance, it’s about community and togetherness. It’s about “I Searched for You”—the one near the end where he turns the audience into a choir.
Everything in his work was on display, from the passion of “I Will Follow” to the hard-earned experience and deep empathy that define him. And then, with a grin, he quipped, “I wrote this one in 1987 before you were even born.” All that does is underline that he’s been one of the best for almost 40 years.
He’s got the same regrets we all have. The gorgeous “Born Too Late” drives that home.
It takes bravery to stand alone on a stage with just a guitar, but to do it with such skill and beauty—as he does on “We Are Made of Stars”—is something special.
You can’t help but think of Springsteen when he sings, smiling through “Stars”: “There’s not much falsetto left at this stage of the tour.” At this point, this troubadour is all heart and grit.
“Pacific Northwest”—like everything tonight—comes from a place of deep feeling. Written for friends who lost their home in a wildfire, when he gets the crowd to sing, “We are the hope,” it feels like a small act of resistance in this post-truth, Trump 2.0 world.
The essence of Joseph’s work lies in his empathy, nowhere clearer than in “Please Sir,” which tells the story of a family paying the price for the destruction of the Welsh Valleys. The greats of the Valleys are honoured, too, in the glorious “Nye (Song for the NHS)”—a living, breathing tribute to socialism.
“Hang the World (Give Me a River)” carries the rawness of early Dylan, while “Get Back to You” strips it back to something simpler—a love song. And love is at the heart of the stunning “Chapel Porth Beach,” written for BBC Radio 2’s RNLI anniversary commission. A highlight of his recent EP, it shines here, too.
That same EP gives us “Getting Older,” a lament on the world we’re leaving behind, with particularly plaintive harmonica. And in 2025, finding beauty isn’t easy, but somehow he manages, with “Things That We Have Carried.”
Forgetting the first line of “Lonely Like America” brings some unplanned comedy, rescued by an audience member who knows it. As ever, it blends into “Dancing in the Dark.”
He’s dusted off some songs for this run, and “On My Way” adds a new dynamic, perfectly summed up by its first line: “You can’t kill love, not even with hate.”
Joseph has played 69 different songs on this tour, with audience requests shaping the setlist. “Feels Like This” is the first called out.
The deeply personal “Driving Her Home to London” strips away character storytelling for four minutes of raw parental love. There’s fun, too, with “Liberal Backslider,” a true artist-crowd collaboration, and “Precious,” performed on a whim.
Then it’s back to the tried and tested: “Here Come the Young,” delivered with fire, a call to arms for good people to stand their ground.
A song he wrote for his son’s wedding, “It’s a Fine Thing,” is warm and moving, while “Under Every Smile” reminds us of the inclusion at the heart of his music. And “This Light Is Ours” isn’t just folk in the grand tradition—it’s an anthem.
Can you encore if you never leave the stage? Maybe not. But “Whoever It Was That Brought Me Here, Will Have to Take Me Home” closes the night, allowing this “tired Welshman” to sound weather-beaten but unbowed. Always.
At the end of the first half, he spoke about his charity, urging: “Don’t let them win, folks. Don’t let them take the hope in your heart. These things happen every day, they just don’t make the headlines.”
The same could be said of Martyn Joseph. Watching him isn’t just watching a musician—it’s watching someone at the very top of their craft.
His machine doesn’t kill fascists. Instead, it turns its light toward love and passion, finding hope in the places others might overlook.
MARTYN JOSEPH @ M.A.C, BIRMINGHAM 06/02/2025
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