Shooting Stansfield

Endeavour EP - Favourtie Son

Edinburgh outfit Shooting Stansfield release the Endeavour EP on April 5th, and should take a massive jump into the consciousness of Scottish music fans.

Opening track Cameras and Lights (below) introduces the bouncy tempo that the majority of the EP purveys. It’s accompanied by guitar work that never tries to be too flashy, but is excellently effective, and brings everything to life.

I don’t really buy into the theory that the sign of a good song is how it sounds stripped down, but Shooting Stansfield certainly give this some premise. The EP’s title track is an acoustic affair (for the most part) and is one of those songs that is delivered softly as it hits hard in every other way.

Endeavour is also probably the best example of the genuine sincerity behind the vocals; throughout the EP the lyrics touch on matters of the heart, but never enter soppy territory due to the delivery and fine musical backdrop.

The EP was a slow burner on me, and I’m not sure why as it’s a free-flowing display of pure songwriting, littered with tracks that stick in your head, like the fantastic Cards, and should grab listeners immediately.

Shooting Stansfield are having a launch night for the EP at Maggie’s Chambers (Edinburgh) on April 5th. Full details will be in the listings on Sunday.
- Favourite Son

Taking their name from Gary Oldman's character in Léon, Edinbugh band Shooting Stansfield's emotive indie is much more of a reluctant hug rather than a murderous hitman. Forming in September of last year, the band has wasted no time in recording their debut EP, 'Human Static' at The Wee Red Bar with Alex Fenton.

The title track starts off as an indie folk lament, erupting into a plethora of catchy guitar hooks and sing a long choruses. It reminds me of fellow Scots There Will Be Fireworks, but less post-rock driven. Singer Stewart Douglas' distinctive vocals compliment the accompanying driving bass and drums and swirling guitars from Stephen Whipp, Craig Robertson and David Steel, perfectly. This is again demonstrated in the slow building song 'Pulse', which again takes influence from several bands in the Scottish scene (Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Idlewild), combining heartfelt lyrics with soaring guitars.

One thing I can take from my introduction to Shooting Stansfield, is that they show how Scottish bands are now looking to home-based bands more than ever for inspiration, and the results are compelling to say the least. If the band can build upon their sound and become a serious live force, then I predict big things for these guys.

Forthcoming debut EP 'Human Static' is launched on 4th March at Sneaky Pete's, with support sets from Windlestray and Birdhead. - Have Fun At Dinner

On the Radar - No 146: Shooting Stansfield

Wednesday, 02 February 2011

Words: Stephen Donkin

I meet the members of Shooting Stansfield in an Edinburgh pub, next door to where they have just finished rehearsing and are treating themselves to a pot of tea and a cheese toastie.



They introduce themselves as Stephen Whipp - lead guitar and, er, "dreamweaver", Craig Robertson - bass guitar, "part-time dreamweaver", Stewart Douglas - vocals, rhythm guitar, “nae chat”, then finally, in unision, David Steel, drummer. Absent. All this happens while medieval flute music plays over the stereo and several elderly gentlemen sip halves of bitter. A bizarre start then.

Human Static EPBased in Edinburgh - although three quarters of Shooting Stansfield hail from sunny Dumfries - the band have so far released one EP called 'Human Static', played a handful of exciting gigs, and are hoping that the release of follow-up EP 'Endeavour' will see them scale the next step upwards.

The band were formed when Stephen and Stewart were playing at an open mic night in the capital. The idea for a wedding band was mooted, to try and make a bit of money, but they "realised you have to be actually quite good to do that".

So that notion was quickly abandoned, to the detriment of prospective brides and grooms all over the country, and the plan was changed to get some original songs together. Stephen’s friends from Dumfries were brought into the fold, Stewart got demo-ing frantically on GarageBand, and Shooting Stansfield were born.

Their first gig came at drummer Dave’s girlfriend’s 21st birthday party, at a tiny club in Dumfries which, they found out at the last minute, lacked a P.A. system to play through. This caused a mad dash around the town to pull as much equipment together as possible, including dusty old amps on chairs, a makeshift drumkit and a mic held together with duct tape. The band like to refer to this gig as "a shambles", or rather, the band catchphrase of "a bobby rambles". This was followed by an attempt at a recording that was aborted and "hidden under the floorboards somewhere".



However, from those shambolic beginnings, the group have gone on to play some very well received gigs, including last year’s Edinburgh Twestival (luddite translation: a festival for Twitter users), which they cite as a highlight of their short career.

Another creative boon for the band was the input of Edinburgh producer Alex Fenton, with whom they have a very collaborative and experimental working partnership, trying everything from recording vocal takes in the corridor of the Edinburgh Art School to using the chairs of the Wee Red Bar as percussion instruments.

Their second EP has been produced with the same setup as the first, but the band feel their songs and sound have progressed and become more like what they had originally envisioned for the group. I just hope none of the medieval flute music creeps into their subconscious, or I’ll feel a little guilty.
- The Scotsman - Under The Radar