The title of The Orielles’ 2018 debut album, Silver Dollar Moment, was inspired not by the studio, but by a PRS Foundation-funded trip to Toronto in 2016 to play at Canadian Music Week (now known as Departure). Marking their first gigs abroad, the experience offered the eclectic Yorkshire trio a fresh, wider frame of reference, with these new surroundings feeding into their sense of what their sound could be at a key moment in their development. Case in point: their fateful gig at Toronto’s Silver Dollar Room.
A decade on and the band — comprising Esmé Hand-Halford (vocals, bass), Sidonie Hand-Halford (drums, vocals) and Henry Wade (guitar, vocals) — still look back on that time fondly. That support from PRS Foundation’s International Showcase Fund (ISF), which offers grants for international export opportunities for UK-based music creators, helped the band rack up some crucial live credentials and network with labels, promoters and fellow rising artists.
‘That story is proof that the funding we received enabled us to move forward as a band,’ Esmé recalls to M. ‘We were unsigned at the time, but the trip was a really exciting thing for us. We were like, “Oh shit, this is where music could take us” — and it was all thanks to PRS!’
Playing live remains central to The Orielles’ identity. The band’s upcoming fourth album, Only You Left (due 13 March), reflects the creative confidence and spontaneity that only comes from years of sharing the stage together. By diving into an elastic mix of indie, funk and psych-pop, the record stretches their sound in unexpected directions — crafted by three assured, adventurous songwriters who are fully in sync.
In the run-up to its release, the band have enraptured crowds on tour with English Teacher, played headline dates at independent venues across the country, and added a string of in-store gigs to their busy calendar. M caught up with The Orielles for the latest edition of our On The Road series to discuss, in their own words, how they’re keeping that touring spark alive in 2026.
Sidonie: ‘We've been itching to play a lot of the new tunes on tour, especially as they were written around two years ago now. We started testing a few of them out on the road with English Teacher back in November, which only made us even more hungry to go and do these headline shows and play the album in a much fuller context.’
Henry: ‘We loved the English Teacher tour. It was great to play in rooms that big as well, on these huge stages inside these beautiful concert halls. It was a pleasure to be asked to join them on the road. They are really lovely people, and I feel like we were very well suited musically. Our personalities were very aligned as well.’
Sidonie: ‘Over the years, I think our live set has definitely evolved a lot through touring with other bands and just watching loads of live music ourselves. We've found what we enjoy in a set: it’s important that, sonically, a show ebbs and flows, and that it has a narrative for us to focus on. We will quite often thread songs together through little interludes and moments of tension and release.’
Henry: ‘That's been a big philosophy of ours within how we present our music live. As an audience member, you know that what you hear live in the moment, you'll never hear in the same way again. As soon as those sound waves have disappeared, that's it — it's gone forever. That’s why we like to play around and come up with alternate versions of our songs.
‘In recent years, we've had a lot of feedback from our audience that our set just keeps getting heavier. People are quite surprised by how loud and energetic the live show is! This is another one of our philosophies: you can show restraint on stage, but, ultimately, it's all about energy. This is something we discuss a lot when writing our setlists. We’ve seen big, few thousand-capacity gigs by bands that have been around forever, and we've seen DIY shows with 10 people in the audience. I think we strike a nice balance between those two worlds.’
'We're still learning all the time about touring.' - Esmé Hand-Halford
Esmé: ‘Simply put, we’re still learning all the time. When we were younger and starting out as a band, we definitely needed more guidance and help when it came to touring. We’ve been doing this for so many years now that it was important to take things into our own hands, which felt like a big task to begin with — but once you're out on the road knowing that you're quite self-sufficient, it feels pretty nice.
‘We've always really enjoyed doing tours with a smaller touring party, because it feels a bit more intimate and wholesome in that sense. For bigger shows you do require a few extra sets of hands, but there's something quite sweet about just all getting in a little van and driving around together.’
Henry: ‘But honestly, the game has changed so much in recent years. Nightlife has died in quite a few places. When we were coming up, we would see other bands being able to get nearly a month’s worth of touring out of the UK alone. Now, you would struggle to fill two weeks as so many cities are losing venues. People aren't really buying tickets in advance any more, which means you can't predict how the show's going to sell. Fees have basically stayed the same, but the cost of everything has gone up: hotels, feeding everyone, everyone else's wages — bar that of the artist. Naturally, with the cost of living and the complications that have followed Brexit, turning a profit has become really hard.’
Sidonie: ‘What makes us persevere, though, is how nothing can compare to the adrenaline of playing a live show and having your songs exist in that moment. It’s an electric feeling.’
'Nothing compares to the adrenaline of playing a live show... it's an electric feeling.' - Sidonie Hand-Halford
Henry: ‘We’ve gained more mature perspectives about touring. As we’ve moved into being adults, we’ve come to better understand how some of the people who come to our shows are coming straight after work, or possibly booking time off. When you consider the price of the tickets too, it puts a lot more importance on you delivering the best possible performance you can. From the audience's perspective, these live shows can be a real escape, and it’s our job to provide that.’
Sidonie: ‘It's hard to make much money through music nowadays. For us, it's great knowing that there's something like PRS out there, as just from playing live and reporting our setlists, for example, we get a little bonus.’
Esmé: ‘One rule I’ve tried to stick by when it comes to our PRS income is to always put that money into musical gear. If you're getting paid this money, it gives you the freedom to invest in something like a new instrument or amp — and avoid any looming financial woes when it comes to ensuring that we have what we need for our shows. It often provides us with optimism and hope when we need it the most!’
The Orielles' UK tour continues in Cambridge tonight (30 January) — check out their upcoming tour dates.
Playing live? Find out how you can earn royalties from your gigs by reporting your setlists to PRS.
