BEING LABELLED ‘PROG’ is still something of a novelty for Bristol-based Hands Of The Heron. But following a scene stealing appearance at last October’s Summer’s End Festival, they’re gradually starting to adjust.
“I really enjoyed how shocked some of the audience members were that they enjoyed it,” says multiinstrumentalist and vocalist Beth Roberts with a smile. “But we don’t set out to make music in any particular genre; we just make what sounds good to us.”
The human voice seems to be the most important instrument at the band’s disposal. Vocalist and clarinetist Claire Vine agrees: “There used to be a lot more instrumentation, but we do almost half of the set a capella now. We’re self-taught on our instruments, but we’ve all sung a lot, so there’s more ease in how we write for voice.”