Members:
Tom Clegg – Guitar/ Ukulele/Vocals
Joe Haig – Piano/ Trumpet/Vocals
Simon Robinson – Guitar/Banjo/ Mandolin /Vocals
Will Fletcher – Drums/Cajon/Percussion
Part 1…
2010: We Invented sci-fi Folk, supported Anais Mitchell, played our first festival, saw the M1, M2 ,M3, M4 and M62 what seemed like a million times, released an album in a wooden sleeve and got played on the Radio!
2011: Continued to tour and record our second album, get a residency at the mighty Folke Newington, play for Sam Lee at the Magpies Nest then Fiish the year and start 2012 NYE at the Southbank!
2012: Sci Fi Folk Evangelists Maia continue to spread the word at no less than 15 festivals over the summer, from Hop Farm to Port Elliot! We shall continue to have a good look at the M1 and will have released “Pepper Stars” So into infinity and beyond star gazers.
Comments from the press:
“youthful, spirited, richly atmospheric and intelligently off-centre alt.folk pop” - Time Out
“Maia have undeniable chemistry on stage, they are mesmerising to watch both visually and musically” - HopFarm Festival
“Their songs deny genre boundaries and are a breathe of fresh air compared to the copycat rock and roll bands around today” - Supajam
“making music that’s simply outrageous, but a LOT of fun, and a marvel to experience.” 9/10 - Hooting and Howling Magazine
“Eclectic with surprising twists and turns throughout their set, Maia are very good atexecuting their own brand of whimsical folk. Upbeat and multi-instrumental, they set the right mood in the glade as feet tap and heads turn.” - Acoustic Magazine (In The Woods Festival)
“The four create gentle melodies and moderate the pace with timeless acoustic instruments” - LSD magazine
“there’s a bit of Beirut, some Deliverance-style banjo, a Mariachi band, some falsetto harmonies that sound a bit like MGMT (if they came from Yorkshire)” - For Folks Sake
“we’re really looking forward to hearing more” - Folk Radio UK
“odd, catchy and quite charming” - Never Enough Notes
“Their Duran-gone-folk sound is as infectious as a yawn, but they’re never likely to raise one from you” - Frost Magazine
“a combination of dreamy landscapes and rootsy instrumentation.” - The Monitors (band of the week)
“Almost shamanistically, it was as if they cast a spell over the audience, banishing stress and sorrow from all who were within earshot.” - Never Enough Notes (live troubadour)
“Much more than just another accoustic folk band, Maia are cut from a different cloth. Sounding like a harder brasher Mumford & Sons fused with Wild Beasts… i.e. pretty fucking fantastic. My new favourite band.” - This Is A Popscene
“Maia have a very unique sound indeed, however there are enough folk elements present for fans of the folk genre. The blending of genres seems like an odd one but Maia somehow manage to make it work like a charm.” - AAA Music
“The daring part is their ability to mix genres and defy categorization” – Folk World
“Remarkable. Foot-stompingly contagious. Fantastic gig, can’t wait to hear more from these genre-busting lads from Huddersfield.” - Never Enough Notes (live Troubadour)
A “sci-fi folk” group from huddersfield known as Maia, who were received with excitement and warmth” - The Times (Cambridge Folk)
“A special mention has to go to Maia, a ridiculously young folk band from Huddersfield who spen all afternoon sucking crowds into TheDen with their cutesy leaf-let marketing ploy (yes, you’ve guessed it, a flyer printed on a leaf) and then spend 45 minutes charming the audience and making sure the effort of finding them was worth it.” - Music OMH (Cambridge Folk)
“Musicianship, production values etc etc are of a very high standard throughout and the sheer breadth of the band’s vision is breathtaking. Highly recommended.” - Stirrings Magazine
“There is a real maturity to their music and, rather than holding them back, their youthfulness adds a fresh playful feel to their summery songs” 8/10 - The Ark (1st album)
“Maia is a cut above your typical singer-songwriter or acoustic-led rock band” - Huddersfield University Press
“The music is refreshing, exerting tones that don’t seems to draw too heavily from a single influence, but instead from totally immersing music” - The Upcoming
“We have a new folk group with grand vision, and charming character… Maia are special and I hasten to say it but, they have the ‘X-factor’. Go look them up now.” - Hyde Park
“a winning combination of simplicity and complexity… which is somewhat addictive” - Fatea Magzine
“Maia achieves a mature sound which belies both their age and the length of their existence” – SoundFreakz
“Simple, earthy vocals provide the commentary where, from out of nowhere it seems, Spanish brass provide the colour” - Trisickle Magazine
Stirrings Magazine: “sheer breadth of the band’s vision is breathtaking.”
Folk World: “The vocals seemingly come from another dimension in a less demonstrative Antony (and the Johnsons) Heggarty style. This has enough elements of folk for genre fans but covers an awful lot of ground and is one of the more compelling listens I have had in a while.”
For Folks Sake: “The most impressive aspect of Maia the Band is that they are more adventurous and eclectic within the course of a single song than some artists dare to be in their entire career”