Description

Inspired by early Cure and the Brighton scene, Martin began his career as a busker aged15 . He then spent three years plying his trade as the guitar player in various bands in the North East of England . But Martin wanted more, he wanted to tell stories of his own and he was quickly developing ways of doing just that.

He developed his song-writing technique by Firstly learning a few licks from a Spanish guitar book and repeated the process with Jazz, Blues, Country, Skiffle, Reggae etc. Eventually, this glorious collision of styles would become the trademark which Martinhas carried through his career of almost 40 years.

Martin formed his band The Daintees, who became a busking sensation and were signed by Kitchenware at around the same time as Prefab Sprout and Hurrah! The band and indeed Martin have always been known for their incredible range of styles, each album covering a multitude of genres, tempos and moods.

In the early days of The Daintees, the band toured with the likes of Aztec Camera and The Bluebells. In 1985 , they became Roy Buchannan?s backing band on a month long tour of Europe and the following year joined John Martyn on his Piece by Piece? tour. As a solo artist , Martin also toured around this time with such artists as Hothouse Flowers and Janice Ian.

The Daintees released four albums between 1986 and 1992: Boat to Bolivia was produced by Gil Norton (Pixies/Gomez/James). In a review of ?Bolivia? at the time, the NME said "it builds bridges between love and hate, between cradle and grave, between folk and pop, between past and present". Incudes Rain, Crocodile Cryer and Running Water.

Gladsome Humour and Blue was produced by Paul Samwell Smith (Cat Stevens, Al lAbout Eve, Carly Simon).Includes the hit Wholly Humble Heart, Nancy and There Comes a Time.

Salutation Road was produced by Pete Andersosn (Dwight Yoakam, Michelle Shocked).Includes Morning Time, and Left Us To Burn.

The Boys Heart was produced by Lenny Kaye (Suzanne Vega, James).Includes Big Sky New Light and We Can Roll.

Disenchanted at the way the industry was moving and following the band?s break ups shortly after The Boys Heart, Martin distanced himself from the main stream music industry and relocated to the Scottish highlands in order to recharge and re-evaluate. Then followed a number of years in which Martin supported himself through a combination of extensive live work and a multitude of self Financed solo albums

2000 saw the reformation of the Daintees, to this day Martin splits his time between solo and small collaborative projects with band albums and annual celebratory Daintees UK tours.

A few years ago, Martin fought and won a battle to take back control of his catalogue and now owns all the copyright to his vast back catalogue, including the songs on the first four major Daintees albums.

In 2014, Nutella licenced Martin?s song Morning Time from Salutation Road as part of a successful TV campaign in Australia . The money this sync generated for both Martin and EMI, prompted the latter to refuse to relinquish recording rights back to Martin. Given that EMI had done nothing to promote Martin and his music for many years, Martin decided to re-record the First four major Daintees albums , in order to take back some control in this regard too....... And what stunning results ensued . It?s taken a while but all four have now been rerecorded to an extremely high standard, using mainly original Daintees members and it has to be said, in all cases actually improving on the original versions.

Daintees albums and solo recordings alike are met with eager anticipation by Martin?s loyal fanbase, who often pre-order projects ahead even of their recording to ensure they see the light of day. In 2019, Billy Connolly paid a visit to Martin?s home which was Filmed as part of Billy?s Made in Scotland BBC TV programme, in which, Connolly warmly described Martin as his kind of musician and songwriter and the song Rain from Boat to Bolivia was heavily featured .

This is a standing event at The Hare & Hounds (High Street, Kings Heath)

Description

Situated in the South Birmingham suburb of Kings Heath, the Hare & Hounds has been around since 1820, but has stood in its present form since 1907. This is a major contributing factor to its current Grade II listed status, along with the beautiful and unique Art Nouveau tiles that line the entry hall and staircase.

Although playing host to local Birmingham legends UB40’s first ever gig in 1979, it is only since 2007 that it’s really established itself as one of the most important and influential music venues in the country, playing a vital part in nurturing the city’s vibrant music and creative community.

The pub boasts two downstairs bars which host a weekly pub quiz on Wednesdays, the hugely popular Blues Club on Saturday afternoons, comedy workshops and more. The two famous upstairs venues feature live music & club nights spanning jazz, indie, funk, reggae, hip hop, soul, house, techno, drum & bass and beyond.

Our pub is accessible by wheelchair, however access to our venues includes a flight of stairs. Because we’re a Grade II listed building, we’re very sorry that we’re not able to make amendments to the building’s structure such as a lift. Our bar staff are more than happy to assist you up the stairs where possible. If you have any type of disability, whether it be physical, hearing, visual or learning, we will do our best to assist you in having a comfortable experience at any of our events. Please get in touch in with ellie@leftfootvenues.co.uk in advance so we can make any arrangements.

We have a cloakroom available at all hours for £2 per item. We accept bigger items like suitcases but recommend you keep valuables with you at all times.

The majority of our mid-week shows are 14+/under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, although this isn’t always the case. Please check ticket links or email ellie@leftfootvenues.co.uk if uncertain. Our Friday and Saturday nights are strictly 18+.

106 High Street,

Kings Heath,

Birmingham,

West Midlands,

England,

B14 7JZ.

0121 444 2081