Tour time!

We had such a good time on tour! Far be it from us to mix our metaphors, but now that we have tinkled the piano keys of curiosity, and pumped up the inner-tube on the bicycle of happiness, that is to say, played some Proper Gigs in Proper Venues, we’re not quite sure what to do with ourselves, except endeavour to tread water as pyjama-clad swimming-badge-earners diving for the sunken brick of Glory, by writing more music, recording more songs, playing more gigs and being better people.

Here are some highlights of our jolly times. Many thanks go to Kenny and his immense band for having us. We got to play in magnificent, historic halls; our voices soared and our hearts swelled, and now we have so many photos of us looking like we’re being beamed up into space, it’s all we ever wanted.

This from our Sage Gateshead show:

“their warmth soon engages those who have been sensible enough to arrive early, and the reaction rises from an appreciative ‘this could be interesting’ ripple of applause for their opening track, ‘Supercool’, to a full-on whooping and hollering for their last, ‘Ten White Horses’, which, like many of their tunes, starts slowly and quietly, then swells majestically with the aid of an almost military drumbeat and glorious group harmonies.” Box of Peppers

We particularly enjoy all this praise for our sweet harmonies, as these are the result of much courage, the band being mostly comprised of bookish types. And here from our homecoming gig at the Glad at which we were more than a little over-excited…

“The band exude a winsome giddiness that amplifies the wide-eyed joy of Everybody’s Saying’s chanted chorus, while the effervescent instrumental break on Father is a Craftsman, all cymbal splashes and cello arpeggios, is an absolute treat. But it’s the harmonies on the more wistful Ten White Horses that sets hairs tingling, earning an ecstatic response from a Glasgow crowd that, while more than a little bit impartial, knows a great gig when it sees it.” The Skinny

“Stand-out tracks from this hour-long set were “Father is a Craftsman”, definitely a bit of a Waterson/Carthy vibe there, but again totally original and magnificent. The vocal harmonies were standout, Emily’s voice smoky and expressive, the instrumentation sublime, sophisticated, adult …”Bottle Green” – pure subliminal magic, so evocative, right down to the core, the bones, of living life… no, MS have “it”, believe this.” Is this Music?

“debut album Swell to Great was shown off to wondrous effect, played almost in its ambitious entirety, complete with delirious chorales on Today’s Regrets and Bottle Green, and instrumentation including harmonium, synth, chime bells and baby toms” The Fountain 

We had a chat with the Glasgow Evening Times looking back at a fun 2016, which you can read here.

In the meantime, our Kinks cover (‘Harry Rag’) is on the cover CD of this month’s MOJO. We had a lot of fun making it – typewriters and copicats… – and are chuffed to be in some fine company on a very enjoyable compilation.

We’ll have news of more new things soon…

Love,

Modern Studies x