Back in the olden days local authorities could do cool things like the free festival, Middlesbrough Music Live. It was here, in the afternoon slot, in the Empire, we first encountered Stornoway. They did an acoustic set as their drummer was revising for his O Levels. We have seen them countless times since; twice at The Westgarth Middlesbrough, Hartlepool Tall Ships event, Oxford, London, Kendal, Pocklington and Newcastle right in the middle of that terrible duty contract bidding round.
They have released a slack handful of albums, mini albums and EPs with a steady expansion in scope and quality. And this week they have announced that they are to split . There is a farewell tour next year of which we cannot make a single date.
They are pretty much the only band we have “followed” from birth to retirement, so currently the latter feels a little more like bereavement.
We last caught them supporting Heaton and Abbot at Scarborough open air theatre, this summer. They did a cut down acoustic set just like on our first encounter and just like this. Farewell.
