> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Review: Phil King at The Hub at St Mary’s
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/review-phil-king-at-the-hub-at-st-marys/
- Published: 2023-05-23T05:36:43.000Z
- Updated: 2023-05-23T05:36:50.000Z
- Description: Original song-craft, gentle, dextrous acoustic guitars and some fine singing were all enjoyed when the local duo Mourning Suns and solo singer songwriter Phil King appeared at the Hub at St Mary’s.
- Author: Ben Macnair
- Tags: Reviews, What's On, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:01

Original song-craft, gentle, dextrous acoustic guitars and some fine singing were all enjoyed by an attentive audience when the local duo Mourning Suns and solo singer songwriter Phil King appeared at the Hub at St Mary’s.

With their first public appearance in a while, the Mourning Suns showed no signs of musical or vocal rust and little in the way of nerves during their short set.

With a sound that echoed early Stevie Nicks, their work ranged from the funk-folk protest of Waiting on Change to some new songs, many of which were receiving their first public airing.

The upbeat number Love me Like Crazy, the moody The Not Knowing and All I Need, and the hopeful Lucky Stars were all well received and will hopefully appear on the ensemble’s next album.

Phil King’s sound was different, taking in elements of folk, but mixing it with pop, piedmont blues and ragtime, with a soundscape that used acoustic guitar in a lot of different tunings, as well as harmonica, a harmonium played with his foot, and his light baritone vocal.

His set featured many of his songs from his album The Wreckage, and also some choice covers from his lockdown album, Shelter.

With an easy on-stage manner, honed playing folk clubs all over the country, he started his set with See Me Through.

Many of the original songs had something of an element of autobiography, with I Wonder If I’ll Ever Be, The Wreckage, Faith to Lose, and You Know Where to Find Me being affecting, story songs.

As well as his own material, there were also early set highlights with Bob Dylan’s Shelter From the Storm, Christmas Smither’s Hundred Dollar Valentine, and Jackson C Frank’s best known song Blues Run the Game all receiving good performances, showing Phil King’s unerring knack for finding songs to suit his voice and music.

The two blues songs during the encore – Going Down Slow and Honeysuckle – showed the influence of such players as Keb Mo, Eric Bibb and Corey Harris, and it was a shame that the audience didn’t hear more of this side of his talent earlier on in the evening.