Published Date:
25 July 2008
Friday, 1.15pm - A BOSTON boyhood will be recalled in song on the debut album by a hotly-tipped new London-based band.
Songwriter, singer and guitarist Lindsay Clark was born in the town and spent his formative years in and around the area.
Now his vivid memories of trips to the local coastline have inspired him to write Land Of The Big Skies, one of the stand-out tracks on the upcoming album by six-piece band Grantura.
The outfit's first two singles have already been played and praised on national radio by the likes of Mark Radcliffe and Janice Long, and there is more airplay in the pipeline before the album's release, scheduled for September 1. Grantura were also tipped for the top in The Guardian newspaper's preview of 2008.
Lindsay told The Standard: "I grew up in Boston and went to Hawthorn Tree School. We would go on family walks to Freiston Shore and all those childhood memories stayed with me."
His song contrasts the emotional and personal effects of being raised in the lowlands of Lincolnshire with living an adult life in the capital.
Lindsay and his family moved on to the Newark area when he was about 10. Now aged 36, he has been settled for some years in south-east London.
This was where he started out as a singer-songwriter and met the other members of Grantura – all fellow enthusiasts of such defiantly untrendy musical styles as country-rock, folk and psychedelia, particularly of a '60s and '70s vintage.
"I really enjoy people like The Byrds, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers," explained Lindsay.
Grantura's harmony-laden music is a modern take on the classic American West Coast sound, but imbued with a distinctly English flavour, especially in Lindsay's east coast-inspired lyrics.
Critics have favourably compared the band to – among others – Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Teenage Fanclub.
Lindsay also penned two further numbers, Holly and Hymn For A Drunk, on the album – entitled In Dreams and Other Stories – sharing the songwriting credits with the others on what is very much a team effort.
In the build-up to the CD's release, Grantura have two more major radio sessions lined up next month – on Marc Riley's BBC 6 Music show (Monday, August 4, 7pm) and on BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris Show (Saturday, August 30, 11pm).
The band continue to gig regularly around the London area and, says Lindsay, hope to head north for a few dates in the near future – possibly at Doncaster, Sheffield and Nottingham.
Though none of the band members has yet given up the day job, it remains the ultimate goal: "I'd love to play music full-time," said Lindsay.
Hopefully success for their debut album will help push Grantura a little further along that road.
In Dreams and Other Stories by Grantura is due to be released by Ruffa Lane Records on September 1. For more information about the band go to www.myspace.com/grantura
For the best news, sport and leisure coverage in the area turn to the Boston Standard, out every Wednesday for just 42p.
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Last Updated:
01 August 2008 1:08 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Boston