Arriving at The Con Club on this chilly night, I was a little apprehensive of what to expect. I’d had a quick look at YouTube a few days prior, and hands up, the music Martha Tilston produces isn’t really my cup of tea. I had no idea who the support was going to be, so was unable to search them beforehand. So along I went with an open-mind, music is music after all.
Being more used to “rowdier” punk gigs and energetic nature groups with mini mosh-pits, it was quite a surprise to see the audience sitting on what would normally be the dance floor. And, once the music started, to be honest I was half expecting fire-pits, knitted deerstalker hats, toasting marshmallows and maybe a smoke or two being passed around.
Support:
The singer of this group came from Brighton and went to Uni there. He knows the area really well. He spoke of attending Lewes bonfires and being able to walk right up to the fires – health and safety prevent this nowadays. The backing singer came all the way from the USA.
Mentioned CD’s on sale in the foyer, and it might help out if they were stolen as they have a loft full of them. CD’s are supposed to be coming back into fashion – but with the quantity they still have there are no signs of this happening.
Martha Tilston
I spoke to one of the audience Gill who lives locally in Lewes and visits The Con Club for their music gigs regularly. In her words “I had never heard of Martha Tilston so watched her on YouTube. I thought she had an ethereal haunting voice and had to come and see her”.
Newly released on 2nd March 2023, the 11th album ‘Luminous’ – currently only available on Bandcamp – is described by Martha on her Facebook page as, “It’s going to be a word-of-mouth album. Songs of love and togetherness”.
Folk singer-songwriter Martha has clearly been doing something right, as she has had some high profile reviews. Some of these are listed on her website, these include the following four:
“She has the power to draw an audience into her world, leaving all those present with a smile, and a few issues to ponder, too”. Time Out
“Martha Tilston has carved her niche with sharp, original songs that dissect the modern world. It is an engrossing set.. She captures both the harshness and enchantment of life, with the salt of sea air almost palpable”. The Guardian
“Sit down with a cup of chai tea and let her silky voice wash over you”. The Independent
“Redolent of early Kate Bush, soulful vocals that soar around, an understated masterpiece” Acoustic Magazine
When Martha came onto The Con Club stage, there was absolute silence – no cheering, the only sounds I could hear were from the few people talking in the bar area. For some reason (probably because I had watched YouTube) I was expecting Martha to be sat at a piano, but no – she played guitar, and was accompanied by Matt Tweed on bass and Matthew Kelly on violin.
During the set this evening, she played 6 of the tracks from her latest 2023 ‘Luminous’ album. It may be a hot off the press, but the audience were swaying, eyes closed, singing along (though not loudly), and really “in the moment” with her. These must be die-hard fans who have already bought the albums, studied the words to every track and know them inside out. At the end of each track there was rousing applause, then silence again in anticipation of the next track.
At one point, Martha asked the audience to stand up and move around a little to make space for people in the bar area who couldn’t quite get into the dance floor area in front of the stage. There was no moaning, just polite shuffling, rearranging and a thank you.
Gill had it right; with Martha’s voice, if you closed your eyes you could imagine being transported away to meadows of grass with dew glistening as the sun came up, or roaming through forests with deer walking alongside and sunlight dappling through the treetops.
Martha, you asked the photographer (Nick Tutt/Captivitas Photography) to hold off taking photos for a while, and move further back as you felt nervous. Well, you really shouldn’t be. You have a huge following of people that obviously love and appreciate you. And, I’m sure they would forgive if you ever missed a note or forgot a lyric.
Martha Tilston setlist:
‘We Are Here Now’ (from 2023 ‘Luminous’ album)
‘Luminous Soul’ (from 2023 ‘Luminous’ album)
‘No Separation’ (from 2023 ‘Luminous’ album)
‘Stags Bellow’ (from 2012 ‘Machines Of Love And Grace’ album)
‘Mountain Song’ (from 2023 ‘Luminous’ album)
‘Candy Boy’ (from 2020 ‘Mouse Tales’ album by Mouse (Nick Marshall & Martha Tilston)
‘Nomad Blood’ (from 2017 ‘Nomad’ album)
‘Cloudbusting’ (Kate Bush cover)
‘Night Jar’ (from 2023 ‘Luminous’ album)
‘Climbing Gates’ (from 2017 ‘Nomad’ album)
‘Seagull’ (from 2004 ‘Bimbling’ album)
‘Artificial’ (from 2006 ‘Of Milkmaids And Architects’ album)
‘Old Tom Cat’ (from 2010 ‘Lucy & The Wolves’ album)
‘True Nature’ (from 2023 ‘Luminous’ album)
