Martha

Martha are a rock band from Pity Me, a village in County Durham in the North East of England. After singles on their own Discount Horse label and Odd Box Records, their debut album Courting Strong, was released on Fortuna Pop! and Salinas Records in 2014. As of 2022 they have released four full-length albums on cult UK and US based independent record labels.

They have described themselves as queer, vegan and anarchist - this originally included straight edge, as the band were all sober upon forming, and felt it was a funny thing to include in their description as their sound does not match the usual hardcore of bands that identify that way. The band have said in interviews that they are now no longer all sober. They have no designated frontperson and all contribute vocals. Two members of Martha previously founded (and still play in) the band ONSIND, and another led the band No Ditching. Multiple members of Martha have also played in the group Fortitude Valley.

They have variously cited The Housemartins, Motown, Billy Bragg, The Thermals, Ted Leo, power pop, The Replacements, Heart, The Marked Men, Big Star, Masshysteri, and The Exploding Hearts as influences.