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Note: This profile is currently co-maintained by Stephen Manning and Sarah Gordon. Sarah handles most of the day to day maintenance of friend request approvals and forwarding mail received to this account to Stephen.
Statuesque (of London) is the voice and songs of pop auteur Stephen Manning, composer of genius guitar hooks, mesmerizing melodies and clever funny sad angry lyrics, put together (with the help of passing drummers) in a rich tapestry of 'hi-lo-fi' recordings.
The two latest STATUESQUE albums CALLING NATURE'S BLUFF (2007) and
THE GRAPE AND THE GRAIN (2005) are now available in download form
from eMusic and will shortly be on iTunes.
Of the previous albums, CHOIR ABOVE FIRE BELOW (2004) was released on 125 Records (of San Francisco). Visit the 125 site for details and MP3s.
Statuesque emerged in the 1990s with live shows (as a three-piece) in London and pockets of interest from the US underground. Esq on CD debuted on Boston-based label Cassiel in 1996 with the Angleterre EP, led by college radio favourite and CMJ pick "Ton of Feathers, Ton of Steel". This was followed in 1998 by an album, Arbiters Anonymous, recorded at Fort Apache studios.
People once said:
"Although his band's level of commercial success may not reflect it, Stephen Manning, who leads this way-far-underground U.K. outfit, is one of the best songwriters working in the pop-rock idiom. Manning's stuff stands up alongside your favourite Smiths, Morrissey and Radiohead records, while sounding totally unique and individual." (The Big Takeover)
"There are some people who are just blessed with an endless stream of tunes, and Statuesque singer / guitarist Stephen Manning is one of them." (Los Angeles Times)
"The best English pop band you've never heard is Statuesque." (CMJ)
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