One Afternoon Only...with Martin Newell

A fundraiser for We are the Minories Charity and Open Road Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service.

A rock singer since his teens, Martin Newell spent much of his early twenties learning his trade in pubs, clubs and dancehalls. In his mid-twenties he began making records, soon gaining a reputation as a writer of original songs with clever lyrics.

A founder member of the now well-known Lo-fi band, Cleaners from Venus during the 1980s, Newell also co-wrote songs with the pop star, Captain Sensible.

In the early 1990s, Newell unexpectedly became famous as a pop poet, often featuring on BBC radio shows and literature festivals. Much-published in national newspapers, he became resident pop poet for The Independent newspaper and its sister publication The Independent on Sunday for a total of 15 years. In 1993, he made his first solo album The Greatest Living Englishman, which was produced by XTC’s Andy Partridge. It was later hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as a rock classic.