Biography
British multi-instrumentalist Marcus Hamblett maintains a busy schedule as both a sought-after supporting musician and an independent artist whose wide-ranging palette draws from post-rock, avant-garde jazz, experimental indie rock, and contemporary classical forms. A founding participant in Brighton’s Will Kommen Collective, he first gained notice in the early 2010s through collaborations with Laura Marling, the Staves, Broken Social Scene, and additional acts. Leading his own projects, he has earned recognition for the 2015 release Concrete and the 2019 follow-up Detritus.
Originally from Manchester, Hamblett began on guitar in childhood and later added bass, drums, piano, brass, and computer-driven production to his abilities. Following secondary school he relocated to Sussex for studies in English Literature, where his musical approach evolved through exposure to 1990s Chicago post-rock ensembles such as Tortoise and Isotope 217, 1970s European film scores, and assorted avant-garde jazz and rock figures. Near the end of the decade he helped establish the expansive Will Kommen Collective, convening a shifting roster of Brighton musicians that included players from Sons of Noel and Adrian, the Leisure Society, the Miserable Rich, and further groups. He soon became a preferred session contributor, performing live and in the studio with folk and indie artists that encompass Laura Marling, Lucy Rose, Villagers, Fear of Men, Peggy Sue, the Staves, Bear’s Den, Broken Social Scene, and others. Concrete appeared as his first solo album in 2015; that same year he joined modular synthesist James Holden and jazz drummer Mark Holub for a live BBC Radio 3 session. He subsequently supported the indie trio LNZNDRF on tour. Detritus, his second solo album, arrived in 2019 and included appearances by saxophonist Colin Stetson, Timber Timbre’s Mathieu Charbonneau, This Is the Kit’s Kate Stables, and additional musicians.
Originally from Manchester, Hamblett began on guitar in childhood and later added bass, drums, piano, brass, and computer-driven production to his abilities. Following secondary school he relocated to Sussex for studies in English Literature, where his musical approach evolved through exposure to 1990s Chicago post-rock ensembles such as Tortoise and Isotope 217, 1970s European film scores, and assorted avant-garde jazz and rock figures. Near the end of the decade he helped establish the expansive Will Kommen Collective, convening a shifting roster of Brighton musicians that included players from Sons of Noel and Adrian, the Leisure Society, the Miserable Rich, and further groups. He soon became a preferred session contributor, performing live and in the studio with folk and indie artists that encompass Laura Marling, Lucy Rose, Villagers, Fear of Men, Peggy Sue, the Staves, Bear’s Den, Broken Social Scene, and others. Concrete appeared as his first solo album in 2015; that same year he joined modular synthesist James Holden and jazz drummer Mark Holub for a live BBC Radio 3 session. He subsequently supported the indie trio LNZNDRF on tour. Detritus, his second solo album, arrived in 2019 and included appearances by saxophonist Colin Stetson, Timber Timbre’s Mathieu Charbonneau, This Is the Kit’s Kate Stables, and additional musicians.
Albums
Singles
