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Nick Drake wears a velvet suit and sits on a green sofa in a living room.
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Look Through Time: A Nick Drake Celebration

Settle in for an evening of conversation, literature and music in memory of the singer-songwriter, with Richard Morton Jack and Mackenzie Crook.

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Join us for an evening in memory of the fiercely talented singer and songwriter.

November marks fifty years since the death of the British singer-songwriter at the age of just 26. In this unique event, chair and biographer of Nick Drake, Richard Morton Jack, is joined by speakers including Drake’s sister, Gabrielle Drake, his friend, Brian Wells, his producer, Joe Boyd, and one of his many fans, Mackenzie Crook.

Our speakers come together to celebrate the short life and enduring impact of a unique artist. November also marks the publication of If Nick Drake Came to My House by Mackenzie Crook, which explores the power of art to change our lives.

Richard Morton Jack’s biography of Nick Drake was published in 2023. Nick Drake: The Life was described by Drake’s manager and producer Joe Boyd as: ‘the book we’ve been waiting for – the one Nick’s legacy deserves and so badly needs.’

Mackenzie Crook is a BAFTA award-winning writer, comedian, actor and director known for his work across TV, film and theatre, including writing and starring in the BAFTA-winning sitcom Detectorists.

Joe Boyd is a record producer and writer known for his memoir, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s. Artists he has produced include Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, R.E.M., Fairport Convention, ¡Cubanismo!, Toots and the Maytals, Toumani Diabaté and Taj Mahal among many over the course of a nearly 60-year career. As a film producer, his credits include the Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace, Scandal and Jimi Hendrix. His most recent book, And The Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music (Faber), was published in 2024 to wide critical acclaim. Copies of his books are available to buy at the event.

Image reproduced by permission of Bryter Music – The Estate of Nick Drake.

Need to know

Age guidance
For ages 16+
Event information

Copies of If Nick Drake Came to My House and Nick Drake: The Life are available to purchase as an optional add-on for the discounted price of £14 each (RRP £16.99) when you buy a ticket to the talk. Books must be collected on the night of the event, as we’re unable to distribute copies afterwards.

Doors open at 7.15pm. From 7.15pm a screening takes place of films made to accompany the songs on the album The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs of Nick Drake, a collection of Drake’s songs performed and recorded by over 30 artists including Fontaines D.C and Feist, released in 2023. The conversation begins at 7.45pm.

For your visit

This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre

The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.

Concrete interior of Purcell Room entrance at Southbank Centre View larger image

Plan your visit

The Purcell Room is an auditorium located within our Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Getting here

Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.

The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues.  More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.

We’re cash-free

Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.

Access

We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.

All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.

All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.

Food & drink

From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.

Places to eat and drink whilst you’re here