Chris Murphy - Live In England (2025)

Chris Murphy is no musical slouch. Over a 25-year career, he has amassed an astonishing 500-plus works, including just under 20 solo albums and around 20 collaborative albums. He’s primarily a violinist, but his music encompasses so many styles. “In another era,” he says, “I would have played square dances, and loved it. I would have been a court musician in Versailles in the 17th Century, or a violinist in a circus orchestra.”

He was born into an Irish-Italian family near New York City, and he was soon entranced by the sounds and grooves of his neighbours’ traditional music. Yet soon, the inevitable power that listening to rock’n’roll had on him cemented his future musical passions. “My real hero,” he says, “was David Lindley. Hearing him play fiddle and lap steel with Jackson Browne — that kind of esoteric, enigmatic soloing over songs is originally what I loved.”

So, he’s established a magnificent career, and he calls his music “a live film score”. This new album is a live recording, captured last year at Sheffield’s The Dorothy Pax, now sadly closed. Murphy explains. “Playing my songs live, in front of an audience, alone—with nothing more than a violin, a few guitar pedals, and a vocal mic—is what I live for. This is my temple. My canvas. My potter’s wheel. The waves I surf. My confessional. My redemption. My story. Each performance is a moment—a reflection of the room, the people, the city, my state of mind, and how these pieces of music choose to show up at that particular time. No two are ever the same.”

Opener ‘Halfway Around The World’ sets the tone of what’s to come perfectly – a rousing toe tapper with violin playing opening the song, before the vocals appear. He’s got a really strong and effective voice. One can hear and imagine the audience going crazy for this music. Must have been a memorable night. ‘Early Grave’ again opens with violin and the audience claps and cheers, before the vocals about “a challenging partner” emerge.

Some of the songs slightly outstay their welcome, such as ‘Caves Of Killala’, but mostly these are perfect examples of the power of his solo performing. This is superbly encompassed on ‘Never Learned To Drive’, a bluesy and witty song with a fantastic feel – it’s a glorious song. Other highlights include ‘Edgar Allan Poe’, a slower but captivating song with some intriguing lyrics around the celebrated writer. ‘The Red Road’ is another slower track, but again it’s a winner, especially played live.

If you’re new to Murphy’s music, this is a wonderful introduction and a real temptation to catch him live, which he’s currently doing.