Nick Harper: London to Lima
He gets about a bit does this Mr Harper. Just over a week ago, on September 27 2008, he graced the majestic stage of London’s Royal Albert Hall. As support to the levellers – still finishing off their twentieth anniversary year of big shows – it was certain to be a different kind of gig to the usual that one has come to expect from the man who can adeptly turn a guitar string from Zeppelin to Zappa in a few deft chord changes.
Tonight saw no ‘jiggery cakery, no icing from the half-bakery’ to paraphrase a line from one of his last album’s (Miracles For Beginners) tracks, Simple. Instead was a sound set of eight songs that encompassed his career; from Building Our Own Temple, which appeared on his debut album Seed up to 38, an emotive and haunting and, as yet, unreleased song inspired by his Everest trek of last November on behalf of the cancer charity Love Hope Strength Foundation. Nestling in between were Field Of The Cloth Of Gold (his part homage to the Levellers’ Beautiful Days festival) and the harsh-hitting, in-yer-face Sleeper Cell. Real Life held the vast Hall’s audience spellbound and sent a tingle down the spine as its seering vocals and superb guitarmanship rose up to the very heights.
The highlight of the night came, not for once with a string break or his veering off into a Kylie or Prodigy segue, but with calling his 12-year-old daughter Lily on stage for a rendition of Our House – that being the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tune mind, not the Madness one! Those old enough may even have been present when Harper pere, Roy, performed the same song on the same stage in December 1973. It was here too that one would have seen and heard the then 8-year-old Nick chipping in with a few bars. Rapturous applause followed the father and daughter duet on this night, and it may not be that long before a third generation of the Harper family starts to make a name for themselves in the music world. Take a look at the You Tube footage for a taste of the future.
Today, October 7, Nick Harper spreads his wings and sets down in that country, hitherto made famous for being the land of bears, well Paddington Bear at least – deepest, darkest Peru. He, together with a team of musicians including Mike Peters (The Alarm), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats), Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram (The Fixx) and members of Texas band begin the first leg of Peru Rocks: a 10-day mission to Machu Picchu – ‘The Lost City of the Incas’ - followed
by a concert celebration in Lima, The City of Kings. Each participant will raise funds to donate to the Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS). LHS will use these funds to purchase much needed cancer screening and treatment equipment for ALINEN. ALINEN is the Supporting System for the National Neoplastic Hospital (INEN) in Peru. This equipment will go a long way in saving the lives of thousands of people battling cancer in Peru.
The event will once again be filmed by Alex Coletti, award winning producer/director whose past credits include the music series MTV Unplugged and the LHS documentary Everest Rocks which premiered on September 7 2008.
Follow the journey at
www.perurocks.org with daily journal reports and photographs direct from Peru.
Key Peru Rocks dates:
Thursday October 9
First
acoustic performance in Cusco
Friday October 10 10
Start of
trek
Cusco - Wayllabamba 7.5 miles
Tuesday October 14
Acoustic celebration
Wednesday October 15
Finale tribute
concert at Discoteca Gotica de Larcomar, Lima, 9pm - 4am.
