Stornoway: Part One
- Written by Halla Mohieddeen
This week sees the release of Stornoway's second album Tales from Terra Firma.
Our very own Halla Mohieddeen has been wrapping her ears around the new release, and has been talking to the band themselves about the new record. Here, in the first of a two-part interview and review feature, we find out a bit more about the history of the band, the changes brought by the last three years, and the themes that dominate the album.
Stornoway have been steadily gaining a healthy following since they formed back in Oxford six years ago. Whilst perhaps not ready to rival the commercial muscle of Mumford And Sons in the album sales department, they have achieved what many acts fail to maintain nowadays, and that is a loyal, almost cult-like devotion from their fans and supporters. These self-same fans have been waiting on tenterhooks for the follow up to the critically acclaimed debut Beachcomber’s Windowsill, and now, three years later, the wait is over. Stornoway’s Tales From Terra Firma was released earlier this week, heralding a more mature sound, a kaleidoscopic variety of instrumentation and lyrical depth that will likely solidify their fanbase, providing a hearty antidote to the indentikit manufactured plastic filling out the popular charts.
Not that Stornoway need the extra support, considering how their fanbase and support has grown steadily and organically since the band first formed six years ago, when singer Brian Briggs and guitarist Jon Ouin teamed up with brothers Oli and Rob Steadman. The resulting indie-folk four piece have been continuing patiently since then, courting substantial grassroots support along the way – notably a BBC Oxford DJ who was eventually suspended after locking himself in the studio and playing an hour of Stornoway songs on repeat. The band were also famously the first unsigned band to play Later … with Jools Holland. They are now signed to indie label 4AD, an astute artistic choice, as 4AD have left the boys in creative control. Tales from Terra Firma is self-produced, and perhaps all the better for it. The lack of meddling from the suits upstairs comes through in the more honest sound and heartfelt thread that run through the album. With free reign, the creativity and experimentation that makes up the bulk of Tales brings with it a much more mature sound, and a stronger emotional depth.
A lot of these changes can be explained by individuals in the band. The album has been three years in the making, and a lot has happened in that time. “[Tales is] a development in age I guess,” muses drummer Rob Steadman, “It’s all about rites of passage and moving into adulthood, and the music does reflect that. The lyrics are all about our life experiences since the last album. Brian’s had kids, that’s a huge life change.” Quite. Fortunately the daily rigours of nappy changes, and whose turn it is to check on junior aren’t the backbone of the lyrics; rather the emotional connections are with family, the joys of love, partnerships for the future and planning lives together, and realising that those lives and journeys will one day come to an end.
The tumultuous journey ahead is beautifully captured on the album artwork, designed by graphic artist Kirini Kopcke. “We came up with the idea after realising that all the songs are stories of our experiences over the past couple of years,” explains Steadman. “When people listen to it, it’s like someone telling you a series of short stories, a sort of action adventure, and this informed much of the artwork.” The little boy, and his canine companion, are grasping their bedstead, venturing out into the stormy seas in search of adventure and discovery, and this comes through on listening to Tales From Terra Firma.
Join us on-site tomorrow for the second part of the feature: there'll be more chat from the band, plus a review of new album Tales From Terra Firma.