A funny thing happened to Sam Carter on the way to South Street for his first ever appearance at the venue. At least he thought it was funny. A passing pigeon deposited some droppings on him just before the gig. Sam used a more Anglo Saxon word for what landed on him when he told the audience this tale, I should confess.

“It’s supposed to be good luck isn’t it,” he laughed.

And that summed up perfectly Sam’s optimistic and engaging personality.

Like many of the best English folk artists, his affable nature and modest demeanour belie his status as one of England’s finest finger picking young guitarists in the mould of Richard Thomson and Martin Simpson.

Add his strong sometimes soulful, sometimes bluesy baritone vocals, witty between-song banter, and thoughtful lyrics and we had the makings of an intimate evening of laughter and audience participation in the best folk club tradition.

Despite performing solo with just an acoustic guitar, such is the virtuosity and complexity of his playing he filled the room with a rich enveloping sound. The stark emotional honesty of songs such as Pheasant about getting “flattened like a pheasant on a country lane” by love, or The One describing a father’s advice to his son about his failed marriage, his song writing is poignant and moving, while maintaining hope and optimism.

Although he is regarded as a folk singer songwriter in the English tradition, he also performed some newer material with a more American and bluesier feel – particularly on Waves and Tremors a straightforward 12 bar number about the Fukushima disaster.

Sam closed with an encore of audience participation on The No Testament, a secular hymn and title track from his new album.

Hopefully this won’t be Sam Carter’s last visit to Reading – but he should keep his eyes on the pigeons next time.

(This review first appeared on getreading.co.uk.)