Jon Wilks plays the top floor of the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, bringing traditional folk songs, acoustic guitar and the stories that travel with them. Ben Allman opens the evening. If your idea of a Friday night is listening to someone who can hold a room with a song, this is one to put in the diary. The concert is presented by Medina Bookshop, but it has moved to the sailing club: head to Cowes, rather than the bookshop in Newport.
Wilks works with songs passed between singers, giving old words room to land through his fingerstyle playing. There is no need to arrive with a knowledge of the folk repertoire; the pleasure is in hearing how a story unfolds and how much a guitar can say around it. Having Allman on the bill gives you a reason to settle in for the whole evening, rather than arriving just before the headline set.
Tickets are £15, with the evening running from 7pm to 9pm. Bring your own refreshments, as requested by the organiser. A folk night on this scale rewards giving the songs your attention, so bring someone who enjoys listening as much as chatting between sets. The performance is upstairs at the Island Sailing Club, so ask about access before booking if stairs are a concern.