The Proctors

An English indie pop band from the West Midlands region, the Proctors' melodious 12-string jangle and winsome boy/girl harmonies won them a cult following during their original 1990s heyday as a part of the Sunday Records roster. After a lengthy hiatus, the group resumed work in the early part of the 2010s, releasing a number of singles, EPs, and an album. They remained active through the end of the decade. Formed in 1993, the Proctors' initial lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Gavin Priest, bassist Stephen Davies, and drummer Adrian "Josef" Jones, all of whom had previously played together in a band called the Cudgels. Joining them on vocals was Gavin's sister, Christina Priest. Indie pop specialists Sunday Records quickly signed them on the basis of their demo tape and released the Proctors' debut 7", the Baby Blue EP. Davies opted out prior to 1994's "Moon Song" single, after which the trio issued their full-length debut, Pinstripes & Englishmen, in 1995. During this period they also contributed several cuts to various Sunday Records compilations, some of which later appeared on a 2009 compilation EP from Cloudberry Records. By 1997, Priest had begun to shift his focus to other musical projects and, aside from the aforementioned rarities compilation, the Proctors weren't heard from again until 2011, when they re-formed to release a pair of new 7" singles, "All the Books"/"Morning Light," on the Shelflife label. This second iteration of the Proctors -- which featured Priest and Jones, along with newcomers Margaret Calleja and Thomas Aherne -- resumed the prolific pace of their early years, issuing several more singles for both Shelflife and the Dufflecoat label as well as a second album, Everlasting Light, in 2013. Musically more lush than before, they continued to produce tuneful, pleasing indie pop over subsequent releases like 2014's Kaleidoscope EP, the 2015 single "Cellophane," and the 2019 single "Letters to the Girl." ~ Timothy Monger