The début spoken word album from Matt Abbott.
All poems written and performed by Matt Abbott.
Recorded by David Gledhill in London Fields.
Released by Nymphs & Thugs Recording Co.
Catalogue No.# NYMPH022

I Matter

I Once Fell in Love With a Communist Vegetarian (aka Lenin & McCartney)

10 Things That Maria Hears Before Closing Down The Launderette

Drunken Culinary Kingdom

Marigolds

The Ballad Of Babs In 13B

In Church On A Tuesday Night

Intro

Arriva DJ

If You Don't Know Me By Now

It all started back in 2006, when a 17-year-old Matt Abbott was ushered on stage for a spontaneous spoken word set at an underground open mic night. The venue was in a secret indie music club in Sheffield's red light district, and the opening poem was a scathing ode to Blackpool.

Matt Abbott's adopted stage pseudonym of 'Skint & Demoralised' soon evolved into a musical project when he was approached by Sheffield-based songwriter/producer MiNI dOG. The pair began by layering Abbott's poems over electronic backing tracks, before developing a songwriting partnership.

Within 6 months they'd been played by Steve Lamacq on BBCR1 and within 9 months had signed a record deal with Universal. Their debut album sessions began in New York with The Dap-Kings and concluded at RAK Studios in London. The band were a smash on the major festival circuit, lauded by the broadsheets and a favourite on R1, 6Music and even 'Loose Women'.

However when summer hit 'Red Lipstick' failed to reach the Top 40, the band were axed by Universal. They signed to indie Heist Or Hit Records in spring 2011 and went on to release both the shelved Universal debut 'Love, And Other Catastrophes' as well as follow up 'This Sporting Life'. There was a national and European tour in autumn/winter 2011, and their third and final album 'The Bit Between The Teeth' was released in spring 2013 - on the day that Margaret Thatcher died.

Matt Abbott returned his focus to poetry after a hat-trick of shows at Glastonbury 2013, which led to him co-founding a spoken word collective called A Firm Of Poets. "The Firm" has proved to be a huge success, and after publishing their debut collection in autumn 2014, they announced a 20-date national theatre tour for the following autumn.

Matt takes his debut solo spoken word show up to the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which will be accompanied by a spoken word album entitled 'Skint & Demoralised'.

Matt Abbott Poet