MARTHA TILSTON & THE SCIENTISTS

Event information

The daughter of folk legend Steve Tilston, Martha Tilston found herself drawn to folk's protest spirit and its themes of social justice from an early age. She crafted her own anti-war anthem, 'Saddest Game', in 2004, for Big Issue's Peace Not War compilation, an early foreshadowing of the eloquent, politicized questioning that suffuses her latest LP, Machines Of Love and Grace, a collection of subtly charged acoustic folk songs tinged with electric guitar and touches of electronica.

Tilston began her musical tenure in folk duo Mouse, with Nick Marshall, releasing debut album Helicopter Trees in 2000 and a follow up, Mouse Tales, in 2001. She released her lo-fi debut, Rolling, in 2003, while touring Ireland as support for folk troubadour, Damian Rice. Inspired by Damian Rice's self-produced, home-recorded hit debut, O, she funded the pressing of her next record, 2005's Bimbling, through the sale of the album's canvas-painted artwork.

2006 saw her team up with band The Woods, an outfit that included Lamb bass player Jon Thorne (who guests on Machines) to release Ropeswing, and by 2007, Tilston was opening the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury with songs from her album Milkmaids and Architects, garnering a nomination for Best New Act at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. By 2009, Tilston's vocals had been courted beyond the folk world, by producers such as J-Spool and Tru Thoughts Records Mawglee and Mangatout, and pop group Zero 7, who invited her to guest on their 2009 album, Yeah Ghost.

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