Marcus Hamblett

British multi-instrumentalist Marcus Hamblett is an in-demand sideman and solo performer whose expansive sound touches upon post-rock, avant-garde jazz, experimental indie rock, and modern classical composition. A co-founding member of the Brighton-based Will Kommen Collective, Hamblett initially established himself in the early 2010s working with artists like Laura Marling, the Staves, Broken Social Scene, and others. As a leader, he has garnered acclaim for his own work, issuing 2015's Concrete and 2019's Detritus. Born in Manchester, Hamblett played guitar from a young age and expanded his skills over the years, learning bass, drums, piano, brass, and computer-based production. After high school, he moved to Sussex to study English Literature. There, he continued to develop his sound, drawing upon '90s Chicago post-rock bands like Tortoise and Isotope 217, as well as '70s European film soundtracks and various avant-garde jazz and rock artists. Around 2009, he co-founded the sprawling Will Kommen Collective, working with a rotating group of Brighton-based performers, including members of Sons of Noel and Adrian, the Leisure Society, the Miserable Rich, and more. He eventually established himself as a go-to session player, and has toured and or/recorded with a mix of folk and indie rock performers including Laura Marling, Lucy Rose, Villagers, Fear of Men, Peggy Sue, the Staves, Bear's Den, Broken Social Scene, and others. In 2015, he released his debut solo album, Concrete. Also that year, he collaborated on a live in-studio performance for BBC Radio 3 with modular synthesist James Holden and jazz drummer Mark Holub. He then toured as a support act for the indie trio LNZNDRF. In 2019, he released his sophomore solo album, Detritus, which featured contributions by saxophonist Colin Stetson, Timber Timbre's Mathieu Charbonneau, and This Is the Kit's Kate Stables, among others. ~ Matt Collar