Some albums take years to find their way into the world, carrying with them the experiences, memories and unfinished thoughts of the person who made them. Songs from the Underground, the debut solo album from Brighton-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gregg McKella, is one such record. Built around songs written during his busking years in London in the 1990s, it brings together decades-old material and a musical identity that moves freely between folk, psychedelic blues, alternative rock and what McKella aptly calls “space-folk.”
The album’s origins give it a distinctive sense of time and place. Many of these songs emerged from McKella’s experiences of city life, with its contrasts, chance encounters and shifting moods. Rather than writing with a specific genre in mind, he allowed the material to develop naturally. That openness gives the collection its light-and-shade character, moving between folk-driven songwriting and more exploratory psychedelic territory without forcing everything into a single musical framework.
McKella’s description of his sound as “space-folk” suggests a meeting point between grounded storytelling and a more expansive, atmospheric sensibility. The songs remain rooted in the songwriter’s observations and experiences, while the broader instrumental palette allows them to reach beyond conventional acoustic arrangements. It is an approach that reflects a musician whose interests have long extended beyond one band or style.
The album was recorded and produced by Martin Litmus, who contributes bass, keyboards, synthesizers, mellotron, guitars and percussion alongside McKella’s vocals, guitars, glissando guitar, clarinet and synthesizers. Guest musicians add further colour, including violinists Nick Pynn and Eugene McClouskey, backing vocalist Jeanette Murphy, and Paradise 9 guitarist Tyrone Thomas on lead and slide guitar. Together, these contributions give the record a richly layered foundation while keeping the songwriting at its centre.
McKella’s musical history stretches back to the early 1980s, when one of his first bands, The Presence, played gigs alongside Marillion and Ozric Tentacles. After moving to London in 1987, he formed Image Wot Image with singer-songwriter Jeanette Murphy, performing extensively around London and the South-east. He later established Paradise 9, whose psychedelic, proto-punk and space-rock sound became a major part of his musical life. Other projects followed, including Dreamfield, the ambient dub-infused Rubber Bus and the Daevid Allen’s Glissando Guitar Orchestra.
Yet Songs from the Underground is not simply a retrospective exercise. Completing the album became particularly important after McKella was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022 following a PSA blood test. Fortunately, the disease was caught in time, and he made a good recovery after surgery. The experience gave him a renewed urgency to finish the record and share songs that had remained with him for decades.
https://greggmckella.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-the-underground-2
McKella now encourages men over 40 to discuss PSA testing with their GPs, explaining that the test ultimately saved his life. That personal message adds another dimension to an album already shaped by the passage of time and the experiences that influence our priorities.
With Songs from the Underground, Gregg McKella brings long-held songs into the present, combining intimate storytelling with adventurous instrumentation. It is a debut that reflects a lifetime of musical curiosity while reminding listeners that creative work can remain meaningful long after its beginnings.
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