Harry Manx Review

The Guv, March 2nd, 2026

It was worth the wait. However, leaving your audience hanging for an hour with no communication is poor form. No matter what the reason, it’s not good enough. One hour after the advertised start time Harry Manx appeared on stage.

I remembered seeing Harry play at a small folk club way back when he was a much younger man. I remember really enjoying it so thought I’d take another look and I’m so glad I did. About a minute into his first song I was in his groove. Tapping my feet and gently rocking to a quiet, bluesy, insistent beat.

This time round Harry’s playing with a bass and drum beat backing track. The purist in me would rather it wasn’t there but it’s certainly effective and it allows Harry to be something of a one man band.

Harry Manx plays guitars – one in the traditional upright fashion, one as a lap steel instrument with lots of delicious slide, and his trademark – the Mohan Veena: a 20-string instrument that sounds like a cross between guitar and sitar. He spent 12 years in India, 5 years mastering the Mohan Veena. His music consequently is often described as a bridge between east and west. Tonight’s concert was more west than east, but any song played on the Mohan Veena has that telltale persistent drone beneath the melody – that’s partly why the instrument was invented – and it’s quite mesmeric.

Tonight’s repertoire was a mix of covers and originals – many of them chosen in answer to members of the audience calling out their preferences. But his covers get such distinctive treatment that it’s like hearing them for the first time anyway. Old standards like Long Black Veil, Spoonful, and Summertime for example.

Manx certainly took his time establishing his musical identity. He wrote his first song at the age of 46. I enjoyed the covers but the highlights were definitely his own material. There’s a melodic warmth and a bewitching, beautiful tone hidden in all those strings and it’s perfectly complemented by a vocal style that delivers short phrases that fit neatly into the catchy rhythms.

One day Harry Manx had writer’s block and went out walking. He came across a homeless guy he recognized from school days and they spent the day together. And a new song was born. This story speaks volumes about the man. He took the time to talk to this homeless guy when many would walk on by.

Harry Manx has taken the slow road; the road that takes time to work out what you want to say; what you want to play, and he’s now sharing the wonderful end result with rapt audiences. He definitely has his own sound but if you were to combine the music of JJ Cale, fellow Canadian Leo Kottke, and Ry Cooder you might come up with something very similar to the Manx sound, but you’d still need to add some eastern spice.