Scott Matthews

About this event

We are delighted that the sublime Scott Matthews will be performing his only Devon live show in our beautiful and historic Great Hall.

The quality of Matthews’ craft is a given. The Ivor Novello Award-winning artist is part of a lineage that includes such greats as Tim Buckley and Nick Drake, John Martyn and Paul Simon. With guitar in hand and a voice that conveys raw emotion, he has long been established as one of the world’s foremost purveyors of song.

Scott Matthews’ ground-breaking debut album, ‘Passing Stranger’ earned him serious critical acclaim with its bold mix of folk, rock, blues and Eastern-inspired song-writing, and in 2007 his first single ‘Elusive’ won the Ivor Novello Award for ‘Best Song Musically and Lyrically’.
From here Scott went on to perform on a number of international sell-out tours with respected artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Bert Jansch, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Foo Fighters, Snow Patrol and Tori Amos.

His follow-up albums saw, Robert Plant come onboard for a guest contribution on second album, Elsewhere, and legendary bassist Danny Thompson appearing on his third release, ‘What The Night Delivers’, having encountered each other whilst performing in Joe Boyd’s stage production of ‘Way to Blue – The Songs of Nick Drake’.

Championed by Lauren Laverne as ‘a big favourite’ and Huey Morgan as being ‘something else’, Scott’s musical dexterity and experimentative approach to song-writing and home-recording continued to excite over the course of the next several albums released on his own label.

Matthews’ latest album, ‘Restless Lullabies’, emerges with a stark boldness that is breathtaking
Now entirely unadorned, the album’s acoustic purity creates a subliminal listening experience. The skeletal delicacy of the songs allows his poetry to breathe, his transcendent vocal to soar, brings his dexterously sensitive guitar playing into microscopic focus and further cements his undeniable mastery as one of our greatest songsmiths.

Scott will be signing merch and meeting fans after the show.

‘I love this man’s music’ – Ed O’Brien, Radiohead

‘And here in a break from these dark times…a moment to move through Scott’s unique landscape of song and sound… compelling and beautiful’ – Robert Plant (on Restless Lullabies)

‘Scott’s voice is heart melting, his songs carry me away’ – Vashti Bunyan

‘A big favourite of ours… just gorgeous’ – Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music

‘I think he’s wonderful’ – Guy Garvey, Elbow

‘I can’t speak highly enough of this massively talented singer-songwriter who sings every note like it’s his last with the most effortless of deliveries’ – Chris Hawkins, BBC 6 Music

‘This is just something else… he’s a great live show’ – Huey Morgan, BBC 6 Music

‘Engagingly thoughtful and classy singer-songwriter’ – The Guardian

‘There’s no denying Matthews’ soaring tenor is a thing of wonder’ – Acoustic Magazine

‘He’s fantastic…an absolute genius’ – Janice Long, BBC Radio 2

‘Just wonderful, wonderful stuff’ – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2