Martha Tilson

Martha “Tilly”, "Tili" our "Tillie" Tilson was a vocalist from the Manchester post-punk and funk scene, previously a member of Occult Chemistry. She joined A Certain Ratio around 1980 and became an important part of the group’s line-up during the period leading up to and including Sextet (1982). Her understated vocals contributed to the band’s increasingly experimental and dance-oriented sound.
Tilson is particularly associated with Sextet, on which she wrote and performed vocals on several tracks, including “Knife Slits Water”. She left A Certain Ratio in 1982, shortly after the release of the album. She has remained associated with the wider Manchester music scene, and her brief tenure with A Certain Ratio remains an important part of the history of the group’s early-1980s period.