The Sheffield Scenester

Not one....but two of our writers give their opinions on Martin Blacks Ep - Weekend Rockstar

First review......

Hailing from sunnier climbs to the East of Sheffield, the self proclaimed ‘Don of Doncaster’, Martin Black has recently released his solo EP. Martin has built up a decent sized following over in Doncaster, and is now looking to expand his music beyond his hometown.

The opening track on the EP is a song called ‘Bad Guy’. As with all four songs, there is simply one acoustic guitar with Martin providing his vocal line over the top. As soon as the opening chords are struck, the riff reminds me instantly of the Republica song ‘Ready To Go’. You can tell straight away that Martin is a very good guitarist, quickly changing chords and presenting the ability to keep time without a drumbeat. Disappointingly the vocal part isn’t as strong as the guitar playing, at times during the opening couple of verses Martin does sound a little shaky, and unfortunately also slightly out of tune. However, as the song builds he does settle into the tune and manages to grab back the listener’s interest.

Second song ‘Planned It Out’ is more up tempo than ‘Bad Guy’, which I personally feel helps to bring out the best in his vocal. This song is slightly reminiscent in style of an acoustic version of ‘That’s Entertainment’ by The Jam, and I really enjoyed listening to it. Martin has plenty of stories to tell in his songs, and despite my comment about the shaky start during the first track, one benefit of only using the one acoustic is that you can clearly hear every word that is sung. ‘Well it’s about time/that you made up your mind/I watched in anticipation/whilst you went back on your word/you promised the world was mine/you’d be there all the time’. Clever lyricism, coupled with seemingly more confidence in the delivery makes ‘Planned It Out’ my favourite on the EP.

‘Nothing Easy’ again starts with a fast paced intro before the vocal kicks in. Martin again shows a mature versatility about his subject matter, this is undoubtedly a love song, although he sings that ‘There is nothing easy/about falling in love with you’, a song which seems as though the writer is scared of a rejection, and as such you will him along on in his quest to get what he wants. As with all the songs on the EP so far, the song clocks in at about two and a half minutes, I feel that there could possibly have been a little more of the story to tell with this one, as it did seem to end slightly abruptly, but a good track nonetheless.

The EP’s closing song is called ‘Town’, again, opened with an interesting chord sequence before Martin sings an edgy vocal about a town which lost interest in him and itself. ‘Here I am in a town/a town that deserted me/lost faith in what I had to give/kept me at bay like you do with a kid’. The content of the tracks do sit up and grab attention, although the lack of variety of sounds from different instruments could possibly get a little repetitive in a live setting.

Overall, I think Martin Black should be pleased with the work he has put down on this EP. I’m not sure if the work was self recorded or produced, but obviously as far as the music goes Martin only has himself to rely on, and his songs stand up well, clever progressions on the guitar with a determined vocal which does encapsulate the listener, and has the rare ability to get them onside. On his personal website

a self biography mentions that he is a heart warming man, not afraid of leaving any stone unturned, as such I hope he goes on to have success with his solo work in the future.

You can catch Martin Black play live in his hometown of Doncaster on 13th August at the Vintage Rockbar.

Words by James Whitworth

Second review......

Martin Black is a folk/punk solo artist from Doncaster. He is a man on a mission, intending to marry two completely different genres together to make a unique sound. He has got the punk on one hand and folk on the other, and his eagerness to become a working class hero and start off something new has earnt him many fans on the unsigned bands’ circuit in and around South Yorkshire. His influences include Richard Hawley, Billy Bragg and Joe Strummer, to name but a few, but Martin’s enthusiasm of trying something different sets him apart from all the rest and gives him a unique name, as he is becoming very successful in what he set out to do. His new EP, “Weekend Rockstar” gives an insight into the interesting world of the folkie punk rocker that is Martin Black…

The first track, “Bad Guy” starts off with the beautiful sounds of an acoustic guitar followed by Martin’s punky lyrics. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting the concepts of punk and folk to go together, but this track shows that they can be fused together quite well. He uses mature lyrics of a failed relationship and the nostalgia of wanting things to go back to the way they once were, with a carefully thought out acoustic guitar melody.

The next track, “The Way You Planned It Out” has a more upbeat feel to it. This is definitely a song that you would find yourself nodding your head and tapping your feet to at one of Martin’s gigs. This is followed by another upbeat track called “Nothing Easy.” This reminds me a little bit of Razorlight because Martin has that sort of Johnny Borrell style voice and I could just imagine him doing an acoustic cover of a Razorlight song and it sounding brilliant. Good stuff!

The final track, “Town” starts off with a slow sounding guitar melody, which gets you intrigued as to what’s to come. Martin sings of the nostalgia of wanting to go back to a place where he had good memories, however, when he does, there is the realisation that everything has changed. With clever lyrics and a lovely blues style, I think this guy is onto a winner.

Words by Shirley Bell