WILTSHIRE-based singer-songwriter Nick Harper feels he is finally coming out of the shadow of his famous father, folk singer Roy Harper.

"More and more people are coming to see me for who I am," says Nick. "People seem to like what I do and I'm much more my own man, more comfortable and relaxed with myself."

With his family background, it was inevitable that Nick would forge a career in music, starting in 1983 when he appeared on the Whatever Happened To Jugula album - a collaboration between Roy Harper and Jimmy Page.

Nick toured with his father and recorded regularly with him thereafter and it was no surprise when he began touring and recording in his own right, beginning with a solo EP in 1994, Light At The End of The Kennel.

Nick's career got a lift when he played support for Squeeze frontman and songwriter Glenn Tilbrook in the mid-1990s. Tilbrook was so impressed that he offered Nick a job playing with Squeeze and promptly signed Nick to his own label, Quixotic Records.

Following tours in the UK, USA and Japan, Nick recorded his second album, Smithereens, produced by Glenn. The album and a subsequent 40-date solo tour confirmed Nick as a formidable talent in his own right. His third album Harperspace cemented his reputation.

Nick has developed a reputation for creating a great rapport with audiences which is captured on his latest live album, Double Life.

You can see Nick at The Railway Sidings, Portsmouth om November 12 (box office: 023 9286 3911) and Talking Heads, Southampton on November 13 (023 8055 5899).