Martin Newell, born on March 4, 1953 in Hertfordshire, England, is a singer-songwriter known for his work with the Cleaners from Venus. He began his music career in 1973 as the lead singer of Colchester glam rock band Plod. After Plod disbanded, Newell joined Gypp and later formed the Cleaners from Venus with Lawrence "Lol" Elliot in 1980, releasing material primarily on cassette tapes. The band signed to Modell Records for Under Wartime Conditions (1984) and RCA Records for Going to England (1987) and Town and Country (1988). In 1988, Newell formed the Brotherhood of Lizards with Peter Nice. In 1993, he released his first non-cassette solo album, The Greatest Living Englishman, produced by Andy Partridge of XTC. Newell continued to release albums including The Off White Album (1995), The Spirit Cage (2000), and Radio Autumn Attic (2002). His songs were covered by various artists, including MGMT in 2011.
