Stornoway launch new album on a grand stage

So when it came to choosing a spot to launch their long-awaited second album, the East Oxford band knew it had to be somewhere special — and aimed high.

They settled on the city’s grandest public venue — the gothic revival surroundings of Oxford Town Hall.

It’s certainly a step up from the launch of their debut album Beachcomber’s Windowsill, which took place at a pool hall off Cowley Road.

“It’s a fairly obvious one to try and tick off at some point as it’s such a stunning place,” says frontman Brian Briggs.

“It’s about giving the audience as memorable an experience as possible. We are not a huge band by any means but Oxford is our stronghold and we preferred the idea of playing somewhere interesting rather than the obvious big venues like the O2 Academy. And because of the band we are, we are hoping we can get away with it without it turning into a booming mass of noise — particularly when it’s full of people. After all, Supergrass did it.”

The band play the 800-capacity hall this Thursday and Friday. Both are sold out.

“It’s very exciting,” he goes on. “And it’s great that people are interested in finding out what’s going on. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but it has obviously paid off.”

Brian is talking from his home in Temple Cowley, where he and bandmates Jonathan Ouin and brothers Oli and Rob Steadman are preparing for the start of a UK tour which starts tomorrow in the Pennine town of Hebden Bridge.

“We are trying to get ready and have everything rehearsed,” he says.

For a band who pride themselves on their attention to detail, there’s a lot to think of. “We are perfectionists,” he admits. “Especially when it comes to recording. However many takes, it needs to make us happy — and we will keep at it, which is why it takes so long.”

The album, Tales From Terra Firma, is, as one might expect, a gem; unmistakably Stornoway but richer, fuller and more ambitious in its reach.

“We wanted to try everything and make sure we had not missed any opportunities for a handclap or a crumpled crisp packet in the mix,” he says. “And there are a few!”

It has taken almost three years for the lads to follow-up Beachcomber’s Windowsill, the UK Top 20 album, released on 4AD, which went on to prove a hit around the world — opening the doors to shows everywhere from Australia to Glastonbury — where they played eight sets in one weekend.

“It’s been a long project,” he says. “It is three years since the last album came out and we haven’t stopped working on it since. It has been really enjoyable but lots of hard work.

“We recorded more songs than we ended up using, but hopefully we’ll put out an EP too.”

The track listing was put together with typical Stornoway precision.

“We had to work out what fitted where and create an album, not just a set of songs,” says Brian. “Some people will download the songs but we have made this for people who listen to albums, like we do.

“It must take you on a journey.”

The first single will be the hook-laden Knock Me On the Head, but the album is full of instant hits — including breezy opener You Take Me As High As I Am, the anthemic Hook, Line Sinker and the atmospheric (A Belated) Invite To Eternity.

So what are Brian’s favourites? “As a band we are not allowed to have favourites — our songs are like children! But there are a few we are more excited about than others — like (A Belated) Invite To Eternity and The Ones We Hurt the Most. And Hook, Line, Sinker and You Take Me As I Am are both going to be fun when we get the brass going.”

The album was put together in surprisingly humble locations, though with an impressive arsenal of instruments, including dulcimer, harpsichord, thumb piano, mandolin, an analog fingerboard synthesizer and, that old favourite of Cockney knees-ups, the spoons, as well as guitars and brass.

“It was recorded in much the same way as the first — at home in the garage (“Stornostudies”), but also at St Michael at the Northgate Church, in Cornmarket, East Oxford Community Centre and a barn in Steventon.

“It was very much a homemade Oxford thing. It has a bigger sound overall, but not in a complicated way. It has a grander, more powerful sound, but, again, there is some diversity within that. There are highs and lows, more acoustic sounds and more epic moments.

“Overall there is more emotional weight to it but there was no deliberate attempt to take a new direction musically. The other difference is lyrically. Things have been going on in our lives and the songs are telling stories.”

Stories are important to Stornoway, nature-lovers who met as freshers at Oxford Brookes University and who named themselves after the Hebridean port after becoming enchanted at its remoteness.

Brian, a qualified ecologist with a special interest in ducks, admits the band’s passion for the outdoors is reflected in the writing.

“The songs aren’t about wildlife or nature but that is nearly always a backdrop to what the songs are about,” he says. “So there are always references to the outdoors, the weather or rivers — and we try to match up the instrumentation and musical arrangements with the lyrics and mood of the songs.”

It has been a great journey for the band since they first played at the intimate Catweazle Club open-mic night at the East Oxford Community Centre as students back in 2007 or since their breakthrough appearance on Later... with Jools Holland two years later.

“We are still kicking ourselves with every step,” he says. “We never had any real expectation. But, at the end of the day, getting our first gigs at The Wheatsheaf and Bullingdon was just as big a victory as this. Now we are just playing a bigger stage.”

• Stornoway play Oxford Town Hall on Thursday and Friday.
• Tickets have sold out