This weekend will see a West End lawyer abandon London for the delights of Manchester. Nigel Davies of Davenport Lyons will head to the north-west to attend the third concert hosted by Versus Cancer at the MEN Arena. So far, so unremarkable, not least given that for the lawyer in question the trip has nostalgia value: Manchester is where he studied law, and he has fond memories of the city. But Davies will enjoy the concert with a perhaps a little extra satisfaction, for its very existence is, in part, down to him.

Davies is one of those lawyers who have managed to marry up passion and practice. Although relatively new to Davenport Lyons, at 45 he has amassed a wealth of experience in he chosen area of work — music law. That suits Davies just fine, because — not to put too fine a point on it — he is simply mad about music.

“Music is an integral part of my life and always has been,” he says. “I love music of all kinds and couldn’t do without it.” Davies’ intense passion for music has not resulted in a double life as a musician (though he confesses that he plays the acoustic guitar) but has led him to being one of the trustees for Versus Cancer. As such, he plays a key role in events such as this weekend’s concert.

“As one of the trustees I look after many of the legal issues behind tomorrow’s concert,” Davies says. “It’s a tremendously exciting thing to be involved in.” He works alongside fellow trustees Andy Rourke — formerly the bassist for The Smiths — and Nova Rehman, his manager. The Versus Cancer concert is easily Manchester’s biggest find-raising event, with Noel Gallagher a headline act last year, but the organisers’ ambitions do not stop there. “We’re hoping to set up a series of concerts elsewhere in Britain and around the world,” he says. London, Sweden, America and Japan have been identified as possible venues.

Versus Cancer was set up after Rehman’s sister Nina was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2004. The inaugural event was in her name and, after her death, Rehman summed up the aims of Versus Cancer: “Anyone in the world could be affected by cancer and our goal is to gain international support in our fight against it. Although Manchester will always be the home of Versus Cancer, we need to take the message further.” For Davies, the blend of being involved in music and helping a charity is perfect: “I support completely the Versus mission — to make life easier for people who suffer from cancer. I help with legal advice but also in any other way that I can.”

Davies’ range of music law knowledge is, no doubt, a vital help to the charity. He began life in the law with a City firm but was seconded to Tring, a low price record label. The secondment turned into an eight-year full-time job, initially as legal counsel but soon enough as the executive producer on various albums. Artists he worked with in this capacity include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ruthie Henshall, John Harle and Mick Fleetwood. Working with Harle was one of Davies’ highlights: “John is a fantastic saxophonist and composer. I worked with and another band, the London Saxophonic, when they played a number of Michael Nyman pieces at the South Bank. It was great, having a breakfast meeting at his home to hammer out the contract and then seeing eight or nine sax players play at the South Bank.”

Davies has worn his executive producer’s hat at the Abbey Road Studies, CTS Studios in Wembley and the Snake Ranch Studios in Chelsea. He is enthusiastic when recalling what is was like to be at the heart of the music industry. “I loved being involved in the decision-making process in the creation of music. It’s an opportunity that very few lawyers get.” He says he can’t wait for tomorrow’s concert in Manchester, one which will feature the Fratellis, the Happy Mondays, the Fun Lovin’ Criminals, the Enemy and Athlete, to name but a few. As for whether such an intense involvement in music is a form of stress relief from the law, he says, quick as a flash, “You don’t need stress relief from the law!” In Davies’ case, that might just be true.

See www.versuscancer.org for more information

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