Katie Spencer & Alan Thomson

‘A concoction of an extraordinary magnetism … The affection between the two players is obvious, two
generations joined by their shared love and knowledge of the maverick musician [John Martyn]’
– At The Barrier

'Her articulate picking, with suggestions of folk and jazz, frames intelligently written songs’ – Guitarist Magazine

Raised in the East Yorkshire flatlands on the fringes of Hull (UK), Katie Spencer’s landscape has always been
that of open skies and widening rivers. It is this sense of space and movement that flows through her assured
guitar style and songwriting. Now, as Katie steps into this new era with a third album, her focus turns to those
deeper inner spaces, inviting the listener to engage with her heartfelt and intricately-crafted songs.

As a pairing, Katie Spencer & Alan Thomson (fretless bass) curate a special one-of-a-kind evening celebrating
the music of John Martyn, alongside interpretations of Katie’s original compositions. Alan Thomson is a world-
renowned fretless bass player, he spent many decades touring and writing with John Martyn. Some of his
other credits include Martin Barre, John Jorgenson & Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle. The evening will feature
songs from their 2021 EP ‘Hurt In Your Heart’. The release was celebrated for its dreamlike qualities and
expansive reinterpretations of Martyn’s songs that that reached deep into the heart and soul of the music.
‘Katie captures the feel of Martyn’s most sublime work perfectly.’
– Northern Sky

‘It would take a brave artist to cover John Martyn’s atmospheric late-night classic, Small Hours. So, step forward, Katie Spencer.’
– Iain Anderson, BBC Radio Scotland

Katie’s original writing, and most notably her guitar playing stems from a time when the steel-stringed
instrument was truly finding its voice. Artists like Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, Julie Byrne and perhaps most
evidently Michael Chapman, weave into her sound. Katie absorbs these influences into her songwriting and
with her distinctive deep vibrato and crystal-clear guitar style, she makes the music inimitably her own.
Katie released her third album What Love Is in October 2025, entering the Official Folk Album’s Chart at
12. It is an intimate collection of ten songs produced by Matt Ingram (Laura Marling, The Staves). Recorded
in London’s Urchin Studios and featuring prominent players Giacomo Smith (clarinet), Max Clilverd (pedal
steel), Tom Mason (double bass) and Matt Ingram (drums, synth). What Love Is evokes the spirit of Joni
Mitchell’s finest later works, always honouring without emulating. Lyrically mature and at times pastoral; the
album is melodically sophisticated and unflinchingly honest. She moves effortlessly from wide-open jazz-
tinged soundscapes, influenced by Pharoah Sanders and John Abercrombie, through to the folk-baroque
fingerpicking style that her fans admire her for. Her singing is powerful yet warm, true and pristine in
delivery. The musicianship throughout the record feels liberated by…