Martha

Martha are a rock band from Pity Me in County Durham, in the North East of England. The group forms in the early 2010s and releases music with a line-up of J.C. Cairns on guitar and vocals, Daniel Ellis on guitar and vocals, Naomi Griffin on bass and vocals, and Nathan Stephens-Griffin on drums and vocals. They have no designated frontperson, and all members sing.

The band describes itself as queer, straight edge, vegan and anarchist. Their music draws on power pop, indie rock, indie pop and pop punk, and they cite influences including The Housemartins, Motown, Billy Bragg, The Thermals, Ted Leo, The Replacements, Heart, The Marked Men, Big Star, Masshysteri and The Exploding Hearts.

Releases

Martha release their self-titled debut EP in February 2012. A year later they issue the single “Sycamore”/“Lost Without You” on their own Discount Horse label. Their debut album, Courting Strong, follows in 2014 on Fortuna Pop! in the UK and Salinas Records in the US, after a split single with Spoonboy and work in the studio with MJ of Hookworms.

They follow this with split singles with Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez and Radiator Hospital. Their second album, Blisters in the Pit of My Heart, is produced by MJ and released in 2016 by Dirtnap Records in the US and Fortuna Pop! in the UK. The band’s third album, Love Keeps Kicking, appears in 2019 after the single “Heart Is Healing” and a signing to Big Scary Monsters in the UK and EU. By 2025 they have released four full-length albums and a compilation album on independent labels in the UK and US.

Live appearances and collaborations

Martha play Indietracks festival for the first time in 2013 and return there later. They also appear at Glastonbury Festival. In 2015 they tour the UK with Radiator Hospital, then tour the UK and Ireland with Joyce Manor in 2017. In 2018 they support Jeff Rosenstock on the Northeastern and Midwestern leg of his US tour alongside Bad Moves, and they appear as a guest band on an episode of The Chris Gethard Show after filling in for Yo La Tengo at short notice.

Related acts

Two members of Martha previously found ONSIND and continue to play in that band, while another member fronts No Ditching.