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Stornoway - The Year In Review: Stornoway
Stornoway : The Year In Review: Stornoway
17th December 2010

Artist: Stornoway
Title: Beachcomber's Windowsill
Cat No: CAD3X20
Release date: 23rd May 2010

"Poignant and enduring" - The Observer
"Our new favourite band" - The Guardian
"The first great album of the summer" - The Times
"Like a blast of sea air that hits you as you alight an overnight train" - Mojo
"Stornoway tug at every emotional fibre in the body" - NME

Stornoway released their debut album, Beachcomber's Windowsill on 23rd May and the year has been a whirlwind of success for the Oxford quartet ever since. Tapping into a subject matter as diverse as New Zealand adrenaline sports, natural history and car journeys, on Beachcomber's Windowsill, Stornoway distilled very personal subject matter and experiences into songs refreshingly free of cynicism or irony.

Having recorded and produced nearly all of the album themselves, the band's relationship with 4AD ensured they were able to take their DIY approach to a much wider fan base. And that they did, playing a series of sold out shows in the UK, as well as making their North American debut in November. Given their academic roots, the band were invited to play an unplugged set in the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, providing yet another example of the band's slightly unconventional approach to music.

Stornoway also recorded the fourth installment in the 4AD Sessions series, performing four tracks from their debut album. Recorded in the beautiful environs of The Rotunda in their native Oxford, the beautifully shot session revealed a delicacy and subtleties at the heart of the band's best songs. To view the entire session and for more details on the 4AD Sessions, visit here.

With shows in Australia and New Zealand, and a newly announced tour across Europe already planned for 2011 (listed below), next year looks to be just as heady for the band, as lead singer Brian reflects:

"Writing from the conifers of Oregon State, NW America, it would be safe to say the its been an eventful and busy year for Stornoway. It feels like about 10 years have passed since we signed our record deal with 4AD on a whiskey-soaked night after our first show in Stornoway, the town, this April. We've released our home-made debut album, eaten our hats when it entered the charts, and since played it on Latvian beaches, damp English dairy farms, Belgian chat shows, in German slaughterhouses, VW Campers, and now in sweaty North American dives. And we're having a blast. There's more touring to come next year, but with bits of time in between to get working on new material, and we can't wait. Thanks everyone for your support - none of this would have happened without you!"

TOUR DATES
4th Feb - St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Alexandria St, Brisbane
5th Feb - St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Melbourne
6th Feb - St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney
8th Feb - St Jerome's Laneway Festival, The Annandale Hotel, Sydney
11th Feb - St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Fowlers Live, Adelaide
12th Feb - St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth
30th Mar - Theater Palace, St Gallen
31st Mar - El Lokal, Zurich
1st Apr - Covo, Bologna
2nd Apr - Circolo Degli Artisti, Rome
4th Apr - La Casa 139, Milan
5th Apr - Parterre, Basel
6th Apr - K-Club @ Kastelbahnhof, Heidelberg
7th Apr - Rokhall Club, Luxembourg City
9th Apr - Postbahnhof, Berlin
10th Apr - Knust, Hamburg
12th Apr - Brotfabrik, Frankfurt
13th Apr - Gebaude 9, Koln
14th Apr - Cafe de la Danse, Paris

Beachcomber's Windowsill is out now on CD, LP and download.

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