We spoke to Stormy Seas a really long time ago, but life got in the way for us and them, and it took us till recently to organise a session. So on a very windy, sunny day, Stormy Seas took us up the back woods for some fun. Please pardon the bad wordplay. There’s more of it to come.

Stormy Seas are 5 boys based around Newhaven, and have been playing their particular brand of dirty, folky, dare-we-say sea shanties around Edinburgh since the end of last year. Unfortunately the band were a man down on the day, but we think you’ll agree that the boys put on a marvellous show without him.

The day was super windy, or stormy, you might say. We set up in the woods up the back of Newhaven, surrounded by dogwalkers and kids on bikes, and we got a few songs while the trees shook around us.

The two songs here are ‘Apple Tree’ and ‘Bird In A Cage’, both gloriously forlorn pieces of folk, modern but with plenty of tradition. While the accompaniment is warm and inviting, the urgent vocals bring a different dimension to the songs, not least a tinge of sadness.

Find out more about The Stormy Seas at their Myspace. They’re playing plenty around the place over the next few months, so make sure you catch them live.