BIOGRAPHY - KIRSTY McGEE

click here for mat martin’s biography

‘the kind of voice that stops you dead in your tracks’ - BBC

a maker of delicate yet stubborn songs; an instinctive traveler; a human scrapbook - kirsty mcgee has become something of a cult figure on the uk songwriting scene. her songs are the soundtrack to a colorful patchwork of experience, and attest to a unique life full of paradoxical quirks and actions from the heart, sung by a voice just that little bit too pure to have seen what she has seen. it is just one of the many ironies that surround her eccentric past and qualify her to write and perform music of such rich integrity and sincerity.

mcgee’s emergence as a unique and strong voice in acoustic music coincided with her now-famous early appearance alongside suzanne vega at brampton live festival in 2001. this has been followed with four studio albums, two BBC award nominations (best newcomer, best original song) and a consistently busy international touring schedule. her work has attracted collaborations with some of the most important names in the scene, such as producers john wood (honeysuckle, 2002), boo hewerdine (frost, 2004), and neill maccoll (two birds, 2006). her fourth album, ‘the kansas sessions’ was recorded in the usa with maverick songwriter and producer mike west of truckstop honeymoon.

her affinity with a life of perpetual movement and a hand-to-mouth existence has made its mark on her songs in a manner reminiscent of jack kerouac and the 'beat' generation, and has made her music difficult to classify. she has been variously described as producing 'folk noir' and ‘hobopop’ - she and mat martin were described in maverick magazine in 2007 as 'simon and garfunkel: the tim burton version.'

mcgee’s band, the hobopop collective, is the latest development in her performance career. raw and edgy, it adds to mcgee and martin’s distinctive and accomplished duo the skills of two of the country's most exciting emerging jazz musicians. the quirky and inspired double bass of nick blacka (aim, mrs columbo) and imaginative drumming of rob turner (neil yates' new origins, magic hat ensemble) add dimensions of jazz and rockabilly to mcgee's already exceptional rootsy songwriting and martin's sensitive banjo and guitar playing. hobopop collective guests are encouraged at many shows, and have included christopher cundy (guillemots), karine polwart, james steel (the brute chorus), inge thomson and kreg viesselman.

in recent years mcgee has set up on her own in the music industry. tired of the commerical complexities of tried and tested routes, she and mat martin have set up hobopop productions, encompassing hobopop recordings and the hobopop booking agency, with the idea of putting quality music ahead of all other considerations, and reintroducing fair trade to an industry that is currently undergoing enormous change.

a stunning musical masterpiece that is up there with the best of eilen jewel, devon sproule and amy lavere - maverick ****

a fine album, and possibly her best so far - rock n' reel ****

a national treasure - manchester revue

less a gentle pastoral stroll than a knees-up in a 1920s speakeasy - metro