stavenatives

. . . Rock Out in Hoy, Longhope 26th August 2006 . . .

  The YM in Longhope was certainly rockin’ on Saturday. First up were Runt Hörnet, an extremely talented three piece from Barrow in Furness: Julian on Guitar and vocals, Howie on his legendary mono-bass and Heather on the drums. I must say that I was completely blown away with the sound that they produced, talk about a wall of sound… beats me how they achieve it. If you ever get the chance to see them, do so! I kinda wished they hadn’t left three songs out, Julian thought they had played long enough but no, the crowd were superbly responsive, shouting and cheering after every song and I sincerely hope that the Runts had as good a time as was had on the dance floor. So, well done to them and here’s hoping that you continue to write such strong, powerful songs. You are most welcome to return!

  After a slight interlude, bit of a rock disco type thing (music while the next band set-up), Dazed rocked the youngsters! They had a guest bassist this time (ahem….) all went reasonably well for their set, some of the songs though were a bit on the fast side making them a tad sloppy sounding but all in all a fair performance. They had some great original material this time and I feel that perhaps this is something that they should work towards as their choice of covers doesn’t always work for Nadines vocals. Their acoustic set wasn’t really required as the crowd were somewhat rocked up after the runts and needed to be kept there. However, well done you lot!

  Then, finally the Stave Natives… well, it’s me (Davy) writing this so I can’t really say much about that except it went well and the crowd have their favourites! (Transparency, Poison Blonde, Out Cold on a Public Convenience Floor). Dancing and cheering was well appreciated, so thanks to you all!

. . . Stave Natives, Roll Machine and Dazed at Matchmakers, 15th July 2006 . . .

  There was a great night’s entertainment at Matchmaker’s on Saturday, with three excellent Orkney bands performing original material. There was no admission fee, due to the bands performing free of charge, which made me wonder why the venue wasn’t packed. Those who attended seemed to enjoy the night and all the bands had clearly already built up a following. Merry friends on a night out, 18th Birthday, I believe, dressed in fancy hats, brightened up the evening.

  Davy Gray did an excellent job on the sound for the two young bands. The Stave Natives may have benefited from their own sound engineer as at times the bass and vocals were lost in the mix.

  My only criticism of the whole night was that I felt vocals were compromised by the loudness of the drums and lead guitars. I would have liked to have been able to hear the words more clearly. This was the case for all three bands. However, overall the sound was very good and not too loud.

  Stromness student band Dazed was up first. All these young performers, Nadine Headley (vocals), Ellen Walker (bass), Andrew Cowan (guitar) and Cliff Seator (drums), had good stage presence and appeared relaxed throughout their set. Nadine and guitarist Andrew slowed things down at one point and Nadine sat on the stage to sing a ballad which gave the audience the opportunity to hear the lovely and true quality of her voice.

  Roll Machine who are: Hugh Mainland (lead guitar), Ian Craigie (vocals), John Brown (drums), William Mills (bass guitar), Max Inkster (lead guitar), did a set of 50% original material. Their covers were very well played, I liked the way the singer, during Hendrix’s Hey Joe, held the microphone for the guitarist, Max, to sing with him. This young Kirkwall band played a very tight set and have found their own original, lively style and represent another huge local talent.

  The original material of both these bands was commendable and I look forward to seeing how all these immensely talented individuals develop with time and experience.

  It has been eleven months since I last saw the Stave Natives perform. They have taken themselves away and developed their act to good effect. Drummer Johnny is well and truly broken in now! Davy and Johnny worked together superbly on bass and drums to provide the rhythm for Seona’s lead guitar and vocals.

  I caught most of the Stave Natives lyrics which are interesting, pertinent to our times and definitely worthy of being listened to. Their songwriting is a real strength and the new songs are every bit as good as last years. Catchy tunes and lyrics that I’m finding myself singing along with after several hearings. My favourite arrangement was “winter weaves her web….” (Horizon in the Making).

  I look forward to further Band Nights at Matchmakers with more Orkney talent performing their original material.

Review by Catherine Grivas. Published in Orkney Today, 20th July 2006

. . . The Orcadian, Thursday 11th August 2005 (edited entry) . . .

  Local band Stave Natives will make their debut appearance with a new line-up on Friday, August 19th, in the Auld Motor Hoose.

  Seona Dunsmuir and Dave Gray will appear with new drummer, Johnny Foulis, for the first time in Kirkwall.

  They will be performing a stack of new material on the night, making this a must-see performance for fans.

  Drummer Johnny told The Orcadian: “I feel that this is the best band I’ve played in. Dave and Seona are not just brilliant musicians, with degrees to prove it, but really play blood and guts and that’s what I like.
There is a lot in our songs like punk and rock and a lot of attitude – really grinding stuff that makes you want to strut your stuff.

  After a couple of months of writing and rehearsing, it will be good to get out there and see how people react to our songs. I’m glad it has worked out, as my attempt at starting a Braelanders tribute band fell flat on its face!”

  All of the music is self-penned by the group, and has been likened to that of artists such as P J Harvey, the Foo Fighters, Muse and Queens of the Stone Age.

. . . The Orcadian, Thursday 12th May 2005 (edited entry) . . .

  ”I wouldn’t have missed this for the world!”
  ”So glad we made the effort to come.”
  ”This band could hold their own at any of the major festivals” (and this from veterans of T in the Park and Glastonbury).

  These were some of the comments overheard at The Gable End Theatre last Friday night when Stave Natives gave their debut performance.

  Those of you who weren’t occupying the few empty seats don’t know what you were missing…