THE city’s Fo’c’sle Folk Club is welcoming a season of special guests as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

First up tonight at the Richmond Inn in Portswood is John Kirkpatrick.

From the late 1960s, John has been at the very forefront of innovative folk in Britain, and has played with, among others, Steeleye Span, the Richard Thompson Band and the Albion Band, as well as establishing himself as a brilliant solo act. It is a pedigree second to none.

John has gained wide acclaim not only for his virtuosity and musicianship, but also for the essentially English quality of the sound that characterises all his work.