Gig Review: Martin Stephenson
Friday 9th May 2025 – St Swithun’s, Worcester
The venue St Swithun’s, if you don’t know it, is a building in the centre of Worcester that can be easily passed unnoticed; yet step inside and you find one of Worcester’s most unique music and arts venues, greeted by spirits in the porch as a reminder that this is not your regular church.
An expectant audience welcomed Stephenson onto the stage, bathed in a pink light he opened with one of his most famous songs Crocodile Cryer. Lips sync silently to familiar words in the pews, words not forgotten seemingly by a large part of this congregation. His voice has slightly deepened and smoothed with age, or maybe confidence, either way it suits now and here.
His strong sense of spirituality, maturing over the years means that this simple stage is apt for his delivery, keeping the intimate atmosphere he is notorious for, like in the small clubs and low profile venues he favoured in the early days. Some performers have an ability to shrink a space and dissolve barriers between strangers, Stephenson is one.
Between hits and favourites, stories and jokes flowed, anecdotes about times passed, friendly banter and praise for fellow musicians. From a collection of what he estimates is about 600 songs, this setlist was distilled from across the decades to the appreciation of the audience.
Left us to Burn was introduced as its message originally for Thatcher, with its poignant lines such as ‘see her waltzing in her middle aged heels, see her feet on the blood red ground’. Decades later he dedicates it, ‘this is for you Keir Starmer!’ in recognition of political repetition, war and Palestine, relevant then and essential now.
The venue is majestic and allows for clean acoustics whilst maintaining a warmth. You need to see Martin Stephenson to appreciate how honestly penned songs can be performed with intuition and ultimately soul. You will of course be rewarded if you listen to recordings and really feel his lyrics, but those who buy the tickets for his gigs do so for a reason, he is unique, enlightened and endearing and although he would not want to be labelled a master of music he is definitely a child of song.
To find out about Martin Stephenson check out his music on Bandcamp Music | Martin Stephenson and watch the press for his upcoming gigs.
Also check out our interview with Martin Stephenson.
By Juliet Mootz