POETIC folk rock flows from Wes Dance. The Worcester singer-songwriter has been quite rightly described by local critic Toxic Pete as a wordsmith who turns "his poetic rambling into beautifully rounded songs".

No doubt Dance's English degree from the University of Worcester plays a part in his creative process.

He said: "A lot of the songs have a narrative feel.

"It's kind of a theme. I'm not sure where the songs come from. It changes.

"A lot comes from novels. I think the personal stuff tends to be hidden underneath the story."

Dance, a former Blessed Edward Oldcorne High School student, performs at Worcester's Marr's Bar this Sunday. It will be the unofficial launch of his debut album, Penance.

The record, which he only finished recording a matter of weeks ago, showcases Dance's ability to not only write lovely songs but breathe life into a brand of easy-listening folk rock.

"It's quite an eclectic mix of songs," said Dance, who cites folk-rock staples such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Graham Parsons as inspirations. I've been writing since I was about 14. I was in a few bands then I decided to go solo and I have been writing since. Then it came to a point where it became decent and it was better than before."

A telling sign of the kind of musician Dance is comes when he admits he often finds himself writing lyrics first, then setting them to music.

Penance has been produced by Philip Bridges, a fellow Worcester musican and, as it turns out, old friend.

Dance said: "We hadn't seen each other for ages, almost 10 years and then we met up and, by coincidence, it turned out we were writing similar stuff."

This weekend's gig will be the second show that Bridges and Dance have performed together, so it's fingers crossed that there will be many more of them to come.

Tickets to the Marr's Bar show are £5 on the door.

To listen go to www.myspace.com/wesdance