2 x 45 minute sets: |
Pubs (solo): from £245 |
Weddings and private events (solo): from £350 |
Duo (add cajon): from £532 |
Martin Brake is a solo acoustic singer and guitarist based in Nottingham. Although a proficient songwriter, Martin takes delight in entertaining people with cover songs as part of making an event even more special through the performance of live music.
Stemming from his diverse music taste, Martin prides himself on being highly adaptable. His soaring vocal and creative guitar arrangements cover a wide range of styles – he regularly performs sets of well known rock, pop, indie, blues, jazz, soul and folk songs, all depending on the type of event. Capable of laidback crooning, cheeky jazz flourishes, upbeat party vibes or full throttle rock n roll – Martin delivers the goods, and all performed with sincerity and passion.
Martin is at all times a professional, and this comes from years of tireless experience gigging in both entertainment contexts and in performing original music.
He has played in countless pubs, bars, restaurants and at weddings and corporate events, meaning Martin is always at ease with a crowd. This means if needed he can either become a vibrant personality on stage or alternatively tone things down as to become part of the background. During 2016, he undertook a 60-date tour of the UK’s Parkdean Resorts as part of the lauded caberet duo Twist and Shout, embracing the demand for utmost professionalism and high quality musical entertainment.
Previous endeavours have taken him onto the Pepsi Max stage at the prestigious Download Festival, as well as YNot Festival and MacmillanFest. Notable artists he has performed alongside include Reef, Chuck Mosley, TesseracT, Jim Bob, Breed 77, Spear of Destiny and OPM. He has also made appearances in Classic Rock, Rocksound, Kerrang and Metalhammer magazines.
As well as his musical performance skill, Martin is also an adept sound technician. Possessing excellent audio equipment and a BA Hons degree in Popular Music and Music Technology, he is dedicated to ensuring all his shows meet a high standard of sound quality.
Based in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Busy Pub/Bar/Party
Smooth - Santana
Hey Ya - Outkast
Ain't Nobody - Chaka Khan
Good Times - Chic
Dynamo of Volition – Jason Mraz
Uptown Funk – Marc Ronson
The Day We Caught The Train - Ocean Colour Scene
Supermassive Black Hole – Muse
Bad Things – Jace Everett
Kiss – Prince
Up – Olly Murs
By The Way - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
7 Nation Army – The White Stripes
Superstition – Stevie Wonder
Word Up – Cameo
Message In A Bottle – The Police
Foxy Lady – Jimi Hendrix
Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor – AM
Go your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
20th Century Boy – T-Rex
Take Me To Church – Hozier
Get Lucky/One More Time – Daft Punk
She's Electric - Oasis
Grounds for Divorce - Elbow
American Idiot - Greenday
Let’s Dance – David Bowie
In The End – Linkin Park
Parklife – Blur
In Bloom – Nirvana
No – Meghan Trainor
Forget You – Ceelo Green
You Oughta Know – Alanis Morisette
Higher and Higher – Jackie Wilson
Under Pressure – Queen
Best of You – Foo Fighters
Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin
Mellow / Background Vibe
Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
Budapest - Goerge Ezra
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
All of Me - John Legend
Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer
Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd
Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Whisky in the Jar – Traditional
Red House – Jimi Hendrix
All You Need Is Love - The Beatles
In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins
Red Red Wine – UB40
Mrs Robinson – Simon and Garfunkel
Hotel California – The Eagles
The Power of Love - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
Bad Things – Jace Everett
Good Riddance – Green Day
Tender – Blur
The Lazy Song – Bruno Mars
Jolene – Dolly Parton
True Faith – New Order
Careless Whisper – George Michael
Waves – Mr Probz
Singing In The Rain – Gene Kelly
One electrical power socket, within a metre of the performance space.
All sound equipment is fully self contained, including a 200W RMS PA system. I unfortunately cannot offer lighting at the moment.
- Up to date directions are always useful in case the venue is in a difficult location to find
- Does the venue already have a PA system in place? If they do, this can help attain an even higher sound quality as often the PA will be installed and setup specifically for the room in question. That way I could potentially have both that and my own system running together. In such a case I would need the venue's contact details to discuss technical requirements with them directly.
Yes, all my shows include a DJ-style Spotify playlist service. The music choice can either be left up to my discretion or can choose the song list yourselves.
It's a tie with:
- Performance on the Pepsi Max stage at Download Festival 2013 to over 4000 people as the singer for Midlands rock band "Emperor Chung". Truly an unforgettable experience and a dream come true!
- Headlining Nottingham's Rock City for the first time as singer for Europe's number System of a Down tribute, "Chop Suey" in 2021. Not only was this another dream come true to play this iconic and much loved venue - this show took place as Rock City's first event after the end of the 2021 lockdown. Performing to over 800 people seeing live music for the first time in almost 2 years, sharing in that experience was nothing short of magical. We have seen gone on to play Rock City every year on the August bank holiday weekend, and the attendance has only gotten better each year, in 2023 reaching almost 1000.
