Pete Roe (born 20 July 1981) is an English folk singer-songwriter based in London, England. He was formerly a member of Laura Marling's band and has also toured with Mumford and Sons, Lucy Rose, Nathaniel Rateliff, Willy Mason and Ben Howard,[1][2] He has been compared to Bert Jansch,[3] and been described by NME as the missing link between John Martyn and Leonard Cohen.[4]
Pete Roe | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1981-07-20) 20 July 1981 (age 40) |
| Origin | London and Bristol, England |
| Genres | Contemporary folk, folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonium |
| Labels | Middle of Nowhere, Communion |
| Website | peteroe |
Pete Roe was born in London and studied mechanical engineering at the University of Bristol.[5] In 2007, he moved to London and joined as session musician in Laura Marling's band. Between 2008 and 2010, he recorded on Marling's Mercury Music Prize nominated albums I Speak Because I Can and A Creature I Don't Know as well as being the second signing to Communion Records in the summer of 2010. The EP The Merry-Go-Round received critical acclaim: opening track "Bellina" was awarded Song of the Day status by Q magazine, and Roe named an up-and-coming star by The Guardian's influential music section.[5] In 2012, he produced folk-rock band Hot Feet's debut EP, Wood House.[6]
Roe's 2013 album, Our Beloved Bubble, was recorded at Watercolour Studios in the highlands of Scotland in only a few days. It was mixed by Ethan Johns, mastered at Abbey Road Studios and released by Middle of Nowhere. Our Beloved Bubble was described by Q as sounding "Like a lost 70s John Martyn classic" and Bob Harris called it "A lovely record"[7]
Pete Roe is a tuner and restorer of harmoniums and reed organs
Between 2013 and 2015, Roe designed and developed a guitar pickup called the Submarine that lets the player apply effects to two strings of a guitar, thereby making one guitar sound like two.[8]