Marc Atkinson

The Old White Swan, York

30 April 2022

Marc Atkinson is a great songwriter, and has released numerous albums over the last couple of decades, as a solo singer and with several different rock bands.

Tonight, he doesn't play any of that. Tonight he's in his "other" identity, playing a set of popular covers with just an acoustic guitar. Beatles, Monkees, Pink Floyd, Queen ... just one fabulous song after another, for two hours.

It's obvious why he's in constant demand to do this kind of set in pubs and clubs all over the North, because he's phenomenally good at it. He gets the punters to write his set list before he starts, and he seems to be able to sing anything, by anyone, in any style. Think of a song from the 60s, 70s, or 80s that you can play with just an acoustic guitar (or even one that you can't imagine is possible with just an acoustic guitar), and Marc will play it. He's like a one-man juke box. And if he occasionally forgets words and makes up his own verses, it doesn't matter, it just adds to the entertainment.

I was kind of hoping he would do some of his own material, but to be honest, given the event and the audience, the set of covers was the better choice. Everybody there must have known and loved everything he sang. And regardless of whether it's his own songs or somebody else's, Marc Atkinson has the best voice in rock today. Really.

Best concert I've ever seen.