Martyn Jacques (Fear)

Martyn Jacques is the founder of The Tiger Lillies - a cabaret band specialising in songs of extreme pathos, drama and black humour. He spent much of his formative years training his voice while living in the heart of London'sSoho and his songs are frequently characterised by descriptions (in lurid detail) of pimps, prostitutes, drug addicts, losers and other unsavoury characters, which he performs in equally characteristic falsetto. He wrote the music for Shockheaded Peter and won an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for his memorable role in the work. During Shockheaded Peter’s international tour the late Edward Gorey wrote a letter to Martyn saying he thought he was the ‘cat’s pyjamas’ - and subsequently sent him a large cardboard box containing a quantity of his unpublished work. Martyn freely adapted Gorey’s words and set them to music in a collection of 13 songs which he performed with the Tiger Lilies and the Kronos Quartet in a tribute to the author entitled The Gorey End at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith earlier this year. He continues to work on international projects including Circa and The Tiger Lilies Circus.