Oxfordshire five-piece The Dreaming Spires unveil the video for ‘Stolen Car’, the third and final single before the release of their upcoming album, ‘Normal Town’, arriving on November 7th via Clubhouse Records (pre-order available via Bandcamp), supported by a UK Tour, dates below.
The track is a powerful, Springsteen-esque anthem telling a tale of life on the wrong side of the tracks. “It’s a slightly embellished true story from one of our childhood friends,” shares frontman Robin Bennett. “The car wasn’t actually stolen, but he did try to escape the police in it!” It’s a darker, more political cousin to their beloved track “Dusty in Memphis.”
‘Normal Town’ marks the band’s first new music in nearly a decade, exploring themes of home, nostalgia, and alienation. Influenced by ’60s rock, Jeff Lynne, and The Who, the album blends their signature roots-infused sound with chamber pop and subtle political commentary. The band, featuring brothers Robin and Joe Bennett (Goldrush, Saint Etienne) and a lineup with extensive touring credits, has crafted an impressive return. With a new record and UK tour dates on the horizon, The Dreaming Spires are beginning an exciting new chapter.
Robin says:
“For the last single leading up to the ‘Normal Town’ album release, there’s a darker, more ominous mood than in the previous videos, for a song where the odds are stacked against the protagonist. A last minute call to open for the Annie Keating band in Newbury gave me an opportunity to film in another town local to where I grew up, and when I learned that it was where my friend and collaborator Martyn – who previously made our ‘Searching for the Supertruth’ video – had grown up on the Greenham estate, it was clearly the perfect location for this video. We explored haunts from his youth, and had a good chat with the present-day owner of Rio’s, where Martyn once flipped burgers. Don’t worry, no cars were stolen during the making of this video.”
Martyn says:
“When Robin first played me “Stolen Car”, it felt eerily personal, a bit like it had been written about my own story. I’d just been diagnosed with Combined ADHD, and through that process also uncovered Complex PTSD linked to a pretty traumatic childhood growing up on the Nightingales estate in Greenham, Newbury. After hearing that, Robin asked if I’d consider shooting the video where I grew up. So that’s exactly what we did. We started outside the house I was raised in, with Robin “stealing” his own car, then spent the day revisiting the streets I still know nearly thirty years later: the pubs I once drank in, Rio’s burger bar where I worked, and even the old Scatboars ramp, whose predecessor I once slept under. It’s not just a music video; it’s a journey back through the places that shaped me, and in many ways, the life I’ve been trying to move beyond ever since. A time where life seamed to fly past whilst I stood still. It was a very surreal day, and whilst I felt totally detached from my past, a bit like it was a different life, or a lifetime ago, it was cathartic and I had the pleasure of taking that journey with an amazing friend.”
The video was directed, filmed and edited by Martyn Chalk, Chalkstar Films.
Normal Town UK Tour
6th November, The Water Rats, London
7th November, Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot
8th November, Great Easton Village Hall, Great Easton
12th November, The Eagle Inn, Salford
13th November, The Rum Shack, Glasgow
15th November, Music in the Hall, Bewdley
Tickets: https://thedreamingspires.co.uk/