Spoken word performance cancelled due to Covid-19
ST. LUCAS CHURCH
On Friday the 24th of April at 7:30 p.m. Martin Hall will perform a spoken word performance in the St. Lukas Church at Frederiksberg, Copenhagen.
Collaborating with multi-instrumentalist Johnny Stage the evening will be a one-off session featuring new material as well as excerpts from Hall’s latest book, the autobiographical 1971-1985.
The book has been very well received. Among other things DR (Danish National Television) called it the best autobiography of the year while Politiken wrote:
”Martin Hall writes unadorned, beautifully, often wise and most of the time relievingly funny about his youth and early days.”
Compilation album
A BRIEF SUMMARY
The latest Martin Hall album is A Brief Summary, a title that includes several new recordings – such as the video single ”Lesser Gods”. The album also contains remakes and alternative versions of material recorded during the last twenty years. It’s released as a double vinyl album, a digipack cd and as music cassette.
Quite surprisingly A Brief Summary went directly in as #2 on the official Danish vinyl hitlist the week after its release – Hall’s highest chart ranking ever.
In the Danish newspaper Information (the Danish equivalent to The Independent), the reviewer Sophia Handler praised the album in no uncertain terms:
“Once again Martin Hall proves that he belongs in the same category as music mythological heroes such as Brian Eno and David Bowie”.
New single and concerts
“SERVICES RENDERED” AND BREMEN TEATER
As a prelude to his first live concerts for more than five years Hall released the new song Services Rendered as a limited edition 12” single. The record is also available on all major digital platforms (Spotify, iTunes, Amazon etc.).
GAFFA – Denmark’s biggest music magazine – awarded the following Copenhagen concert at Bremen Teater with a staggering 6 out of 6 stars rating. The music journalist Simon Heggum summons up the concert this way:
”A breathtaking concert experience – one of the strongest Danish concerts I’ve been to in recent years.”
Memorial day
IRMA VICTORIA MEMORIAL DAY
Irma Victoria was born on the 2nd of September 1923 and died on the 10th of November 2000. She recorded and released a series of songs and records with Martin Hall, the career highlight being an official Grammy nomination in the category “female singer of the year” in 1991. The other two nominees that year were multi-platinum act Hanne Boel and legendary The Savage Rose singer Annisette.
To commemorate Irma Victoria we bring you one of her lighter songs, “September Song”, taken from the 1994 album Phantasmagoria. The track also appears on the compilation record Memorial – Finest Moments and Famous Last Words released posthumously in 2001 and on the Spotify album September Songs.
“Her work was fantastic. May her soul live forever.” (Douglas P., Death in June)
Special edition box set
HALL CRONHAMMAR INDEX
In October 2017 the book and double-LP box set Hall Cronhammar Index was made available in a limited edition of 491 numbered and signed copies. The release contains two vinyl records with a total playing time of more than one and a half hour of music as well as a 48-page book in LP format featuring extensive photo material and an essay documenting the artists’ longstanding cooperation.
The records and book comes in a hardback canvas frame placed in a separate box that also contains a set of Ingvar Cronhammar’s newly designed “Hansha” metal cutlery with the artists’ names engraved (the cutlery is not available on the retail market and can only be purchased as part of the box set).
Reviews of Hall's new book
"1971-1985" OUT NOW
The reviews of Martin Hall’s new book 1971-1985 have been very positive. Apart from topping the list of this year’s best autobiographies on DR’s literary review as #1, a short resumé goes like this:
Politiken: “Martin Hall writes unadorned, beautifully, often wise and most of the time relievingly funny about his youth and early days.” ( * * * * )
Berlingske: “Hall is brilliant in his depiction of a rampant Copenhagen in the seventies … a sharp and observant snapshot of a city that no longer exists.” ( * * * * )
GAFFA: ”Incredibly sharp … Martin Hall’s ability to reflect and convey his understanding is admirable.” ( * * * * )
DR: “Best autobiography of the year.”
Weekendavisen: “Martin Hall has style, and with this book he manages to come close to the substance and the pain in the depiction of his early career’s harsh downside with suicides, drugs and chronic restlessness.”