Martha Tilston | |
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.jpg) atPurbeck Valley Folk Festival in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1975 or 1976 (age 49–50)[1] |
| Origin | Brighton, East Sussex, England |
| Genres | Folk |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Squiggly, Other Tongues |
| Website | marthatilston.co.uk |
Martha Tilston is an English folk singer-songwriter based in Cornwall.
Martha Tilston is the daughter of singer-songwriterSteve Tilston and stepdaughter of Irish folk performerMaggie Boyle. Trained as an artist and dramatist, she began her musical career in 2000 in Britain's alternative festival scene, as part of the travelling troupe called the Small World Solar Stage.[2][3] She formed the duo Mouse with guitarist Nick Marshall, releasing two albums,Helicopter Trees (2000) andMouse Tales (2001) and touring as a supporting act withDamien Rice. Her first solo album,Rolling, was issued in 2002 on her own label, Squiggly, followed byBimbling in 2004.
Tilston's next album,Ropeswing (2005), featured backing musicians named The Woods, was a free download. It contains her two most politically explicit songs, "Artificial", which speaks of the deadliness of office life, and "Corporations", which is a critique of corporate rule and the "corporate–education complex". She appeared on several compilations, including her song "The Saddest Game" about child soldiers in Africa onThe Big Issue'sPeace Not War CD.[4] Her song "Good World" is among several that she has written and performed on environmental subjects.[5] However, much of her work is not political, focusing instead on personal freedom, love, inner peace and the natural world. Songs such as "Simple" onRopeswing, "By the Lake" onMouse Tales and "Firefly" onBimbling are examples of these.
Tilston's albumOf Milkmaids and Architects was released in late 2006. She was nominated for Best New Act in the 2007BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards contest.[6]
Throughout her career, Tilston has played unaccompanied solo gigs to larger concerts with the six-piece backing band The Woods. She toured Australia in 2008. Following a maternity break, she resumed playing live in April 2009, appearing on the fourthZero 7 studio album,Yeah Ghost.
Tilston released two albums of largely self-penned songs (Lucy and the Wolves in 2010 andMachines of Love And Grace in 2012). In 2014, she released the albumThe Sea, consisting of traditional English folk songs about the sea, largely reflecting her family's strong musical traditions and involving her family and friends in the performances.[citation needed]
In 2021, she wrote, directed and starred in a feature filmThe Tape.[7]
At 34, Tilston …
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