
Katie Spencer
Just 23, Katie Spencer has built up a respected profile playing at the Cambridge Folk Festival and Celtic Connections with musicians such as Danny Thompson and Ted McKenna. She says: “At the age of 16, many of my weekends were spent squeezed into a busy pub somewhere in the north of England listening to music. I became particularly obsessed with acoustic guitar playing. The first Bert Jansch record that I heard was The Black Swan. Not only did his guitar playing blow me away, but also his raw delivery and beautiful song-writing style: he was a pure innovator. I really love it and I still feel so excited and welcomed by the music. I often re-visit his music – my favourite at the moment is Avocet!”
Shannon Road
A piece by Katie Spencer for Bert Jansch
Katie says: ‘Shannon Road’ is an autobiographical memory song, just like many of Bert’s were snapshots in time. Bert’s songs carry a lot of honesty, and I find that really moving. Shannon Road in Hull was the place where my Grandma lived for most of her life. I have very fond memories of spending time with her there, and I wanted to capture that feeling within this song. The small instrumental sections that come around in ‘Shannon Road’ were directly inspired by Bert’s music. His passion and quietly stunning technique really sing from his guitar, and I am always in search of that feeling when writing my own songs.”
Ralph McTell has said “Katie’s guitar playing has echoes of my dear friend the late great Bert Jansch. Like a musical weaver she threads her poetic lyrics through the guitar’s strings and produces little tapestries of song.”

