Stornoway are a maritime pop quintet from Oxford. The band consists of 2 sets of brothers, and a monk from a local brotherhood. They have never been to Stornoway, but hope to visit their Hebridean namesake soon. They are "a living, breathing Mark Twain novel". Think Guillemots, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, and early Belle and Sebastian, with soaring folk melodies and nifty arrangements. “This is perfectâ€, proclaimed Colin Murray of BBC Radio One.
The band consists of an ornithologist, an occasional Russian translator, a South African Pirate Captain, a trumpeting horse, and a human radio. They are also occasionally joined on stage by two proper musicians with violins. Stornoway were first united in a snow-encrusted garage in Oxford early in 2006 and after winning a giant basket of fruit at a talent contest, resolved to gig more as a means to the prevent the onset of scurvy.
The band recently headlined a sell-out gig at the Oxford Academy, and played main stages at Wychwood, Truck and Wood festivals. They've had airplay on Radio 1 (Colin Murray, Huw Stephens) and BBC 6Music (Tom Robinson), and the band are now working on their much-anticipated debut album. None of them have ever been to Stornoway.
