First Sighting

Martin Green of Lau presents.. The Martin Green Machine "First Sighting, the Sound of a powerful yet beautiful hangover resulting from a night out dancing with Frank Zappa and Astor Piazzolla, each with a girl on their arm and Duke Ellington buying chasers at the bar!'

The Green Machine started life as accordionist Martin Green's commission piece for Celtic Connections, New Voices series. Since then this band of show-stopping fun monkeys have recorded a unique album that brings together some of the most prestigious and eclectic talent from England and Scotland to form a new collective set to mess the heads and feet of all those who dare enter his strange world!

Well-known Edinburgh jazzer, Sophie Bancroft shares vocal duties with Shetlander Inge Thomson (Karine Polwart, Harem Scarem). Brass comes courtesy of living legend Rick Taylor (recently commission by the British Trombone Federation to write the worlds largest trombone ensemble piece) with Fergus Kerr (french horn) and Andy McKreel (tuba), both regular players with the SNO and other leading orchestras. The back-line is provided by Barnaby Stradling (Eliza Carthy, Blowzabella) and Ayrshire rhythm master Alyn Cosker. The many terrifying talents of Tom Cook include electronics, guitars, sound manipulation and live sampling. Tom is well known as a producer of drum & bass and electronica, working out of his native Brighton under the name Manniâ. Add to this mix accordion problem child Martin Green playing accordion, samplers and more.