Ma Polaine's Great Decline

With a sound rooted in blues, jazz and country, Ma Polaine’s Great Decline have drawn comparisons to many; with references to Billie Holiday, Tom Waits and a ‘moody Mary Margaret O’Hara’, yet Ma Polaine’s sound is very much their own. Beth Packer’s distinctive, emotive vocals coupled with her evocative lyrics create a mix of abstract tales, dark humour and raw beauty, whilst Clinton Hough’s understated guitar style supports with rich chords and gritty riffs. Their first recording - Ma Polaine’s Great Decline (an EP) was released in 2011 and to date the pair have three albums to their name. Their 2020 album City of Love received wide-spread acclaim and earned them the Best Band/Duo award from Fatea Magazine, with MOJO magazine saying that the duo ‘have evolved a pop-folk-blues-americana style that is warmly familiar yet is sufficiently unhinged to keep you guessing’. The songs racked up airplay, including on BBC 6 Music and on Cerys Matthews BBC Radio 2 Blues Show. Playing live as a duo the songs become sparse versions of themselves, but the sound is a full one, Beth’s electric and double basses anchor the sound, with occasional accordion and harmonica, leaving Clinton to play with the space in between. ‘Packer’s voice has a superb range, but it is her interpretative skill that entrances, with the effortless shifts that imbue her evocative lyrics with rare emotional charge’ The Morning Star. ‘An album to be cherished, replete with enchanting musical treats around every corner’ - Folk Radio UK. ‘This is 21st-century music chock full of mystery and acute observation’ Blues Matters. ‘Crying out to be used on soundtracks. A very cinematic sound... The icing on the cake is their vocalist. Stunning singer Beth Packer is someone to get to know’ Blues and Soul Magazine.