Oysterband deconstruct their sound to reveal its acoustic heart.
Following the success of their acoustic, retrospective album The Oxford Girl and Other Stories (Running Man RMCD6, now on general release via Proper Distribution), the band re-invent more classic Oyster songs and rarities in a live show far removed from their usual full-on performances but no less intense and moving.
Great songs and intelligent, powerful lyrics have been given a new depth and intensity by imaginative, spare arrangements and evocative singing. What all of these songs have in common is that Oysterband feel they can still find something new to say about them. They've rearranged, and in some cases reinvented, the songs as simply and as directly as they can, with voices, harmony singing and acoustic instruments to the fore. That's how the group started out, and it feels right to celebrate more than three decades of Oysterband in the same fashion.
The band’s Ian Telfer says ‘we think this is as much a look forward as a look back - it's a statement about where we are now, not where we were then’. They remain committed both to a deep folk heritage and to evolving and redefining the nature of tradition. To quote Ian Anderson (editor, fRoots): “If only most groups half their age could sustain Oysterband's effortless vitality and distinctive creativity…” Over the years Oysterband has made a lot of noise, seen a lot of places, had a lot of fun.
Through all of it the mysterious power of traditional song and the magic of story have never left them. In many ways this current show is the band’s autobiography in song.
What the press say about Oysterband:
"…tremendous, joyous, remarkable... Oysterband…play with an imagination and vigor that makes them the cream of their genre."
ROLLING STONE
“…enduring lineage to traditional song and imaginative arrangements by five hugely accomplished musicians. There’s nothing dated even about the ‘80s tracks and, relevant, inspiring, vital, this still sets the standards.”
MOJO
(reviewing Granite Years, a best-of compilation)
”...great tunes, superb voices, clever lyrics and a big dollop of the stuff that turns a band into a Great British Institution.” R2
"...one of the most irresistible bands of the last decade. And the one before that too."
fROOTS