Issue 74 / February 2017

8
Bido Lito! February 2017
he popular vote had last year down as a wrong ‘un, what
with pop stars and legends shuffling off this mortal coil
on each of the 366 days, or so it felt (it had to be a leap
year, of course, just to prolong the misery). But for surf-pop trio
THE ORIELLES it was golden. They ended 2016 in the best way
possible, by signing a deal with storied indie label Heavenly
Recordings. But the band’s story started much earlier than 2016:
the trio of Esme Dee Hand-Halford on bass and vocals, Henry
Carlyle Wade on guitar and vocals, and Sidonie B Hand-Halford on
drums, fired out of the starting blocks in 2014 with the Hindering
Waves EP and single Yawn. In 2015 came Space Doubt, plus
cassette release Joey Says We Got It, followed by the Jobin EP
flexidisc in 2016. Which isn’t bad work for a group not yet out
of their teens.
The Orielles are from Halifax, but have become adopted
Liverpudlians since Sidonie started studying at the University
of Liverpool. Halifax isn’t the most rock ‘n’ roll of places
I suggest when I catch up with the three band
members over Skype, or am I wrong?
“There are a couple of bands,
local ones only playing social clubs, so I don’t think there’s much
going on,” says Henry.
“There’s only one or two venues, but just down the road there’s
a great venue, The Trades Club [in Hebden Bridge]. There’s more of
a scene there, for sure,” adds Sidonie, Sid for short.
And it was at The Trades Club in mid-January that The Orielles
became part of the Heavenly Recordings family proper, playing the
Heavenly Weekend in Hebden Bridge mini festival alongside fellow
artists on the label’s roster, Hooton Tennis Club, Duke Garwood, M.
Craft, TOY, Temples, and The Parrots. Indeed, supporting The Parrots
on tour last summer clinched The Orielles their
record deal. “It’s a label we’ve always been
massively interested in,” Esme says. For the
trio, it’s been Heavenly for
a while in the band’s
sights. Esme
picks out Saint
Etienne and
King Gizzard
And The
Lizard Wizard as favourites from the label’s past and current
acolytes, but asserts “they’re all really good to be honest. I can’t
fault any of them.”
Esme and Sid are siblings, and met Henry at a house party a few
years ago. Coming from musical families did help when putting the
band together – Esme and Sid’s dad and uncle are keen musicians
– and Henry has played guitar from an early age. “I used to go
over to my uncle’s house, he has loads of guitars,” recalls Esme.
“One day he gave me a guitar as a present, a Fender Telecaster,
and after a few months when we met Henry I decided to play it
properly.” Esme has since found her natural home on the bass, and
with Henry on guitar, “drums were the only things left!” jokes Sid
about her place in the band. “My dad plays the drums and I’d never
heard him play before, but when I was about 10 or 11 I remember
listening to him play and thinking it was cool.” Having picked up
the basics from her dad, Sid taught herself the rest from there.
Meeting the sisters also changed the path Henry was following.
“I’ve been taught classical since I was six years
old but I’d never thought about playing
electric or being in a band really.
It was all ensembles and taught
pieces, although, weirdly
enough, I’ve had a
hankering
to start
Words: Cath Bore / @cathbore
bidolito.co.uk
Photography: Neelam Khan Vela / neelastica.tumblr.com