Matt Deighton
Biographie Matt Deighton
Matt Deighton
" A singer-songwriter whose records, listened to afresh and from the remove of many years, come to the listener like treasure unearthed. He's a man who for too long has remained undercover, turned in on himself, gone missing. But he's back... One of this country’s best kept secrets... (who) with no small amount of brilliance wrote a little-known chapter of British musical history..." The Huffington Post
"His true spiritual ancestor is Nick Drake... Matt has an uncanny knack of writing songs that sound like they’ve been constructed just before dusk on a riverbank..." Observer Music Monthly ****
“It is impossible to imagine fans of Nick Drake and John Martyn not falling in love with him..." The Sunday Times
"... the real time for ‘Villager’ is now, when singer-songwriters are freely re-editing the stoned sound of the early’70’s in their own way... (Matt) would appeal to anyone who felt horizontal and golden while listening to Jonathan Wilson’s recent ‘Gentle Spirit’" Mojo
“You could prefix every song with descriptions such as dreamy, bucolic, beautiful, tender. His songs are without exception mellow, exquisite and sublime. That’s a given from this guy...." Pop Junkie
"Part Nick Drake, part Wild Wood era Weller, and all the while a purely English version of soulful folk... Matt Deighton is one of the most criminally overlooked artists in the UK" The Free Thinking Movement
Matt is preparing for a Vinyl release of the record he co-wrote with Chris Difford (Squeeze) – Kids Steal Feelings, released on Monk’s Road Records. Limited edition signed copied available by contacting Matt on facebook. This will be followed with a new solo record recorded at Monnow Valley in 14 days with Steve Nieve, Steve White, Linda Lewis, Ben Trigg and more in 2018.
2017 has finally seen the reemergence of British folk’s most enigmatic lost son. You may recognize Matt Deighton from his time fronting Acid Jazz heroes Mother Earth; you may remember him as Paul Weller’s guitarist in the late 90’s, or Noel Gallagher’s recommendation for who should replace him when he quit the European tour in 2000. Or maybe you don’t. For the past decade, the man they keep calling the natural successor to Nick Drake, Davey Graham and John Martyn has been himself more of a rumour – a murmur among musicians, songwriters and diehard music lovers who proudly display his rare vinyl releases like trophies. The list of articles in the press and online has continued unabated, forever asking the same question: Where is Matt Deighton? As the Huffington Post discovered in their recent piece ‘The Resurrection of Matt Deighton’: He’s back.
For those prospectors looking to pan the stream for a British Sugar Man, Matt’s discography shines like a diamond among the silt. ‘Villager’ was the subject of a recent Mojo ‘Buried Treasure’ feature and is oft hailed as a British folk classic; The Common Good is strewn with British music glitterati such as Paul Weller, Steve White, Mick Talbot and Marco Nelson; and the stunning You Are The Healer features Brian Auger among others. Matt is one of those rare artists that musicians simply want to be associated with. Tom Cox, who reviewed Wake Up The Moths for the Observer Music Monthly recently remarked in the sleeve notes for the vinyl reissue that his only regret when reviewing the album was that he felt his ‘measly four out of five star rating did it a disservice’. Add to that the four stars from Q and Mojo for his collaboration with Chris Sheehan ‘The Bench Connection’ in 2007 and you start to get the picture. That’s to say nothing of collaborations with Chris Difford, Dr John and Mighty Baby,
Having spent years trying to convince Bill Fay to come out of retirement – which resulted in the heavily critically acclaimed Life Is People released a couple of years back (Matt assembled the band and played lead) he accidentally convinced himself back in to the studio at the same time for The Family Silver with Steve White, and Ocean Colour Scene bassist Damon Minchella. The Pledge Campaign shot past 160%. Now he is finally releasing a lost classic written with Squeeze’s Chris Difford and recorded with Richard Causon, and applying the finishing touches to his long awaited new solo album. Yes, Matt Deighton is back, and as the Sunday Times declared - “...it’s impossible to imagine fans of Nick Drake of John Martyn not falling in love with him...” (Karousel Music)
