When you are at a gig, and you notice that the whole audience has a smile on their collective faces when leaving, it is a pretty safe bet that a great time was had by all. The Cart & Horses was the venue, and the night’s entertainment was music legend Eric Martin. He did not disappoint.
Eric Martin
Cart & Horses, Stratford – 7 June 2025
Words: Steve Kenton
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
Following on from Star Circus, a capacity crowd saw the irrepressible Eric Martin take to the stage and boy, were they in for a treat. The singer, songwriter, entertainer and all-round nice guy wowed the crowd with a performance that will live long in the memory.
After introducing partner in rhyme, Demon guitarist Dave Cotterill, to the crowd, Martin gave them a taste of what one music legend can do when covering another legend, breaking into the Willie Dixon classic I Just Wanna Make Love To You.
With some gorgeous guitar work and Martin’s soulful voice, this was the perfect opener, giving a real taste of what was to come.
Meltem Yumulgan then joined Eric and Dave on stage as backing vocalist on the next track, Electrified. The guys, both working those guitars, almost caressed the strings. They sounded fantastic, getting a beautiful tone.
With great harmonies, this number really got the crowd going. The thing about Erics voice on this number is that he sounds incredibly bluesy. There was a rather nice solo from Dave as the crowd got involved, yelling, “Hey hey hey”.
The bluesy Voodoo Kiss featured next, followed by Fragile. The meaningful lyrics, lovingly delivered by Eric, are accentuated by some beautiful harmonisation and an excellent Dave Cotterill solo. 
Back In Blue, Superfantastic and Green Tinted Sixties Mind all followed, with Meltem dueting with Martin on the latter track, taking lead on the second verse. Martin and Cotterill were thoroughly enjoying themselves on the stage, with plenty of audience interaction from the former Mr. Big frontman. He was absolutely hilarious throughout the evening.
The second half of the set saw arguably two of the busiest musicians in the industry join Martin on stage, drummer Joe Lazarus and bassist Chris Dale. Now, these two chaps seem to be popping up like two slices of toast from a Morphy Richards toaster. They are absolutely everywhere and they rock.
Chris Dale’s links with Mr. Big are quite prestigious, given that the man with the Warwick bass was actually bassist Billy Sheehan’s bass technician in Mr. Big and Eric Martin’s drinking buddy.
The oddly titled Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song) then kicked in with a rather smooth riff emanating from those gorgeous acoustic guitars. The thumping, steady, solid bass line gave the track an added dimension.
Lazarus’ drums were typically tight. With Dale making his customary shapes on stage and Lazarus doing his trademark “drums out – tongues out” drum face, the whole band really enjoyed themselves.
Cue Dave Cotterill fret-tapping on his acoustic and the introduction to Alive and Kickin’. With Lazarus working that snare and another thundering bass line, this number lifted the roof off the place.
Mel’s vocals? Wow, she really is a fantastic singer and complemented Eric Martin beautifully. There were shades of Elton John in the American rocker’s voice – high praise indeed.
Martin then manipulated the audience like a ringmaster, having them in fits of laughter as he started talking about one or two individuals at the front of the stage. It was all banter and all taken in good cheer. He was having fun and enjoying the night.
Take Cover was followed by the Cat Stevens classic Wild World. Did Martin and Cotterill do it justice? Well, of course, they did; you wouldn’t expect anything less. The tone Demon’s axeman gets from his guitar is wondrous. Both he and Martin get a much bigger sound from those two acoustics than they have any right to. Truly astonishing.
The interaction between Martin and Yumulgan is hysterical. It was, on occasion, like watching a scene from 1970’s sitcom classic George And Mildred. This did not detract from the next track, Shine. This typical American rocker had the audience bouncing around like the incumbents of a space-hopper convention.
Just Take My Heart and Big Love again sent the crowd into raptures. Eric Martin has this youthful exuberance in his voice that belies his age. His voice is timeless, and his general demeanour toward his fans makes him the consummate professional.
Then it happened, the song that just about every teenager and 20-something had a snog to. To Be With You blasted out of the monitors, the audience went wild, and Martin was toying, teasing and tantalising the patrons of the Cart & Horses with his “oh so sweet” vocals on this timeless classic.
Humble Pie’s 1972 number, 30 Days In The Hole, with some rather exquisite guitar work and solid vocals, wowed the crowd before the night’s final offering, Dancing With My Devils, possessed the speakers like voodoo magic.
With a great solo, this out-and-out blues number was really a rhythm section player’s delight. Solid yet gentle drums and an understated bass gave this track a real groove.
Eric decided to get the crowd to do some of the work – and why not? Separating the men and women in the crowd, the vocalist got them singing alternately – and it sounded great. Winding up the song was a great drum solo from Lazarus, which was slightly unexpected but, always welcome.
It’s quite astonishing how Eric Martin has kept his voice in such good condition. There is many a man who would kill for the vocal ability of Eric Martin, but he is way more than a vocalist. He is a singer, songwriter, raconteur and all-round entertainer- as well as a bloody nice guy.
With Dave Cotterill by his side, they make a great team. Credit has to be given to Meltem Yumulgan, Chris Dale and Joe Lazarus for their performance on the night. These guys are so consistently good they should have a halo around their heads.
So step forward, Eric the Great, and take your place at the table as one of the great all-round singers of the last 40 years.
