HAILING from the most distant corner of the British mainland, rising indie stars Neon Waltz get a chance to shine when they re-unite with Noel Gallagher tomorrow.

Two years after they first supported the Oasis songwriter in his hometown of Manchester, the Caithness six-piece again share a bill with the indie legend for Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace.

Liverpool stalwarts The Coral complete the formidable triple bill in a show set against the spectacular backdrop of the Great Court.

Neon Waltz say the invite to join Noel’s High Flying Birds was “the stuff of dreams.”

Hailing from John O’Groats and Wick, lead singer Jordan Shearer, drummer Darren Coghill, guitarists and brothers Kevin and Jamie Swanson, bassist Calvin Wilson and keyboardist Liam Whittles have won national radio airplay with their optimistic EP title track Bright Me to Light. Their captivating debut album, Strange Hymns, which features songs Dreamers and Perfect Frame, was released last August, but it had been a long time coming as Jordan explains: “We’d tried a lot of producers, but we soon realised that what we were looking for, especially on numbers like Sombre Fayre and Veiled Clock, was already captured on our demos which only needed re-mixing.”

Ending their contract with Atlantic Records to join Ignition, the band finished the final four songs at Echo studios in Eastbourne.

They were passionate about our sound and said they wouldn’t charge us if it wasn’t right,” said Jordan.

“There’s definitely been a natural progression in our writing, although because we live and breathe it every day, we don’t always realise at first.”

The lead singer says their new songs have a darker edge.

“We’ve all grown up a bit since we wrote our first record, he says. “We’re confident to do things on own terms now and that freedom is coming through in our music.

“But we also know we probably have less time to get this record right.”

From the top of Scotland, the band have travelled thousands of miles for gigs over the years.

Their homecoming show in May was still two hours away in Inverness. Fortunately, they have local supporters who are prepared to travel too.

“We’re from a small community who follow us like football fans. They’re the sort of people who are always on our side,” said Kevin

Rehearsals are held either at a windswept spot called The Croft, an arts centre in John O’Groats or at Freswick Castle, a place dear to the lads’ heart and where they shot the video for their beautifully haunting single Schoolhouse.

Jordan said, “With everyone writing, the bones of a song come together individually before the rest of the band gets stuck in. There’s as much creativity when we’re apart as when we’re together.”

Sparse conditions at The Croft have also taught them some rudimentary DIY skills.

“At the start there was no proper floor and we had to put up new plaster board walls,” said Kevin. “It was once so windy that the door fell off. We had to hold it in place with a bag of oats!”

They can probably expect better from Blenheim – and leave the oats at home.

  • Neon Waltz and The Coral support Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at Nocturne Live, Blenheim Palace, tomorrow (Fri). Tickets from nocturnelive.com