Martin & James have been writing songs together since they met and became childhood friends in Coatbridge, just outside of Glasgow. After blowing through the usual assortment of teenage bands they realized they were meant to be writing and singing songs together. Having cut their teeth in James’ father’s band, The Silencers, they decided to strike out on their own.
What makes them unique as a duo is that both are singer songwriters in their own right and that when they perform together, they both sing lead and harmonies. Over the course of the last ten years they have developed this electric harmony style until it seems as if one person is singing. Their flawless live shows are built on this partnership, and in 2008 while touring Germany they came to the attention of Universal Records Germany. Universal wasted no time signing them and getting them into the studio in Hamburg, where they recorded two albums worth of material.
Although they normally write all their own tunes, their singing style has had writers such as Albert Hammond and Fran Healey lining up to write with them. The first fruit of the Hamburg sessions, the ‘Bad Dream’ ep, also features collaboration with Snow Patrol writer Iain Archer. The tunes on the ep are deceptively simple and built on the pair’s ability to write haunting hooks and lyrics awash in filmic textures. In the last year, their new association with MLK Touring in Europe has seen them on the road across the continent, in support of bands such as Razorlight, The Fray, Ingrid Michaelson, Milow and Boyce Avenue.
Now based in Berlin, Martin Kelly and James O’Neill are touring and writing incessantly, preparing for the early 2010 release of their debut album on Universal Records.