Recent from talks
Stornoway (band)
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Stornoway (band)
Stornoway are a British indie folk band from Cowley in Oxford, led by ornithologist Brian Briggs as singer and main songwriter, with multi-instrumentalists Jon Ouin and Oli Steadman.
Their sound incorporates an ever-changing selection of stringed instruments and keyboards, supported by a typical pop backline of guitar, drums and bass guitar, embellished with avant-garde percussion including DIY hardware (saw & axe), cutlery, and Welsh gravel. The trio typically performs live with additional musicians including Thomas E Hodgson on trumpet and percussion; Susie Attwood on violin and percussion; Charlotte Glasson on violin, percussion, saxophone and flute; Felix Higginbottom on drums, percussion and backing vocals; and Adam Briggs on trumpet and percussion.
The band is named after the Scottish town of Stornoway on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, having never been to Stornoway when they decided to name themselves after the town. They have since visited multiple times, the first expedition comprising a performance on 9 April 2010 and the signing of their recording contract with label 4AD. They have explained "We were looking in books about knots and [...] guides to natural history of the seashore [...] this [Stornoway] was the only one that stuck, and it was reinforced by the fact that if you see the BBC weather forecast, Stornoway is up there... so we get this wonderful free promotion every time there's a weather report".
Starting with Dig The Mountain! (and subsequent reissues of Beachcomber's Windowsill & Tales From Terra Firma as well as 2026 album Beyonder), the band have released their music chiefly on recycled materials and packaged in sustainable card packaging. They are informally linked to many nature conservation trusts including BBOWT, HIWWT, RSPB, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, British Trust for Ornithology, and the Woodland Trust. They have also pioneered economic sustainability in local music scenees, particularly their hometown of Oxford (by performing in alternative performance spaces), and particularly with reference to birds & birdsong.
Stornoway's first radio play came in March 2006 with a demo version of "I Saw You Blink" on BBC Oxford Introducing. Radio presenter Tim Bearder was an early champion of the band and was suspended from work after barricading himself in the studio and playing an hour of Stornoway songs from their demo EP The Early Adventures of Stornoway, which had been positively reviewed by local scene mag Nightshift. That collection of 5 demos was followed by a further 2 self-released EPs: Letters From Lewis (2007), and On The Rocks (2008). They headlined the inaugural Wood Festival the same year.
A 2009 appearance at Radio 1's Big Weekend (Lydiard Park, Swindon) led to more festivals later that year (including six sets at Glastonbury festival 2009) documented in a weekly column authored by Jon for UK national press. On 1 September they played a free concert at Tate Modern, London, supported by Reverend and the Makers, launching the 10:10 climate change campaign.
2nd single "Unfaithful" was launched on 21 September at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Their first UK tour took place from 16 to 30 October 2009, culminating in a concert at Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre, accompanied by the Oxford Millennium Orchestra. They were the first non-classical group ever to play in the centuries-old building.
In November 2009 Stornoway became the first-ever unsigned band to appear on Later... with Jools Holland, and performed alongside Sting, Norah Jones, Jay-Z, and Foo Fighters. The attention gained by this appearance led to tens of thousands of views of their homemade YouTube videos, and the band were playlisted on the BBC's national radio stations. In December 2009, Stornoway were announced as entrants onto the longlist of the BBC's Sound of 2010 competition, having been selected by a panel of some 165 UK-based tastemakers. They toured Scotland and Ireland in March 2010 (dubbed the Highlands, Islands and Ireland tour), and signed their record deal in the castle grounds at Lews in Stornoway, after playing in their namesake town for the first time.
Hub AI
Stornoway (band) AI simulator
(@Stornoway (band)_simulator)
Stornoway (band)
Stornoway are a British indie folk band from Cowley in Oxford, led by ornithologist Brian Briggs as singer and main songwriter, with multi-instrumentalists Jon Ouin and Oli Steadman.
Their sound incorporates an ever-changing selection of stringed instruments and keyboards, supported by a typical pop backline of guitar, drums and bass guitar, embellished with avant-garde percussion including DIY hardware (saw & axe), cutlery, and Welsh gravel. The trio typically performs live with additional musicians including Thomas E Hodgson on trumpet and percussion; Susie Attwood on violin and percussion; Charlotte Glasson on violin, percussion, saxophone and flute; Felix Higginbottom on drums, percussion and backing vocals; and Adam Briggs on trumpet and percussion.
The band is named after the Scottish town of Stornoway on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, having never been to Stornoway when they decided to name themselves after the town. They have since visited multiple times, the first expedition comprising a performance on 9 April 2010 and the signing of their recording contract with label 4AD. They have explained "We were looking in books about knots and [...] guides to natural history of the seashore [...] this [Stornoway] was the only one that stuck, and it was reinforced by the fact that if you see the BBC weather forecast, Stornoway is up there... so we get this wonderful free promotion every time there's a weather report".
Starting with Dig The Mountain! (and subsequent reissues of Beachcomber's Windowsill & Tales From Terra Firma as well as 2026 album Beyonder), the band have released their music chiefly on recycled materials and packaged in sustainable card packaging. They are informally linked to many nature conservation trusts including BBOWT, HIWWT, RSPB, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, British Trust for Ornithology, and the Woodland Trust. They have also pioneered economic sustainability in local music scenees, particularly their hometown of Oxford (by performing in alternative performance spaces), and particularly with reference to birds & birdsong.
Stornoway's first radio play came in March 2006 with a demo version of "I Saw You Blink" on BBC Oxford Introducing. Radio presenter Tim Bearder was an early champion of the band and was suspended from work after barricading himself in the studio and playing an hour of Stornoway songs from their demo EP The Early Adventures of Stornoway, which had been positively reviewed by local scene mag Nightshift. That collection of 5 demos was followed by a further 2 self-released EPs: Letters From Lewis (2007), and On The Rocks (2008). They headlined the inaugural Wood Festival the same year.
A 2009 appearance at Radio 1's Big Weekend (Lydiard Park, Swindon) led to more festivals later that year (including six sets at Glastonbury festival 2009) documented in a weekly column authored by Jon for UK national press. On 1 September they played a free concert at Tate Modern, London, supported by Reverend and the Makers, launching the 10:10 climate change campaign.
2nd single "Unfaithful" was launched on 21 September at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Their first UK tour took place from 16 to 30 October 2009, culminating in a concert at Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre, accompanied by the Oxford Millennium Orchestra. They were the first non-classical group ever to play in the centuries-old building.
In November 2009 Stornoway became the first-ever unsigned band to appear on Later... with Jools Holland, and performed alongside Sting, Norah Jones, Jay-Z, and Foo Fighters. The attention gained by this appearance led to tens of thousands of views of their homemade YouTube videos, and the band were playlisted on the BBC's national radio stations. In December 2009, Stornoway were announced as entrants onto the longlist of the BBC's Sound of 2010 competition, having been selected by a panel of some 165 UK-based tastemakers. They toured Scotland and Ireland in March 2010 (dubbed the Highlands, Islands and Ireland tour), and signed their record deal in the castle grounds at Lews in Stornoway, after playing in their namesake town for the first time.
Recent media