Savoy Grand | uk

Formed in 1997, around singer-songwriter Graham Langley, it was 1999 that Savoy Grand was named by the NME (alongside other obscure acts such as Coldplay) as one of the best new bands to watch in the future. Later that year they released the debut 7” single “The Moving Air” on Leicester’s Pickled Egg label. This record received great press and narrowly missed being NME’s single of the week, as the weather at the time was “too sunny”. They followed this a year later with the five track mini-album “Dirty Pillows”, which was released by Narwhal Records in the UK, and (combined with the 7” tracks) in Europe by Glitterhouse Records, in early 2001.

Now we come to the end of 2001, and what is effectively their debut album: “Burn The Furniture”- A nine track epic, recorded over several weekends in 2001 (they all have day jobs, and having previously been based in Nottingham, they are now scattered around London and the Midlands). Where earlier recordings captured the live frailty of the band, this release is more focussed and distilled - Using dramatic dynamics, string quartets, and subtle electronics to open up the dark lyrical world inside the songs. These songs concentrate on the small things that can change your life, or someone elses…Regrets, Frustrations, and Hopes. The things people don’t say, and why they don’t say them… The final track “Face Down In a Fountain” sums these themes up: “the things you don’t notice… are the things closest… you’re just a passer by”.

http://label.glitterhouse.com/artists.php?show=10

http://www.savoygrand.com/

http://www.myspace.com/savoygrand

http://savoygrand.bandcamp.com/

http://www.thesirenssound.com/2010/02/13/savoy-grand/

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