Lanterns On The Lake – Quay Sessions – January 18, 2019 – BBC Radio Scotland –
Lanterns On The Lake to start the week. Recorded for the Quay Sessions at BBC Radio Scotland on January 18,2019.
Lanterns On The Lake is from Newcastle-upon-tyne. Formed in 2007, the band is composed of Hazel Wilde, Paul Gregory, Sarah Kemp, Oliver Ketteringham and Andrew Scrogham.
The band has released two EPs, ‘The Starlight EP’ (2009) and ‘Misfortunes & Minor Victories’ (2010). Budgets being tiny for the EPs, the band borrowed an eight-track recorder and captured every intimate breath and soaring crescendo in their own homes and at an isolated house in Northumberland. Handmade sleeves for both EPs reinforced the self-sufficient approach.
Their début album ‘Gracious Tide, Take Me Home’ was released on 19 September 2011 through Bella Union . The album was produced by Paul Gregory, as he did the band’s first two EPs. Relishing their independence, the band eschewed a recording studio for the album, though the loud bits were done in a basement of a shop in Newcastle.
Founded in Newcastle in 2008, members of Lanterns on the Lake came together after playing in various bands on the local scene. Vocalist and guitarist Hazel Wilde was then engaged to Paul Gregory (guitars, electronics), and both were in a group with drummer Oliver Ketteringham. Wilde and violinist Sarah Kemp were old school friends, and brothers Brendan (bass) and Adam Sykes (guitar, vocals) completed the lineup. Plying their trade in a D.I.Y. fashion and on a small budget, they borrowed an 8-track recorder and set about creating their first two releases, The Starlight EP (2009) and Misfortunes & Minor Victories (2010), capturing the intimacy that was afforded to them by recording in their own homes and an abandoned house in Northumberland. They released their records with handmade sleeves and organized a series of gigs in obscure places, such as a boat house on the Tyne River and the highest pub in Britain (the Tan Hill Inn), garnering a strong following in the process.
Although Lanterns on the Lake received a recording budget after signing to Bella Union in the U.K., their 2011 debut album, Gracious Tide, Take Me Home, was captured in a similar vein to their EPs. Various front rooms, bedrooms, and the basement of a Newcastle shop were among improvised studio spaces. Gregory oversaw production and escalating instrumentation, which featured guitars, violin, mandolin, piano, synths, and glockenspiels. Imagery of the sea and water resonated throughout the band’s work and was further influenced by Wilde and Gregory’s relocation to the coast.
Brendan and Adam Sykes parted ways with the group in 2012, and remaining members pressed onward, releasing sophomore album Until the Colours Run in 2013. The following year, Kemp also left the band, so they added strings player Angela Chan and bassist Bob Allan to the official lineup. Recorded in isolation in their Newcastle rehearsal space and produced again by Gregory, Beings followed in 2015. Live with Royal Northern Sinfonia appeared a year later.
Returning all five members from Beings, Lanterns on the Lake’s fourth studio album, Spook the Herd, arrived on Bella Union in early 2020. Representing their first recording venture outside of Newcastle, it was tracked in a studio in Yorkshire with engineer Joss Worthington and produced by the band.
Here is their Quay Session, recorded for BBC Scotland on January 18, 2019.
As you know, we’ve suspended indefinitely our ads in order to make Past Daily a better experience for you without all the distractions and pop-ups. Because of that, we’re relying more on your support through Patreon to keep us up and running every day. For as little as $5.00 a month you can make a huge difference as well as be able to download all of our posts for free (news, history, music). You’ll see a banner just below. Click on that and become a subscriber – it’s easy, painless and does a world of good.
