Martin Stephenson & The Daintees

Martin Stephenson & The Daintees are one of the North East’s long-running folk-rock and roots bands, formed in the early 1980s and led by Durham-born singer-songwriter Martin Stephenson. Their...

September 9, 2026

Martin Stephenson & The Daintees are one of the North East’s long-running folk-rock and roots bands, formed in the early 1980s and led by Durham-born singer-songwriter Martin Stephenson. Their music has always been broad enough to take in folk, roots, pop, rockabilly, blues and country without losing the warmth of Stephenson’s songwriting.

The band became closely associated with the region’s Kitchenware Records scene, with albums including Boat to Bolivia, Gladsome, Humour & Blue, Salutation Road and The Boy’s Heart establishing them nationally. Those records balance humour and character with more reflective writing, giving the catalogue a feel that is difficult to reduce to one genre.

After reforming in 2000, Stephenson has continued to alternate between solo work, smaller collaborations and full Daintees tours. The band’s current live activity includes a return to Newcastle at Wylam Brewery in March 2027, continuing a relationship with North East audiences that now stretches across several decades.