Stornoway is a British alternative indie folk band from the Cowley area of Oxford. It consists of singer and guitarist Brian Briggs; multi-instrumentalists Jon Ouin and Oli Steadman, and the latter's brother Rob on drums. The band is usually joined by trumpeter Adam Briggs and violinist Rahul Satija. Named after the Scottish town of Stornoway on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, which appears on all UK televised weather reports and shipping forecasts, the group incorporates string instruments and keyboards, supported by a typical pop backline of guitar, drums, and bass guitar. The band had never visited Stornoway when they decided to name themselves after the town. The band is signed to the British independent record label, 4AD.

On social networks the band are known by the title of an early song from one of their demo EPs: @TheOldBlindMan.

Stornoway's first radio play came in March 2006 with a demo version of "I Saw You Blink" on BBC Oxford Introducing. Radio presenter Tim Bearder was an early champion of the band and was suspended from work after barricading himself in the studio and playing an hour of Stornoway songs from their demo EP The Early Adventures of Stornoway.

Coordinates: 58°12′32″N 6°23′13″W / 58.209°N 6.387°W / 58.209; -6.387

Stornoway (Scottish Gaelic: Steòrnabhagh) is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles (with a third of the population) and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William. The civil parish of Stornoway, including various nearby villages, has a population of approximately 12,000. Stornoway is an important port and the major town and administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides. It is home to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the Western Isles Council) and a variety of educational, sporting and media establishments. Observance of the Christian Sabbath (Sunday) is a prominent and sometimes controversial aspect of the town's culture.

Stornoway was originally a Viking settlement^{[citation needed]} and developed around its well sheltered natural harbour. Reflecting this, the name Stornoway itself is derived from 'Stjórnavágr', an Old Norse word for 'steering bay'. Medieval development of the town was spurred by the construction of the original castle in the High Middle Ages by the Nicolson (or MacNicol) family, themselves of Viking descent. Infighting between rival clans continued throughout the Late Middle Ages and resisted an attempt by the then King of Scotland James VI to colonise Lewis in 1597.