We’re delighted to premiere this outstanding performance of ‘Time Stand Still’ from the gifted Foy Vance. As ever, his characterful voice is central to the song, full of raw emotion. At times, in moments of quiet, Vance’s vocal is masterfully controlled but then there are explosive bursts of dynamic energy as he makes his desperate, soaring plea: “Oh, but if time would just stand still // I’d be fine.” The video is one of a series called ‘Live From The Highlands’, which showcases each song from Vance’s forthcoming album recorded in a natural location. Visually, this is very simple, which serves to focus our attention very effectively on the quality of Vance’s performance. And it is some performance. It’s a joy to see how absorbed Foy Vance is in the music, how lost in the moment, and the sense is that he is exposing the depth of his soul.
At the time the song was written, Vance was struggling to control addictions to alcohol and painkillers. He explains: “I had my first extended period off the road after twenty years of constant touring and I realised:
wow, I drink two bottles of wine and at least a half bottle of vodka a day. I’d start the day with codeine to get myself sorted, and I’d smoke joints throughout the day. So I realised: I have so many incredibly bad habits here. I’m showing all the signs of death, getting ashen, grey, smoking more, drinking more, smoking more…I hit a wall.
It was my manager that made me get help and, in those moments, you do wish time would stand still. Can’t I just stop here and sit in this moment before I have to take up that mantle?”
After a traumatic year, Vance is preparing to release an album, ‘Signs of Life’, that offers a hopeful glimpse of a more positive future. Isolation and fear give way to courage and new beginnings, both personal and global. He explains: “‘Signs of Life is about re-emergence. Me, in my own soft revolution, the world re-emerging in what we’re about to see as we hopefully go back to some semblance of normality. But just life in general – flowers growing through the cracks in Chernobyl. Life finds a way, doesn’t it?” Look out for the upcoming tour to celebrate the album’s release on 10th September. In the meantime, join Foy Vance for this intimate recording. Enjoy.
