The Proctors

Originating from England’s West Midlands, the Proctors built a devoted audience in the 1990s through their ringing twelve-string melodies and charming male-female vocal blends while appearing on the Sunday Records roster. Following an extended break, the band resumed activity in the early 2010s with multiple singles, EPs, and an album, remaining productive until the close of the decade.

The group came together in 1993 when singer and guitarist Gavin Priest joined forces with bassist Stephen Davies and drummer Adrian “Josef” Jones—each of whom had previously performed in the Cudgels—plus vocalist Christina Priest, Gavin’s sister. After hearing their demo, Sunday Records offered a contract and issued the Baby Blue EP as the Proctors’ first 7-inch. Davies departed before the 1994 single “Moon Song,” leaving the remaining trio to deliver their debut album, Pinstripes & Englishmen, the following year. Several tracks they placed on Sunday Records compilations during this era later resurfaced on a 2009 Cloudberry Records EP.

Priest turned his attention to other projects by 1997, so the Proctors stayed silent until 2011, when Priest and Jones regrouped with newcomers Margaret Calleja and Thomas Aherne to release the double-sided 7-inch “All the Books”/“Morning Light” on Shelflife. The refreshed lineup maintained an active release schedule, issuing further singles on both Shelflife and Dufflecoat plus the 2013 album Everlasting Light. Retaining their gift for melodic indie pop while adopting a richer sonic palette, the band continued with the Kaleidoscope EP in 2014, the single “Cellophane” in 2015, and the single “Letters to the Girl” in 2019.