For my covers shows, one of my hugest influences is the loop artist Marc Rebillet. Although he is a piano player rather than a guitarist like me, the way he improvises and produces full tracks of new material from scratch using his loop station at every show is nothing short of astounding. And he does it all with an unmatched level of charisma, showmanship and incredible vocal talent to match.
His show has been a massive influence to me on how I layer up guitar, bass, percussion and vocal parts to create a high energy sound onto well-known songs that's perfect for party vibes! A perfect example is "Good Times" by "Chic" with that killer bassline, layered vocals and funky guitar.
I am a huge fan of funk in general and love Stevie Wonder, Prince and James Brown, although my musical taste are incredibly broad!
My roots like in rock and alternative music though...for me the greatest song of all time is "The Drapery Falls" by "Opeth". An 11-minute rollercoaster of emotion <3
I have been a full time musician for over eight years now, and have performed at all kinds of events and venues all over the UK and abroad, both as a soloist and as part of larger bands.
As a soloist I have performed at countless weddings and private events (please see the reviews section) as well as corporate clients such as Browne Jacobson, The London Stock Exchange Group, Parkdean Resorts, FatFace and The Campaign For Real Ale.
I have been the lead singer for Europe's number one tribute to System of a Down - "Chop Suey" since 2015, which tours relentlessly every year in both the UK and internationally, even as far Australia. While this kind of heavy metal music may not being applicable to most people looking for my acoustic solo act, this project has required the utmost level of professionalism, stamina and discipline in delivery high quality performances and working with high end venues every night.
Not bad for a boy who did his first show with his high school band at age 14 eh?
I absolute love doing upbeat party events where people are keen to dance, and feeding off that energy where everyone is there to have an amazing and wild time! That said, I love doing different kinds of gigs and also enjoy being a background vibe as well playing more chilled out songs. In general I relish the opportunity to get out and perform for people.
My standard set performance times are x2 45 minute sets, typically with a 30 minute break in between. This is however completely flexible depending on the client's needs, all of which I'm happy to discuss beforehand. Very often for weddings I will end up doing x3 45 minutes throughout the evening.
As a soloist my setup is fairly simple and only requires about 30 minutes to set up my equipment and soundcheck. Depending on the event timings I usually aim to arrive a good hour before performance is due to start.
I am very happy to perform outside so long as the area is sheltered from the elements and has a solid flat surface for me to set up on, as well as a power socket nearby.
I love working with clients in the lead up to the show to build the perfect setlist for their event. I am very happy to learn songs especially for the client, up to 5 new songs per booking included. Everything else would need to be chosen from my existing repertoire, but this is over 500 songs strong and is not exhaustive, covering a huge range of styles. It's very possible that even if a song you've set your heart on isn't on the list, I might know it already!
The most common thread amongst my clients reviews is my high energy show, stage presence and big vocal range, but it's also lovely to see how many people remark on my personality. I always like to think of myself as friendly and easy to get along with, and it's great to see that come through on feedback. People also seem to like the way I cater every show and setlist to their needs and tastes, I get the impression it makes it all the more special for them.
Cheltenham Racecourse
The London Stock Exchange Group
Parkdean Resorts
Browne Jacobson
Cash Converters
The Campaign for Real Ale
FatFace
Over the last 8 years I've played more venues than I can possibly count, so here are the most notable:
SOLO
Public shows:
The Great British Beer Festival, Olympia West Kensington, London, UK (2022, 2023)
Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK (2021)
The Wool Market, Doncaster (2019, 2020)
Cheltenham Race Course, Cheltenham, UK (2017)
Southwell Race Course, Southwell, UK (2018)
Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester, UK (2018)
Mour Hotel, Annesley Woodhouse, UK (2017)
With CHOP SUEY
Rock City, Nottingham, UK (2021, 2022, 2023)
O2 Academy, Islington, London, UK (2022)
O2 Academy, Liverpool, UK (2022)
The Underworld, Camden, London, UK (2016, 2017, 2018)
The 1865, Southampton, UK (2023)
The Brickyard, Carlisle, UK(2021, 2022 ,2023)
Epic Studios, Norwich, UK (2022, 2023)
Boogaloo Club, Zagreb, Croatia (2023)
Zappa Baza, Belgrade, Serbia (2023)
Fabrik, Coesfeld, Germany (2023)
With EMPEROR CHUNG
Download Festival, Donington Park, UK (2013)
YNot Festival, Pikehall, UK (2011, 2012, 2013)
Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK (2013)
The Intrepid Fox, Soho, London, UK (2013)
With CONFYDE
Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK (2017)
YNot Festival, Pikehall, UK (2023)