I was over the moon when I heard that Devon alt-folk duo SOUND OF THE SIRENS were going to be appearing at BOARDMASTERS FESTIVAL in Newquay this summer, so much so, I got on the information superhighway machine (laptop) and emailed Abbe and Hannah and asked if they’d be up for having a quick chat about it.

Abbe came straight back to me and we had a good old chat about how they felt when they heard they were playing at the festival, heroes they’d like to meet this year and the year Hannah queued up for a bus when she didn’t even need one! Here’s how we got on….

Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your style of music 

We are Abbe Martin and Hannah Wood aka Sound of the Sirens. We are a Folk Rock duo from Devon who harmonise, bang a drum and strum stringed Instruments and whack keys.

If I had to say that you were ‘for fans of’ an artist who would you choose? e.g., if you’re a fan of Adele, you’ll love my music etc etc….

Oh wow that's a difficult question. I guess our music has been inspired by the Artists we love Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling, First Aid Kit ...the one and only Florence. We also can't forget who we loved when we were little....Hanson and The Carpenters 

Tell me how you felt when you heard that you’d be playing at Boardmasters Festival this year?

Over the moon! As Devon girls we would pay to go to Boardmasters every year when we were growing up. We've seen Paulo Nutini, Ben Howard ...even Snoop. It's incredible to be part of the line up this year. It's an amazing festival in a beautiful setting and it's brilliant fun every year without doubt. Even when it rains it's fun.

Do you know which stage you’re playing yet?

We are playing in the pop up pub 'The Keg and Pasty' on Friday, it will be a lively crowd in there so we know it will be fun. 

Have you been there as a festival goer before or played their before? If so, what was your favourite memory

We would go every year! Too many pints of cider followed by a trip on the slingshot is always fun. Photos with policeman in Tutus is a must. One year we lost Hannah to find her in a queue for a bus .. she didn't even need a bus!  We particularly enjoyed watching Kurrupt FM a couple of years ago.

The lineup this year is off the scale (WU TANG CLAN, FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, FOALS), which bands or artists are YOU really excited about?

We are so excited to see Bears Den. We love their music and a dream of ours would be to tour with them. We recently posted a cover of 'Bad Blood' on our page. It goes without saying that we are excited about Florence. She is such an incredible artist and performer. Her shows are always stunning. We've seen her a few times now. We would love to meet them. Let's sneak backstage ....

Any heroes that you’d like to meet? If so, what would you say to them if you did get to meet them?

If we were luckily enough to meet Florence .....hhhmmmm Han would probably cry or dribble or both and I'd panic and ask her something ridiculous like 'so do you have any pets?' We would then both walk away and slap one another.

Will you be sticking around for the whole weekend or heading off after your set?

We are 100% staying for the Saturday so that we get to put the above into action.

Will you be camping or staying in a local hotel?

We will be ‘glamping’ in our vans (not so glam but warmer)

Please give me your top three tips to surviving a weekend music festival

1. Take toilet roll ...there is never enough 

2. Stay hydrated.....cider/gin followed by lots of water 

3. Take cash. There will always be some dodgy hat that you NEED to buy

What do you think it is about Boardmasters that attracts such a large audience year on year?

The beautiful Cornish surroundings! The festival is set on the top of a big hill that overlooks the sea. It's so dramatic. The line up is always ace and there isn't any trouble. It's a great festival.

Will you be catching any of the surfing or BMX action?

We will try our best but we aren't great at either. Sometimes we hire boards on the Sunday and do our own version of surfing called 'sinking and flailing'. Feel free to come and watch us.

Why should people come and watch you perform at Boardmasters? 

We will set the crowd up well for the Wu-tang Clan ....very similar. We promise to be lively, loud, harmonic, full of bantz and lure you in with our lyrics. We will cure a hangover and we don't.... we will join you at the Bar afterwards!

Tell me what 2019 has in store for you (apart from appearing at BM!) (releases, tours, gigs, etc….)

We have just released our 2nd album with DMF. It’s called ‘This Time’ and it’s been so much fun to work on and we have been touring here, there and everywhere since January. We have gigs and festivals throughout this year....all listed on our website - wwwsoundofthesirens.net

We have bits and pieces in Germany...so come on Europe. More tours in the Autumn too. We have such an incredible fan base who have been so supportive of us so watch this space .....anything is possible. Oh and we are running the London marathon for 'Mind'. Yikes! We are continually writing too.....see you in Cornwall.

We’d like to thank Abbe for taking the time out of her hectic schedule to chat to us, as she says above, their new album ‘This Time’ is available to buy, stream, admire right now.

If you’re heading to Boardmasters this year, please do make the effort to go and catch their set, they are super talented and VERY funny, I guarantee you’ll have the best time! Afterwards, they’ll gladly join you for a drink and a dance to Wu Tang Clan…..

Tickets to BOARDMASTERS can be purchased NOW.