About

Singer / guitarist Lee Fletcher and drummer / chief strategist Paul Douglas had been in south London band Static Flux since mid 2010, whose unusual combination of whimsical yet energetic alternative rock didn’t fit any of the well ploughed furrows most bands of the era fell into.

A line – up change in late 2011 bought in Antonio (Toni) Manuel on bass and lastly Antonio Ramirez on lead guitar, each bringing their own vastly different personalities and musical backgrounds into the mix. Reinventing some existing Static Flux compositions from the year before, and re-christening themselves Stonethief, the new band immediately began forging their unique dynamic sound. Too earnest to be indie, not metal enough for rock, too gutsy to be fashionable, and with solid old school musicianship, the band is often at a loss trying to describe their music.

In the Spring of 2013 the band took over a lovely farmhouse in Kent with Producer / Engineer Mark Lord, which culminated in the first LP “Stonethief” and the 4 track EP “That Look”.

“Our first album was a hoot to make – a real Boy’s Own affair: we rented an isolated farmhouse in the country and moved in for a week and turned it into a studio. Like Zeppelin III but without the drugs and debauchery. We had nightly BBQs, drank plenty of beer, and talked music late into the night.”

2013 and 2014 saw the Stonethief playing mostly London venues (including 2 gigs at the legendary 100 Club, and other circuit favourites like the Water Rats, the Dublin Castle and Proud Galleries Camden) and growing together as friends and bandmates. From 2014 onwards the band entered an intensely creative period, producing abundant new material, the best of which can be found on their second album, “We Stand Up”, soon to be released on Stonetrout Records.

From 2015 onwards the songs started to acquire a slightly more transatlantic feel, a bouncier and less angular sound, naturally gravitating to bigger sounding songs, as can be evidenced in recent cuts such as Armenia We Hear You and Blood Spilling Money Making. This has been a completely gradual and organic development:

“Usually Lee arrives to our studio with parts of a song either written or vaguely arranged in his head, which we run all through a few times. Then Toni, Paul and I come up with individual lines and ideas that we refine as each run through progresses. Sometimes we politely quibble about what should go where. Other times, magic just walks in unannounced”.

Lyrically, the songs are as hard to pigeonhole as the music, with themes ranging from celebrating friendships, dealing with unrequited love and overcoming mental illness.

A different recording approach was applied for the upcoming second album, “We Stand Up”. Much of the instrumentation was recorded separately (including at Stonethief’s own faithful rehearsal space in SE9) and assembled by Sean Kenney of Ten21 Studios, with a more creative production style that included guest instruments such a Hammond keyboard and even an accordion. The original gutsy feel of the band at its core has not been diminished by this approach – quite on the contrary. Songs like Stowaway and Slide Over ooze energy and sass, culminating in explosive, almost head banging worthy grand finales.

Never at a loss for new material, the Stonethief sound keeps evolving, squarely within the musical personalities of the four pillars that have fashioned their style. The latest band jams are hinting at a typically Stonethief sweet and sour combination of tight instrumentation, plenty of punky energy and further unabashed emotions. Just dance like nobody’s looking and watch this space.