Stornoway: Live at the Dublin Castle
Words by Chris Harding
It’s not often that a support act on a Tuesday night in Camden sticks in the mind quite as firmly as Stornoway.
The band rotates keys, banjo, violin and trumpet into their backbone of vocals, acoustic guitar, drums and bass to create unusually energising and uplifting harmonies. Swaying between heartfelt ballads and vitriolic denouncements of unfaithful partners, Stornoway set the crowd jigging and singing along to infernally catchy tunes.
Stornoway, named after the remote Scottish island, have a bit of a cult following in Oxford and have become fixtures on an indie scene which numbers the likes of Foals, Young Knives, A Silent Film, Jonquil and, of course, Radiohead and Supergrass amongst its alumni. But Stornoway refuse to stand on the shoulders of past and present giants, diverging in style from anything that’s come out of the university town before. They are resolutely twee, right down to lead singer Brian’s uniform of flat felt cap and braces, and turn their back on the edgy zeitgeist, preferring to sing about the timeless struggles and triumphs that anyone can empathise with.
Stornoway do bear some similarities to their more famous predecessors. The four- or five- or six-piece (depending on which day you see them) are picking up recognition from a whole variety of industry figures, including Tom Robinson’s BBC Introducing… and slots at Radio 1’s Big Weekend and Glastonbury, as well as getting glowing write-ups from some of the most respected critics of new music around. They’re also becoming known for their unusual intellect, being called “officially the brainiest group ever” by the Independent and compared to those princes of brain-pop Belle and Sebastian by Artrocker - “clever” is a description which has been applied liberally to both Foals and Radiohead, arguably the two best and most famous Oxford bands at the moment following the waning of Supergrass into Brit-pop veteran status.
Live, Stornoway could not be more different to the swaggering norm that has rolled over that nebulous genre, indie. Brian is a sweetly nervous frontman, jittering and mumbling through facts about birds and lizards as multi-instrumentalist Jon switches from keys to banjo, and Ollie bends double over his bass, wrapped up in the moment while drummer Rob belts out the vocals unheard, eyes screwed shut against distraction. They take a real joy and pride in their music, particularly the little twiddly bits that make Brian and Jon grin and chuckle. For Zorbing - one of their rarest and shiniest gems - trumpeter Adam puts down his pint and joins the band on stage, slotting in behind Ollie before charging in with a brass section that makes the song.
Most special, though, is when the band deems the audience worthy of one of their very special unplugged versions of Battery Human. They ask the audience to be completely quiet so that their voices and instruments will be heard. Once the hush has settled over the crowd, the entire band joins together and harmonises their way through the track, each of their voices distinct but adding to the delectable layers of sound Stornoway are so adept at creating.
Stornoway - humble, serious, fun, unique and utterly, devastatingly beautiful. Don’t miss out.
Posted Wed, April 22, 2009
Comments on Stornoway: Live at the Dublin Castle
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this band. I can’t wait to see them at the Big Weekend. xxx
Posted by: Megan Williams | 22/04/2009 at 16:53
I was at that gig! The sound was a bit odd at first, but they’re amazing! There’s a thing on the guardian website about them too. Love it, I’m definitely seeing them again on the 6th xx
Posted by: Rosie | 24/04/2009 at 12:37
nice review, and i luv the track. y haven’t i heard of these guys before?
Posted by: Ewan | 27/04/2009 at 17:34