Martin Newell

Martin Newell

From Digging with Flo by NTS

March 24, 2026 · 20 min · Season 4 · Episode 11

About this episode

Flo Dill interviews Martin Newell about his career and the art of pop music while gardening in Wivenhoe.

This week Flo is in the picturesque town of Wivenhoe, Essex for a slightly different take on Digging. She’s meeting one of the UK’s most quietly remarkable musical figures: Martin Newell. Singer-songwriter, poet, columnist and author - as well as the man behind cult guitar pop outfit Cleaners from Venus (whose song The Artichoke That Loved Me has heralded the start of this podcast since launch back in 2023) - Martin is a hero of the DIY music scene.  In the episode, Flo and Martin chat about Martin’s career as both cult musician, gardener and pot washer, and the art of the perfect pop song. The pair start by pruning an apple tree then take us on a little tour of Wivenhoe.  Digging with Flo will be taking a pause after this episode, thanks for watching and listening along the way.  This episode of Digging is sponsored by Niwaki: the go to destination for functional, durable Japanese gardening gear. For 10% off your Niwaki purchase, head to Niwaki.com and enter the code DIGGINGWITHFLO at the checkout.  Presenter - Flo Dill, Producer - Lizzy King, Editing - Omar Serge, Sound Recording and Mastering - Sophie Ellison A video version of this episode is also…

People in this episode

Host: Flo Dill

Guest: Martin Newell

Topics covered

  • music
  • DIY music scene
  • gardening
  • interviews
  • pop songs
  • Wivenhoe

Keywords

  • Martin Newell
  • Cleaners from Venus
  • DIY music
  • gardening
  • pop music
  • Wivenhoe
  • interview

Sponsors

Niwaki

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cleaners from Venus

Books & works: The Artichoke That Loved Me

Places: Wivenhoe, Essex

More episodes of Digging with Flo

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Digging with Flo podcast page.