On the radar: Stanley Odd

Stanley Odd - Think of a Number


In name alone, there's something brilliantly Dickensian about genre melting sextet Stanley Odd.

But the band could have just as easily been dragged from the imagination of Stanley Kubrick rather than Dickens, with the likes of Solareye (vocals), Rune Dog (guitar) and T Lo (keyboards) representing them on stage, where they deliver a thrilling blend of hip hop, indie and funk.

As late guests on the Waverley Stage at the Hogmanay Street Party, the Edinburgh troupe quite literally had a fantastic start to 2010.

Set to release their second single, ‘Think of a Number’, in March on Circular Records, the follow-up to debut ‘The Numbness’, the group’s blatant disregard for conformity rings loud and true.

Hailing from a diverse musical background, Stanley Odd’s ace card is Airdrie frontman Solareye’s powerful Scottish flow, which contrasts perfectly with fellow band-mate Veronika’s milky tone.



Solareye is emphatically in favour of an eclectic approach to the group’s sound: “It's a good thing, I think, because hip hop has always borrowed whatever it liked from all other genres of music and used it to make something new," he says. "This is just like the sampling ethic of classic hip hop only in a live band."

Mainstream coverage on Radio 1 and XFM has blossomed from support by “a bunch of local, underground and internet radio stations,” explains Solareye. “We’re really looking forward to getting out and gigging this year.”

Making these kinds of waves, 2010 could well be the year to catapult Stanley Odd to the forefront of Scotland's music scene.

Words: Dan Moss

Stanley Odd play The Mill @ Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh on 4 March, and King Tut's, Glasgow (supporting Killa Kela) on 8 March.