Member Since: 2/18/2006
Band Website: you are there already....
Band Members: Brian Briggs
Rob Steadman
Ollie Steadman
Jon Ouin
Adam Briggs
Management: Russell Barker
Sounds Like: "An eccentric but engaging folky take on rustic rock, skewing muted guitar thrashes with buzzing keyboards or subtly-placed trumpet and cello....what really lifts the band above the ordinary is the singer's huge, heroic vocal performance, an equal to The Waterboys’ Mike Scott at its best." NIGHTSHIFT, May 08
'Simon & Garfunkel take over a drum and bass session and some incredible cymbal work makes a sound like sunlight glinting from an icicle.. Except even better. This EP is an embarrassment of riches…whereas the final track (The Good Fish Guide) is just a bit of an embarrassment.' OXFORD BANDS, April 08
‘another fine slice of seaside melancholy, delivered with their finest hooks and bleeding guitars all present, dramatic and stirring throughout.' SUBBA-CULTCHA, April 08
"Stornoway are obviously full of sole. They rock the plaice! We at Greenpeace loved herring this song. Never mind the Pollock – here’s the Good Fish Guide!†GREENPEACE, February 08
"A genuine great pop band, capable of turning bedroom angst into poetry
and making the result sound like The Flying Pickets playing prime Belle
& Sebastian. No hype and an almost heroic lack of attitude meant
Stornoway stood or fell on their songs alone, and tall and proud they
stood. Already the rest of the world is starting to wake up to their
very obvious charms." NIGHTSHIFT, December 07
"This is perfect...I think you're gonna love this" COLIN MURRAY before playing The End of the Movie on BBC RADIO 1, July 07
"Renowned for their live shows...the songs are both arresting and sublime" TRUCK FESTIVAL preview, July 07
"As soon as Stornoway starts playing I know they’re my kind of band. They’re probably your kind of band too. This is stuff I’ve needed to hear. They’re creatively courageous and entertaining, and when the trumpeter comes on stage with a horse’s head on I begin to think more bands could use a trumpet in their sound. Hell, more bands could use a guy in a horse’s head." DAILYINFO, May 07
"Song after exquisite song of intelligent kinder-folk beauty. ‘End of the Movie’ is as bed-sit savvy as the flying pickets doing Adrian Gurvitz’s ‘Classic’, while the impossibly infectious ‘Zorbing’ is an instant hit that just will not leave your head." NIGHTSHIFT, May 07
"Wonderfully lush mixture of simple pop-orientated folk, gorgeous melodies and some sublime harmonies - fuck The View, these boys have got star quality!" SUBBA-CULTCHA, April 07
"Every so often, there are bands who appear on the bills of gigs, completely with no hype and anonymous, and they turn out to be completely formed and brilliant. Taken outside of the live setting, without the fun additions during their performance, it’s clear to see that this is a band of excellent song writers and arrangers...they revert back to the good old days, where great, simple songs will always shine through." NUNUWORLDMUSIC, April 07
"Stornoway are rapidly becoming one of Oxford's best bands without anyone noticing. It may be wonderfully crafted folk-pop, but it veers off on many tangents before coming back home. 'The Pupil Of Your Eye' is like a ride on an old boneshaker, there's delightful trumpet and cello playing, lovely harmonies and in new song 'Zorbing' one of the most gorgeous tunes I've heard in ages." RUSSELL'S REVIEWS, April 07
"Stornoway conjour up the innocent coziness of early Belle and Sebastian...Indie pop fans will melt in the brains, while everyone else will be amused by the photo of a donkey playing the drums on the back cover." ARTROCKER, March 07
"...like the Byrds gone psychotic...Oxford’s best-kept secret. I have a feeling they won’t be for much longer." OXFORDBANDS.COM, March 07
"My cup of tea. Excellent ditties." BETHAN ELFYN, BBC Radio One, March 07
"Hatpop." GAPPY TOOTH, February 07
Type of Label: None