Martin Stephenson (The Daintees)

Event information

Martin Stephenson began his career as a busker aged 15. 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.

Martin “… builds bridges between love and hate, between cradle and grave, between folk and pop, between past and present.” (NME).

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 Martin has carried through his career of almost 40 years.

Martin formed his band The Daintees, who became busking sensations 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. The Daintees went on to release four critically acclaimed albums between 1986 & 1992; Boat To Bolivia, Gladsome Humour and Blue, Salutation Road, and The Boys Heart.

“… they [The Daintees] exude so much warmth and charm that you walk away wishing good to all mankind and wanting to hug everyone you encounter.” (Rockshot Magazine).

Martin has since supported himself through a combination of extensive live work and a multitude of self financed solo albums.

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