John and Lynne Ward, two renowned folk singers from the East Coast of England, will bring a bit of England’s east coast to Nerja in the eastern Costa del Sol when they perform at the town’s theatre on Thursday 5th February. museum on Plaza de España.

John and Lynne live in Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast and have been regular visitors to Nerja since January 2023 when they embarked on a road trip through Spain in their camper van and ended up staying in the Axarquía town for longer than planned.

This was after discovering the town’s vibrant international music scene and John explained to SUR in English that they “pulled into the carpark and a fellow camper got out of the neighbouring van with a bhodrán [a traditional Irish drum].” John also plays the bhodrán, so they got talking and their new-found friend took them to a gig. We went to a second session with him, where we met a lot of people. We ended up staying four nights, instead of just one.

Since then, the couple have returned several times to Nerja. John says that they have “settled in” as part of the music scene here. He adds that they “do more music every time we come”. They are regulars at music bars in town, and this is their first ever concert.

John Ward Trio, a group of two musicians from Lowestoft. John writes the music, sings, plays guitar, the bhodrán and the harmonica while Lynne also adds vocals, plays the accordion and the guitar and the third member plays the mandolin and sings. Lynne explained that the UK trio’s trademark sound was the three-part harmonies.

They have performed at festivals, folk clubs and arts centers all over the UK and released several albums. They admit to a busy music schedule in the UK and that they enjoy coming to Nerja because it offers “a peaceful, restful existence”, despite the fact that this sounds a little like a busman’s holiday. Lynne explains that it gives them time to reflect and John the inspiration to write. The duo also performs songs inspired by their trips through Spain.

John and Lynne, along with the music, will project images that are related to each song. So, for example, there will be pictures to accompany a song on San Pedro de Gata in Almeria. They also use photos from their home country to help educate the audience about an area of the UK that is relatively unknown. Lynne says, “We know that there will be people in the audience whose first language may not be English, so there will also visuals for those who can’t understand all the lyrics.” John adds, “It will give people something else to look at besides us.”

As we’re all from Suffolk, we touch on the parallels between home and the Axarquía: they are traditionally agricultural areas that also have strong connections to the sea and the fishing industry. Suffolk is flat (except for a few small hills and cliffs) and has a colder climate (although during Storm Kristin, people joked that it felt like a day at the North Sea Coast). However, we all agree that the locals in Suffolk will recognize some similarities between the photos and music.

John references a few Suffolk expressions, just like Malaga. For example he sings about the ‘Dockside Dandies of Lowestoft’ who were “Flamboyant fishermen dressed distinctively in specially tailored, vibrant suits…as they returned home after weeks at sea, hundreds of men would spend their hard-earned cash on the suits, which came in every colour, pattern and design”, according to an article in the Lowestoft Journal. Chanquete, the fisherman from Verano Azul in the 1980s who was Nerja’s favourite (and a character on that show), would have thought of these. There are also references to ‘hauling the shimmer’ – bringing in the fish – which is a similar term to ‘el copo’ here in Malaga.

John and Lynne love to explore the local area, and they enjoy visiting the Nerja Cave when not working on music. Spending time with their friends at the local tapas bar and experiencing the Mediterranean culture is what they do. They both learn Spanish and put it into action when they come here.

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The concert is free and there will also be a donation box for those who wish to contribute to cover the costs. John’s CDs, his three books (including one with his most popular songs), and John’s songbook will be for sale. Click here Find out more about John and Lynne.

The concert begins at 7pm, which just leaves me to say, don’t be ‘on the drag’ – a Suffolk saying, which means to be late for something. It is a nautical term used by Suffolk fishermen, who would sometimes get caught on a drag tide – a strong undercurrent that would slow their progress. The fishermen would then say “we’re sorry we’re late. We were on the drag.”