Dave Sharp from The Alarm (68 Guns, Where Were You Hiding) is on the road, performing his own acoustic solo gigs around the UK.
He says the events rail against the commercial and engineered music that he feels is thrust upon the public.
“More people are saying they are fed up with it,” he said.
“It’s understandable that music doesn’t seem to be reaching out to people how it should be.
“There seems to be a growing appetite for a kind of music that has a human spirit to it, something that speaks on a human level to people.
“And it’s good that venues like the Jolly Brewer stick their neck out to promote music that will reach out to people.”
After The Alarm’s huge success in the 1980s, Dave spent a big part of the 90s in America, touring and making records.
In 1996, he recorded the album Downtown America, before returning to the UK in 2002 to record his third solo album, The Power of Soul, which re-introduced him to British audiences and earned him solo recognition across the UK with the critics.
Dave’s solo albums have received positive critical recognition on both sides of the Atlantic and over the past decade and a half he feels he has been fortunate to work alongside many of the artists he has long respected.
He’s worked with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and others in a period he says helped him “mature as an artist”.
His solo music has been described as everything from folk and blues to rock, country and punk.
And now, during breaks from the current tour, work in Manchester on his new album is progressing, with backing tracks complete.
His series of tour dates are designed to "challenge his electric guitar playing skills in a live format".
“I’m taking a break from recording at the moment and previewing new material,” he added.
“It’s really encouraging that up and down the country a lot of venues are starting to move away from the engineered media products.”
Dave recorded his first solo album, Hard Travellin' with record producer, Bob Johnston in 1991.
He is playing Lincoln and some other dates before embarking on another trip to Scotland - including his first appearance at brand new Glasgow alternative venue Pivo Pivo.
