Marthas & Arthurs consists of two boys and two girls with harmonies that can only be described as liquid velvet (imagine how smooth and pretty that would be).
The mixed sex line-up and to a small extent the sound – has given way to Abba comparisons. Take the forthcoming single ‘Sally Started It All‘ and the comparison fits. That is, if Abba had ever recoded a pop song as a jam with Mamas & Papas while dancing around a campfire, tambourines and trumpets in hand.
B-side ‘Vine Leaves In Her Hair‘ is an altogether different beast. Breath taking in its beauty, simplistic in style and heart wrenching on listen. It’s easy to imagine it was this track which had The Guardian claim “(Martha & Arthurs are) the musical equivalent of a ramble through a forest in autumn: guitars crackle underfoot, accordions flutter, the four voices dance in the shadows cast by a sombre piano”.
Marthas & Arthurs gained early fans last year on releasing a debut single (packaged in wicker and bird feathers and doubling as a wall-hanging charm no less), followed by the ‘Apes in Aeroplanes‘ EP. Tracks were played across Radio 1, 6 Music and Absolute by DJs as musically diverse as Lauren Laverne, Rob Da Bank, Radcliffe & Maconie, Frank Skinner and Gideon Coe. While The Guardian Film & Music ran a First Sight new band piece and The Guardian blog a New Band of the Day.
Live Marthas & Arthurs make as big an impact. Having made a name for themselves with their Dinner Downloads (playing unplugged in people’s houses in exchange for dinner) they were featured in Brazilian national magazine Jornal Do Brasil and The Evening Standard. More conventionally they’ve supported Laura Marling and The Magic Numbers and appeared at various festivals including Green Man (twice), Standon Calling (twice) and Lounge on the Farm.
On Monday 22nd March, Marthas & Arthurs will play an early Album Launch Show at London’s Scolt’s Head pub, Dalston. The venue is home to the band’s monthly residency, ‘Marthas & Arthurs Present…‘ featuring fire by friction demonstrations, chamber music, operatic Spanish beat-boxers and even a travelling spoon carver called Barn the Spoon.
Marthas & Arthurs debut album ‘The Hit World of….Marthas & Arthurs‘ is released on Monday 16th April, preceded by the single ‘Sally Started It All‘ out on Monday 2nd April, both on the band’s label I Go Die For You.
Video
Sally Started It All (album version)