Martin Carthy has just been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize 2025!

At the age of 84, folk musician Martin Carthy becomes the oldest ever Mercury nominee. Speaking to BBC News, Carthy said it was a "fabulous privilege" to be nominated 60 years after releasing his debut album. "I'm enjoying every second of it," he added. - BBC News

National treasure Martin Carthy and his twice Mercury nominated daughter Eliza Carthy don’t rest of their laurels.

Martin is a legendary ballad singer and guitarist who has influenced generations of artists, including Bob Dylan  and Paul Simon, while Eliza has been twice-nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and a multiple-award winner at the BBC Radio Two Folk awards.

Martin released a wonderful new solo record Transform Me Then Into A Fish, marking his 84th birthday in May 2025, celebrating his incredible career, and offering a full circle moment in his music journey as he revisits material from his very first (eponymous) solo record released in 1965. https://transformmethenintoafish.com/#

Eliza has also been in the studio, upon the occasion of her fiftieth birthday, recording entirely new material for her new project Frenemies, which will be released in 2026. This represents the next stage in Eliza's original songwriting and will feature many musicians from outside the folk scene with whom Eliza has been lucky enough to work.

This powerhouse pair are still making music together, as they always have. Together, they perform an eclectic range of songs and tunes from their vast family repertoire, drawing from the traditional canon as well as selections from a more contemporary songbook. In this duo format, each artist showcases their unique individual musical talents, as well as highlighting their symbiotic bond, with instinctive and sensitive arrangements and accompaniment for each other.

'Eliza Carthy is one of the figureheads of the English folk revival … compelling' - Evening Standard

‘A gloriously natural singer’ – Q magazine

‘Seriously impressive’ – Telegraph

‘…brave and anything but predictable’ **** 4 Stars The Guardian