Martin McAloon

Longtime bassist, singer and associate songwriter with Prefab Sprout, Martin McAloon hails from County Durham in northeast England, where he founded the band in the late 1970s with his brother Paddy McAloon. His career has remained closely tied to this formation of the British pop scene of the 1980s, alongside notably Wendy Smith, in a style that blends sophisticated pop, melodic rock, folk, understated soul and country touches, with significant emphasis on vocal harmonies and singable bass lines. Martin McAloon contributed to Prefab Sprout’s sonic identity on the group’s early records, including Steve McQueen in 1985—released in the United States as Two Wheels Good—and on From Langley Park to Memphis (1988) and Jordan: The Comeback (1990). Within Prefab Sprout, Martin McAloon played an essential role as performer and musician, in a precise, flexible and highly arranged aesthetic driven by Paddy McAloon’s songs. As the band’s activities have become more sporadic, Martin McAloon has been performing this repertoire under his own name, refocusing it on Prefab Sprout’s legacy and on the place of Steve McQueen in their history.