Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/indie-rock-groups-from-london

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Morton Valence

British rock band


British rock band

FieldValue
nameMorton Valence
imageAnneandhackerpolaroid.jpg
captionAnne and Hacker
genreUrban Country
years_active2001 to present
originLondon, England, United Kingdom
labelWhipray Records
Cargo Records (UK)
Cow Pie
Bastard Recordings
Soulfood
Monika Enterprise
Cheap Date Records
Whipwray
websitehttp://mortonvalence.com/
current_membersRobert "Hacker" Jessett
Anne Gilpin
BJ Cole
Shane Gilliver
Matt Donovan
past_membersChuck Whobrey aka Chuck E Peru
Daryl Holley
Alan Cook
Joe Udwin
Leo Fernandez
Gigi Chang
Alejo Pelaez

Cargo Records (UK) Cow Pie Bastard Recordings Soulfood Monika Enterprise Cheap Date Records Whipwray Anne Gilpin BJ Cole Shane Gilliver Matt Donovan Daryl Holley Alan Cook Joe Udwin Leo Fernandez Gigi Chang Alejo Pelaez

Morton Valence are a London-based rock band based around the vocal pairing of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Robert 'Hacker' Jessett (ex-member of The Band of Holy Joy and Alabama 3) and Anne Gilpin. They term their music as Urban Country and were described by The Guardian as being "one of the most intriguing bands on these shores".

Founded in 2001 by Robert Jessett, Anne Gilpin and Chuck Whobrey, the band won the 2006 Fopp Award for best new band and went on to sign a record contract with Cheap Date Records. After the release of the single "Sailors" - described by the BBC as being "the best single you've never heard of the past decade" - they split from Cheap Date to form their own label, Bastard Recordings, and are an early example of an independent band who entered into a crowd funding agreement with their fans. Their 2009 single Chandelier was a BBC Radio 2 Record of the Week.

They have recorded eight full-length studio albums, all of which have been highly acclaimed in the music press, including four star reviews in Mojo Magazine Q MagazineUncut MagazineClassic Rock Magazine and an album of the year on the Chicago-based website Consequence of Sound.

In 2020 Jessett and Gilpin wrote and directed an autobiographical film documentary entitled This Is A Film About A Band that was premiered at the Doc'N Roll Film Festival in London.

Their eponymously titled eighth album was produced by legendary pedal steel guitar player BJ Cole, who also appears on the album and plays with the band intermittently.

Discography

Albums

  • Bob and Veronica's Big Move (2001) Whipwray
  • Bob and Veronica Ride Again (2009) Bastard Recordings
  • Me & Home James (2011) Bastard Recordings
  • Left (2014) Bastard Recordings
  • Another Country (2015) Bastard Recordings
  • Europa (2017) Bastard Recordings
  • Bob & Veronica's Great Escape (2019) Bastard Recordings
  • Black Angel Drifter (2020) Cow Pie Ltd/Cargo Records (UK)
  • Morton Valence (2022) Cow Pie Ltd/Cargo Records (UK)

Singles

  • The Girl on The Escalator - as Florida - (2002) Monika Enterprise
  • Sailors (2007) Cheap Date Records
  • Chandelier (2009) Bastard Recordings
  • Falling Down the Stairs (2009) Bastard Recordings
  • Hang it on the Wall (2010) Bastard Recordings
  • Christmas in Valence (2011) Bastard Recordings
  • Skyline Change/Genders Blur (2019) Bastard Recordings
  • Black-Eyed Susan (2020) Cow Pie Ltd/Cargo Records (UK)
  • Summertime in London (2022) Cow Pie Ltd/Cargo Records (UK)
  • Hey Misty (2025) Whipray Records
  • Lazy Bird (2025) Whipray Records

References

References

  1. (2014-10-03). "indie bands and country". [[The Guardian]].
  2. "Morton Valence - Interview". www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk.
  3. "Robert Jessett". www.allmusic.com.
  4. (2014-10-03). "indie bands and country". [[The Guardian]].
  5. (2007-10-27). "New Band of the Week". The Guardian.
  6. (2007-02-22). "Fopp to showcase new bands". Music Week.
  7. (2009-05-04). "Music - Review of Morton Valence - Bob and Veronica Ride Again". BBC.
  8. (2013-06-28). "My Idea of Pop". Aesthetica Magazine.
  9. (2009-05-04). "Music - Review of Morton Valence - Bob and Veronica Ride Again". BBC.
  10. (2011-05-22). "Review in Drowned in Sound". Drownedinsound.com.
  11. (2009-05-04). "Lovely Second Album". The Arts Desk.
  12. (2014-08-28). "Morton Valence: Left – album review". Louder Than War.
  13. (2015-04-07). "ALBUMS, REVIEWS Morton Valence – Another Country (Bastard Recordings)". God Is In The TV.
  14. (2016-09-27). "LEE FISHER REVIEWS THE ESSENTIAL ONE-OFF RELEASE FROM TWO MORTON VALENCE MUSICIANS". Narc Magazine.
  15. (2017-05-01). "Europa – Morton Valence". Beat Surrender.
  16. (2019-02-07). "Bob & Veronica's Great Escape – Morton Valence". Louder Than War.
  17. (2019-03-01). "Bob & Veronica's Great Escape – Morton Valence". Mojo Magazine.
  18. (2011-01-09). "Morton Valence/Lost Cavalry at Plan B". Urban75.
  19. (2010-07-17). "Offline Lambeth Country Show After Party". Urban75.
  20. (2014-09-10). "Morton Valence: Left". Classic Rock.
  21. (2009-12-01). "CoS Year-End Report: The Top 100 Albums of '09: 75-51". Consequence of Sound.
  22. (2020-11-08). "This Is A Film About A Band: Doc'N Roll". Doc'N Roll.
  23. (2022-11-15). "Morton Valence – Morton Valence: Werke RE". Werke.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Morton Valence — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report