The Staves: the Watford sisters Bon Iver, Tom Jones and critics love

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The Horns in Watford prides itself on being the hotbed of live music in the city, sometimes hosting six concerts a week and providing slots for many new musicians.

However, one of their old regulars should be taken as proof that anyone can go from open mic nights to much bigger stages.

The Staves are three sisters – Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor – from Watford who grew up playing in the Horns and other local venues, first under the name The Staveley-Taylors before someone was born. cut their name off while adding it to a bill and it stuck.

Read more: A look back at Lewis Capaldi, George Ezra and Paloma Faith on the Standon Calling stage

During the years playing in small venues, the two older sisters also went to college before the younger Milly decided to join the band instead, and they made it a priority.

By the turn of the decade, the folk-rock and pop boom was in full swing with names like Mumford and Sons and Laura Marling piercing and becoming household names.

It also meant that once The Staves got their foot in the door, they quickly gained some very famous fans.

Before even releasing an album, they worked with Tom Jones on his single Praise & Blame in 2010 and he then invited the band to join him for a BBC session, giving them another huge boost.

The Staves then toured the United States with Ben Howard among others, with their playful folk-rock which they always said was influenced by Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Their debut album was released in November 2012 and ranked 42 in the UK.

They have also toured with Bon Iver, the hugely popular independent musician, who produced their second album – If I Was – and also helped them reach a much wider audience – including supporting Bon Iver at Wembley Arena and joining their team touring across Asia. .

It was around their second album that they continued to grow, with this record at number 14, and also playing in arenas with Florence and the Machine.

The Staves have never forgotten their Herts roots (Image: Western Mail)

They have also become a staple at festivals around the world, including performing in front of a large crowd at Glastonbury 2015 and broadcast by the BBC, as well as appearances on Later … with Jools Holland cementing them as a household name for fans. of music through generations.

If they spend a lot of time elsewhere and their music has always had a Californian air, they have never shied away from their roots.

They had one of their first Guardian profiles photographed in The Horns, joked about trying to persuade Americans to come to the UK, and – after a detour where the sisters lived in Minneapolis – Emily has now returned to live in the UK. city.

Although none of the songs made reference to Vicarage Road or Harlequin, they responded to a fan by saying, “ALL of our songs are about Watford”.

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After their 2015 album, they released a collaboration with yMusic, but fans would have to wait six years for their third album proper, released in February.

“Good Woman” has been described as an “intimate and breathtaking masterpiece” by Atwood magazine, while The Guardian praised her “beautiful musical composition” and Pitchfork called it “the most personal and most personal statement. more energetic to date ”.

Despite the long absence, it became the band’s second album in the Top 20, ranking at age 13.

In this Guardian profile from 2012, there was debate as to whether the group had done enough to replace occasional visitor and Eastenders actor Shane Ritchie on The Horn’s Wall of Fame.

I think very few people would support Shane.

The Staves will be performing an acoustic homecoming show at Cassiobury Park on August 8 as part of Stage in the Park.

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