ABOUT THIS ITEM

"Hot Toast Volume 1" is the latest release from Beth Jeans Houghton, the Newcastle singer who, to paraphrase The Guardian, joins the dots between Gwen Stefani and Vashti Bunyan. Following the acclaimed single "Golden", this release introduces Beth's band, The Hooves Of Destiny. In no particular order, they are Dav 'Lego' Shiel on keys, Rory 'Grove' Gibson on lefty bass and Findlay 'Vivian' Euan Nimmo MaCaskill on violin. Produced by Tunng's Mike Lindsay, the EP was recorded in his Play Studios, East London, in May.

In more detail: 'The first track, "I Will Return, I Promise", is about the moment when Wilson the football finally floats away from Tom Hanks in Castaway. That always wrenches the fucking guts out of me. "Cruel Francis" is about my old mandolin player, Frank Conway. We used to take ballet classes together in our local church but he ditched me to make sweet love to his sitar, so I burned down his house. "Hot Toast" sounds like it's about a man. But it is really a metaphor for me giving up all things bread related the day I found out I was wheat intolerant. "Anne Cramb" is about a lady and her bench. Last but not least is "Lilyputt", AKA Hooves Of The Sun. It's about running away from a guy with really big hair and having to take my shoes off to go faster.' Beth Jeans Houghton has been playing guitar since the age of 16. She's only 19 now. In the meantime, she's shared a stage with Devendra Banhart, supported Tunng and Tinariwen, hobnobbed with Vetiver, John Martyn, Bon Iver and Joanna Newsome and recorded a single, "Golden"/"Nightswimmer" with Adem.