Under the Radar: Sekoya
Drawing on a wide range of influences, Sekoya’s debut album looks set to make a big impact when it comes out in the autumn, write Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon
Like many of our favourite discoveries over the past couple of years, Sekoya came about during the pandemic when Simon Toner (double bass), Gavin Lamont (drums) and Luke Cunningham (piano/keys) began writing together. This resulted in an album’s worth of demos which so impressed Memphis-based studio Court Square Recordings that it invited the band over to record for ten days at the end of 2022.
Titled Shuna, it is a beautifully crafted piece of work which would best be filed under jazz, although the three members cite a huge range of influences including folk, rock, soul, metal, blues, Scottish trad, contemporary classical and modern textural orchestral music.
It is due for release on 6 October, with an documentary of the band’s ten days in the studio shot by David Hagen due to follow before the end of the year.
In the meantime, Sekoya will also be taking vinyl pre-orders at their forthcoming show at Edinburgh’s Traverse on 28 June (with support from The Jellyman’s Daughter) where merchandise will include their own blend of herbal tea and special calligraphy, made by Cunningham, who is currently training to be a Zen monk. Also listen out for singles St Albert’s Crows on 11 July and Phthalo Blue on 25 August, see www.sekoyamusic.co.uk
Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run music industry seminar and social night Born To Be Wide visit www.borntobewide.co.uk
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