In praise of...Nigel of Bermondsey

Nigel of Bermondsey, in common with BM, is to Bermondsey what we in the west of Ireland used to call 'a blow-in'.   Not Bermondsey born and bred, he/we arrived in this corner of SE London roughly 10/15 years ago, loved it and stayed .  One of the reasons BM felt it entirely natural to stay and raise a family here despite the flight to the suburbs by contemporaries was because it felt like home.  I was welcomed here and not just because of B husband's (former) position.  It's a pretty striaghtforward sort of place; you make an effort to get involved with the community and they welcome you in.  Much the same I suspect as Nigel's experience of the place. 

Except that Nigel is a poet at heart and has taken this place to his heart.  He is an adopted Bermondsey Boy (no offence to Gary G)  who much like the minstrels of old Southwark, finds in music a way to celebrate and eulogise both its triumphs and disasters.   Because of this, Nigel has become an integral part of Bermondsey's continuously evolving fabric; he provides a bridge between the old and the new, his music offering a way for other 'blow-ins' to appreciate the rich history and heritage of the place in a modern context.   As well as gigging all over London and on the radio, Nigel's set is now a fixture in the annual Southwark Event.

BM is the proud possessor of his (2) albums to date...as well as the not yet released album entitled 'Bermondsey Folk'!  For what it's worth Nigel, I loved it.  Deeper than the others, I can sense the influence of John Constable and others within the local history movement and I loved how this is all woven together in a modern, gentle 'folk' way.  

Full disclosure:  BM and Nigel of Bermondsey are not related...however our spouses and sons share a fascination with Dr Who and stop-motion animation...