With a new EP and full tour, Oxford four-piece Stornoway are rounding off 2013 in style. Frontman Brian Briggs tells Andy Welch about their fantastic year, his new Welsh home and the loyal following they've attracted in America.

 

Stornoway's Brian Briggs is sitting at home in Llangenydd on the Gower Peninsula in south-west Wales. He and his wife moved there in April, realising a lifelong dream of living in the countryside.

It's a location that's popular with surfers, eager to catch some Atlantic waves, and wildlife lovers. As a doctor of ornithology, Briggs most definitely fits in the latter camp and, listening to his lyrics, so often referencing the outdoor world and our relationship with it, it's easy to imagine him feeling completely at home here. The rugged coastline hosting a wide array of waders and seabirds.

"We're enjoying it so far," he says enthusiastically. "My wife and I are both self-employed, so we seized the opportunity when it came up. I've been writing a fair amount when I can, and sit out in my camper van on the drive. It's my peaceful little escape."

He's especially fond of his converted Renault Trafic. It doesn't have any of the prestige of a VW Camper, he notes, but as a custom conversion it's a total one-off, and is Briggs's answer to a garden shed. The soft furnishings of the interior also make for great acoustics.

There are few distractions out by the sea, aside from the recent Gower Bluegrass Festival, so songwriting is the best way to pass the time.

Briggs, who sings and plays guitar, is currently in the gathering process, writing as many songs as he can just to see if there are any concurrent themes for album three. Stornoway are keen to get to work on that, and will start, probably using a producer for the first time, in the New Year.

Born in Bristol, Briggs moved to Oxford when he was 18 to start university, where he met future bandmate Jonathan Ouin during Fresher's Week. They later put out an advert for a bass player and drummer to join them, answered by brothers Oli and Rob Steadman. Stornoway was born, named after the small Scottish town on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides that features in all BBC weather reports.

Briggs stayed in Oxford for the rest of his twenties while he worked towards his PhD. Ouin, meanwhile, has a Masters in Russian literature and worked as a translator after graduating, and Brian's brother Adam, who joins the band when they play live, is a doctor. Oli has a science degree and Rob, the youngest member of the band by a few years, turned down a place at Birmingham University as they signed their record deal with 4AD, shortly after he finished his A-levels. If ever there was a competition to find the country's most qualified band, Stornoway would certainly be in with a shout.

After gaining his PhD - specialising in duck ecology - Briggs, now 33, worked monitoring reptiles. Thankfully, he had an understanding boss.

"He played in a covers band and always dreamed of being in a big band, so when he saw that we were on our way up, he was fine with time off when I needed it."

He credits his and Ouin's first careers with grounding them - so when they were given an advance by their label, they didn't go on a wild spending spree - and instilling a strict work ethic on the band.

"Nature comes into the songs quite a lot," says Briggs, "and there was a time of adjusting which was the hobby and which was the job. I suppose it does make me feel a bit luckier, too, having two passions, although I don't know if you can really call snake monitoring real life. It's not the coalface, but it definitely helps to have worked before the band took off."

Their debut album, Beachcomber's Windowsill, was released in 2010 and charted at No 14. It's since been certified silver, meaning sales of at least 60,000. Their follow-up album, Tales From Terra Firma, followed in March this year and was equally well-received, even if Briggs believes they waited too long to release it.

"Just in terms of keeping up the momentum," he says. "I think fewer people know this album is out because we haven't been played on the radio so much. Things are always that much more exciting when you're releasing a debut," he adds, pointing out that he's far from dispirited, however.

Since Terra Firma was released, the band has been touring, mostly in America where they've gained a relatively small but loyal fan base.

"Things are smaller there, smaller venues and so on, but the people that do come to see us tend to be huge fans and drive for long distances to do so," he says. "I don't know what the key to breaking America is, but we're just going to chip away and hope to get some lucky breaks, maybe a TV show or something like that."

Stornoway have just released a new EP, You Don't Know Anything, comprising songs they're proud of, but which were deemed not in keeping with the rest of Tales From Terra Firma. Later in the month, they begin their second UK tour of the year, albeit in bigger venues than the last time.

"We're playing at the Barbican in London on the last night of the tour. We popped in to have a look around recently, and a band called The Watersons were rehearsing, with Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley and Martin Carthy. It's not always going to be that starry, I don't think, but it was really nice to see, and a reminder of everything we've achieved," says Briggs.

"All things considered, we're pretty damn lucky."


Extra time - Stornoway

:: Stornoway are Brian Briggs (vocals, guitar), Jonathan Ouin (keyboard, strings), Oli Steadman (bass) and Rob Steadman (drums).

:: During performances, they are often joined by Adam Briggs, Rahul Satija, Susie Attwood and Tom Hodgson.

:: When Briggs first spoke to Ouin, he told him he thought he looked like a member of Nineties indie band Teenage Fanclub.

:: They were first played on the radio in 2006, when BBC Oxford DJ Tim Bearder played I Saw You Blink. Bearder was once the only person at one of their early gigs and was once suspended from work after barricading himself in the radio studio and playing an hour of music from their debut EP The Early Adventures Of Stornoway.

:: They were the first-ever unsigned band to appear on Later... With Jools Holland in 2009.


:: Stornoway's new EP, You Don't Know Anything, is out now. Their UK tour begins on November 23. Full dates below

Tour dates

November:

23 - Bristol Academy

24 - Birmingham HMV Institute

25 - Nottingham Rock City

27 - Manchester Ritz

28 - Newcastle Academy

29 - Glasgow ABC

30 - Leeds Metropolitan University

December:

1 - Cambridge Junction

3 - Dublin Button Factory

4 - Belfast Black Box

6 - Cardiff Globe

7 - Salisbury Arts Centre

8 - London Barbican