Martin John Henry is a songwriter from Bellshill in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Henry is noted for his success as the frontman of the rock band De Rosa,[1] who released several albums, singles and other recordings on Glasgow’s influential independent label Chemikal Underground. De Rosa's music has been critically lauded and championed by John Peel and Steve Lamacq. Sound-Scotland recently praised Henry as "...one of Scotland's finest songwriters"[2] Henry has written, recorded and played with many of Scotland’s finest musicians, including Barry Burns (Mogwai), Robert Johnston (Life Without Buildings), King Creosote and Malcolm Middleton. As a solo artist, Henry contributed a track to MOJO Magazine’s ‘Abbey Road Now!’ CD in October 2009 and has played numerous shows including SOUNDS Festival, Tigerfest and Glasgow’s Merchant City Festival.
Martin John Henry | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bellshill, Scotland |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, organ, keyboard, accordion |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Gargleblast Records Rock Action Records |
| Website | martinjohnhenry |
Career
editAfter the 2009 release of De Rosa (band)'s second album Prevention (album), Henry's solo album The Other Half of Everything was released in the UK on 10 October 2011 on Gargleblast Records. The Glasgow Herald praised it for the "pop pulse" mixed in with the more left field elements, and compared him to Arab Strap, King Creosote, and Twilight Sad.[3] The List gave it 4/5, calling it "impressive" and "thoughtful".[4] The Skinny called it "marvellous stuff", praising both the songwriting and the touches of electronica.[5] Journalist and critic Andrew Collins named it number 27 in his best albums of 2011.[6]
After his album, Henry released Live On Land EP. A collection of live recordings from Henry's European acoustic tour, it was recorded over a number of performances in September 2012. As the quality varies, it was only ever released as a "Pay what you like" downloaded on Henry's bandcamp page.[7]
In 2015, Henry released On The Forest Floor as a collaboration with Gillian Fleetwood (State Broadcasters), under the guise of Henry & Fleetwood. The EP consists of four tracks. The EP received positive reviews, with Get Around Glasgow noting they are "...two fantastic vocalists, who also happen to be rather handy at making simple yet moving music"[8]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- "The Other Half of Everything" (2011)
Singles and EPs
edit- "Live On Land EP" (2012)
Other Releases
edit- "On The Forest Floor" Henry & Fleetwood (2015)
References
edit- ^ Watt, Thom (5 October 2011). "The Scotch Snap: Martin John Henry finds some Breathing Space". STV website. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Sound Scotland (11 September 2009). "Martin John Henry". sound-scotland.co.uk.
- ^ Guthrie, Sean (9 October 2011). "Martin John Henry: The Other Half Of Everything (Gargleblast Records)". Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Drever, Ryan (28 October 2011). "Martin John Henry - The Other Half of Everything". The List.
- ^ Carle, Darren (22 September 2011). "Martin John Henry – The Other Half of Everything". The Skinny. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ Collins, Andrew (22 December 2011). "2011: on a mission". Where Did It All Go Right?. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "Live On Land E.P., by Martin John Henry". Martin John Henry.
- ^ "getaroundglasgow.co.uk » Henry & Fleetwood Will Get You On The Floor". getaroundglasgow.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2016.