Eliza Carthy pays tribute to her dad Martin Carthy on her new single ‘Mr Sits in the Dark‘, made with her writing partner and co-producer Ben Seal. The single is out today (July 27th) on Hem-Hem Records and a bold new album is to follow in the Autumn (more below). The single is accompanied by a great video, created by Marry Waterson (Martin’s niece). It’s a wonderful tribute, both humorous and touching.
Eliza shared:
“Mr Sits in the Dark is a tribute to our dad Martin Carthy. Years of sitting behind or beside my Dad in the car or on trains, going to gigs, watching him nod off, watching him go over his words again and again, watching him hugging his guitar watching the TV with the curtains drawn on a bright Summer day…knowing Mam can see him, knowing he is never more alive than on a stage.”
She adds, “Some of these words are his!”
The new album, Frenemies, marks Eliza being fifty years young and is being released on October 26, 2026. It features a number of special guests including Jools Holland, Robyn Hitchcock, Jos Vantyler, Miranda Richardson, Tim McInnerny, Queen of Harps and more. Eliza is once again joined by Ben Seal and her Restitution Band and she will be having a special album launch party on October 22nd, 2026, at Dingwalls – Tickets.
A Deluxe version of the album can also be pre-ordered via Eliza’s Bandcamp page here: https://elizacarthy.bandcamp.com/album/frenemies-2
More details to follow.