The Early Purple + IMOGEN, Anna Hughes & Jessie Howard

The Early Purple is the solo project of Northumbrian musician Matt Saxon. In between touring and recording with North East acts Little Comets and The Dawdler, Matt has been quietly writing and recording music in which, buried in obscure mantras and nods to philosophical writings, he explores themes of personal growth, mental health, social commentary, living and growing up in the North East of England, and spirituality through his lyrics.

As a multi-instrumentalist, Matt has been working on a truly organic approach to composition with no use of digital or processed accompaniment and often choosing multiple layers of traditional folk instrumentation such as vocal harmony, acoustic and twelve string guitar, mandolin, harmonium, piano, cello, violin, flute, and percussion to bring songs to life with the help of Whitley Bay-based producer Will Thorneycroft.

In 2022, debut single ‘Old Eagle’ was aired on BBC 6 Music and has since gathered multiple plays on the BBC Introducing platform, landing Matt an invite to perform a solo live session on BBC Radio Newcastle. Having formed a 7-piece band consisting of the North East’s finest musicians (Catfish and the Bottlemen, Ten Sticks, Sam Fender, Lovely Assistant), The Early Purple made its live debut supporting experimental Danish electro-indie band Efterklang on their UK tour.

Matt and the band’s show was described by critics as “Mellow and harmonious and landing somewhere between Fleet Foxes and Midlake” (two of Matt’s biggest inspirations). The Early Purple then announced and sold out their debut headline show at the Watch House Museum in collaboration with North Sea Weekender festival