Matthew Whitaker

Matthew has been a prominent member of the Manchester music scene for over a decade – fronting hugely popular bands Whiskycats, Gypsies of Bohemia and, most recently, HENGE.

While these bands have been about partying, Matthew’s solo material is more a soundtrack to the morning after – dreamy, haunting and wistful.

As a youth Matthew was a prodigiously talented, virtuoso classical guitarist – a style of playing that he revisited with his 2016 debut solo record The Man With The Anvil Hat. Other influences on the album include the movie scores of Ennio Morricone, The early 1970s folk music of Nick Drake and the soft nuanced vocal ballads of jazz musician Chet Baker.

The Man With The Anvil Hat was 5 years in the making with Matthew’s other projects often competing for attention. Matthew said: “This is the music that I haven’t been able to play on Saturday nights. I have rekindled my love of classical guitar, which had taken a back seat while I was busy being the party man. This is where my love of music started… and it feels natural for me to finally incorporate it into my songwriting.”

Thursday 2019

Recommended Artists