INTRODUCING ALL KILLER NO FILLER FOLK ROCK DUO SOUND OF THE SIRENS....
Passion, conviction and chemistry – three words that describe Sound of the Sirens exceptionally well. Plying their own brand of folk rock, Abbe and Hannah deliver just that on stage. All killer, no filler, Sound of the Sirens produce a foot stomping, crowd engaging sound that gets venues buzzing. Not bad for two girls, two acoustic guitars, and a kick drum, right?
We caught up with Abbe and Hannah where we chatted about corruption, terrible jokes and epic fails, here's how we got on....
We know you’re called Sound of the Sirens and that you’re from Exeter, please tell us a fascinating fact about yourselves that even Google doesn’t know….
Hannah once lost her van door while driving around Exeter and Abbe went to the St Petersburg in Russia for a gig instead of the one in Florida!
Abbe, please would you sum up Hannah in three words?
Generous, messy, sincere.
And Hannah, three words to describe Abbe?
Driven, funny, genuine
You were Voted 'Best Acoustic Act' South West Music Award's 2013, do you intend to defend your title in 2015?
Absolutely! We will do whatever it takes…bribery, violence and corruption!
You are endorsed by Freshman Guitars, how did this come about and how do other artists go about gaining endorsements?
We were asked to play on the Elixir Strings stand at the London Guitar Show and they saw us play. Our method was to smile a lot, talk to everyone and push your luck.
Your latest album ‘A Long Way To Fall’ was recorded live at State of The Ark Studios owned by Grammy award winning Terry Britten, how did this come about?
We entered a competition for South West bands that was run by them. There was meant to be a live final but all of the judges were ill on the scheduled day. We won the prize on the strength of our entry video.
Who produced the album?
Chris West - the loveliest guy ever. He is a good friend of Terry Britten
What is the best advice you have ever been given (about the music industry) and who was it from?
"Gig‼ Keep writing and performing live as much as possible". Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons
You like the output of Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, Ben Howard, Florence and The Machine, if you could choose one of these acts to duet with onstage, who would it be and why?
Mumford and Sons as we’ve watched their rise in the music industry from when they supported Johnny Flynn at Exeter Cavern.
Do you think that Spotify is THE future of music or do you think that CD and Vinyl will always be there?
We hope CD and vinyl will always be there as we love putting together artwork for our CDs and this is lost with downloads.
What was the last joke you heard?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Atch.
Atch who?
Bless you!
No doubt you’ll be playing at loads of festivals during the 2015 season, which ones are you most looking forward to?
We are playing Watchet and Looe festivals and many more.
What do you think about ‘Record Store Day’, where independent record shops sell limited edition and exclusive items for one day only (mainly on vinyl)?
This sounds ace! We support independent music stores all the way - plus they are great for unsigned artists
Do you prefer larger or smaller festivals? Please tell us why…
Smaller festivals have such a great atmosphere where it feels like everyone is best friends for a day. Large festival are a great platform for unsigned bands.
You recently played at ‘Gemfest’ which was hosted at the Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre, how did the day go and which bands or acts would you like to ‘big up’?
It was such a great day and was a massive success. It’s our good friend Gemma Wensley who organises it. She got the idea when a festival themed party was held for her 30th birthday. It was just a small affair with us and a few other friends playing and performing. She has grown it into what it has become today. All of the acts were great, it would be unfair to single out one.
What was the last picture you took on your mobile phone?
The inside of Valvestate studios in Exeter where we are recording our new EP - and probably dog pictures.
There have been loads of stories in the press recently about independent music venues being forced to close their doors owing to poor attendance, why do you think this is? Do you think that supermarkets knocking out booze at less than £1 a pint is partly to blame?
It is definitely partly responsible. It’s such a shame that many music venues pay a lot to ‘covers’ bands but don’t support original material. Years ago people went to see new music regularly - now we only trust it if it’s been on TV or radio.
What was the last movie you saw? What was it about and did it have a happy ending?
Rudderless - it’s got a great message, amazing music and a shocking twist.
You’re all over social media, which platform(s) would you say have helped you the most to engage with people?
Facebook as we don’t get Twitter yet! We will do one day - promise!
What is THE best hangover cure?
Orange juice + marmite on toast‼ Without doubt…or crumpets…we do love our grub
You’re playing alongside ‘Nizlopi’ in May in Perranporth, are you with them for the whole tour?
No, unfortunately not. They have great support throughout their tour. We have loved them for a decade - that’s true.
There are LOADS of bands and musical acts out there, please would you nominate some acts for us to go check out?
Locally there are some great acts:
We enjoyed the answers to our main questions so much, we didn't want to give up here, we thought it was only fair that the ladies go through our 'quickfire round' as well, here's how it went....
Camping or Camper Van?
Camper Van
Festival or regular gig?
Festival
Early bird or can’t get out of bed?
Early Bird
Sunbathing or Snowboarding?
Sunbathing
CD or Vinyl?
Vinyl
Summer or Winter?
Han says Summer, Abbe, Winter because she loves Christmas!
Drum machine or the real deal?
Real Deal
Mac or PC?
PC
Fry up or Sunday Roast?
Sunday Roast
Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)?
Ozzy...SHAAAAARRRROOONNNNNN!!!
The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad?
Breaking Bad all the way - we ♥ Jesse!
Car or Motorbike?
Van
Live Show or Recording Studio?
Live Show
Acoustic or electric?
Acoustic
Shower or Bath?
Shower
Facebook or Twitter?
Tattoos or Piercings?
Tattoos
Robert de Niro or Al Pacino?
Robert de Niro
God or Google?
We'd like to thank Hannah and Abbe for taking time out to answer our questions, we wish them every success with their new EP and future live shows, we hope one day to see them, until then, you can check out their whereabouts and keep upto date via their website and Facebook page which are both listed below;
ocial Media
Interview by Steve Muscutt