15 years ago, legendary folk singer John Martyn died. Thousands mourned a musician The Times described as “an electrifying guitarist and singer”.
But on Thursday night, at the Round Chapel in Hackney, his music lived on.
The John Martyn Project, a tribute act, played Martyn’s blend of jazz, rock, and folk to a standing-room-only crowd at the historic Lower Clapton venue. They also used the occasion to announce their debut album – a selection of nine John Martyn interpretations.
Attendees described the gig as “so emotional”, with their only gripe that the group didn’t get through Martyn’s full catalogue.
The Project formed six years ago in Camden for a sold-out, one-off show. Its success convinced the group to take their show on the road, and they now have enough recorded material for three albums.
They told the crowd – predominately middle-aged – that they never expected their tribute to resonate so widely.
The group’s members are also solo artists: guitarist Kit Hawes, for example, has worked with such famous folk artists as Seth Lakeman, Cara Dillon and Yola.
Rose Henderson is a freelance journalist, studying for a master's in newspaper journalism at City, University of London. She is a digital content producer at LBC, and her work has featured in The Telegraph and The Oxford Student, Oxford's biggest student newspaper.