Easy listening folk and country ballads may not stimulate everyones senses but Charlie Landsborough remains worthy of respect for serving one of the lengthiest apprenticeships in music.

Having spent three decades struggling for recognition outside his native Merseyside, including spells as a soldier, postman and teacher, the Birkenhead balladeer reached his utopia with a one-off appearance on Irish national television ten years ago.

A week later his album, What Colour Is The Wind, went to number one in Ireland.

13 more albums, more than a million record sales and several UK and world tours later, the years the impressively-bearded singer songwriter spent playing to empty pubs every night are a distant memory.

Landsborough will be celebrating his 64th birthday in the same week he entertains Sussex.

Starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £18.50 and £16.50, call 01903 206206. Charlie Landsborough is also playing on Sunday, October 30 at The Hawth, Crawley, starting at 8pm. Tickets cost £18.50, call 01293 553636.