Martin Haggarty

The son of a jazz musician, Martin has been in love with music from an early age, with the Beatles making an impression on him when he was 4 or 5, but hearing David Bowie’s Life on Mars? in 1972 really fired a fascination for the more theatrical and imaginative side of rock music. 

Martin was a founder member of Glasgow art rock outfit Lost Weekends in 1982 at a time when Glasgow was a leading light in the UK music scene. His love of progressive rock in particular led to him joining Abel Ganz, where he replaced Alan Reed for a brief spell and a handful of gigs in the mid 80s. He also played with short-lived prog rock outfit Masque in 1986, before the formation of Field of Vision in 1987.  After 4 years gigging, writing and recording Field of Vision took a hiatus until 2013, when the three core members got back together to write and record new music, some of which appeared on 2014s The Vicissitudes of Life EP, and the 2016 single The Dagger – a tribute to Keith Emerson & Greg Lake. However, a desire to return to live music led to an invite from some former Abel Ganz bandmates who were now members of Long Earth, with Martin joining in 2018 in time to contribute to the writing and recording of the band’s critically acclaimed second album Once Around the Sun, released in March 2020 just as the pandemic lockdown came into effect. He was also a guest vocalist on the Checking For Echo Project albums Life and Other Short Stories, Volumes 1 & 2, and also appears on their 2025 third album A Scattering of Leaves.

November 2023 saw Martin's first solo release, a charity single in aid of War Child, initially on download only, followed on the first anniversary by a limited edition CD version. It features friends Amanda Lehmann (Steve Hackett band), Trev Turley (Random Earth Project/Mojo Preachers), Jon Farley (Checking For Echo/Hollow Moon) and Hew Montgomery (Abel Ganz/Grand Tour). 

In July 2024, Long Earth released their third album, An Ordinary Life, to critical acclaim, not just from the prog world, but across genres to metal and blues reviewers, most of whom praised Martin's concept for the album and insightful lyrics.  Martin’s lyrics often highlight the darker aspects of the world around us as well as the darkness that lies within us all: Climate change, serial killers, doomed relationships, but also love and hope have all been the subject of his gaze. On An Ordinary Life, he explores experiences, good and bad, that most people will encounter if they are lucky enough to live into middle age: family, love, fortune, dreams, politics, war and the ravages of time.

Martin left Long Earth in October 2024 along with drummer Alex Smith.

In 2025, Martin was interviewed extensively for an upcoming book on the history of Scottish Progressive Rock, by Bela Alabastrom.  He also featured in the third memoir by veteran bassist Trev Turley, “An Unlikely Leopard” (2025), having featured in both previous tomes.  

Keep an eye out for new music from Martin in 2026.