FEATURE:
Spotlight
Ferris & Sylvester
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I don’t think I have…
featured Ferris & Sylvester in Spotlight before. I have been following the duo of Issy Ferris and Archie Sylvester for a few years now. I have watched them grow and continue to put out great music. I will end with a review of their E.P. of last year, I Should Be on a Train. I think a little introduction and background is necessary. I cannot see too many recent interviews (published over the past year), so I want to draw from one that is a little older. If you are not familiar with the incredible duo, their story and rise is one that should hook you in:
“Things are going very well for London based songwriting duo Ferris & Sylvester, yet one-and-a-half years ago they hadn't even met. Back in the summer of 2017, Camden's Spiritual Bar featured a young Issy Ferris playing the weekly folk nights whilst the big-voiced Archie Sylvester headlined Saturday nights with his blues band. The two shared the same stage for six months, but never played the same night. Our story may have been very different had fate (and Raf, the venue booker) not brought them together. A hundred gigs later, Ferris & Sylvester are a force to be reckoned with. Many industry veterans are already backing them as stars of the future and 'Ones To Watch' in 2019 and beyond. And what makes for a star? Classic songs, standout voices, excellent stagecraft and drive, all of which Ferris & Sylvester have by the bucketload.
With clear references to the mid-60s sounds of Greenwich Village, the canny combination of blues, folk and indie-rock 'n' roll that emerged from their solo selves is spellbinding, sitting somewhere between the riff-driven energy of Jack White and the expansive melodies of First Aid Kit ("Alt-Simon & Garfunkel" -- The Guardian). Determined to get their music out there and with next to no budget, the duo recorded and self-produced their 'Made In Streatham' EP (Feb 2018), in the kitchen of their South London flat. Released through their own label Archtop Records, the EP has clocked up millions of streams on Spotify, risen to No.1 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart, No.14 on the Spotify UK Viral Top 50 and received widespread acclaim ("A masterpiece of Brit Folk" -- MOJO). BBC Radio have given Ferris & Sylvester outstanding early affirmation, most notably from Cerys Matthews on her BBC Radio 2 Blues Show and BBC Introducing. Most recently the duo have recorded a prestigious BBC Maida Vale Session, which aired nationally in January across BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. In the press, Rolling Stone tipped them in their 'Top 10 Country Acts to Watch' list, noting "a rich and fully realised sound that leaves one pining for a full length."
Their summer was filled to the brim with choice festival slots including BST in Hyde Park with Eric Clapton, Bath Festival with Robert Plant, the main stage at Wilderness Festival with BBC Music Introducing, and a sold-out show at The Imperial Theatre at their first Reeperbahn festival. Their gig calendar surrounding summer was equally as full and impressive with performances alongside George Ezra, James Blunt, Gary Barlow, Tom Odell, Liza Anne, Anderson East, Tyler Childers and a UK tour opening for old friend Jade Bird. And all this while recording their next project at The Pool Studios with producer Michael Rendall (Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney).
With the dawn of a new year, Ferris & Sylvester are hard at work promoting latest release 'Sickness,' which introduces the sound of their new project: bigger, darker and more ambitious than before. 2019 began strongly with three sold-out showcases at Eurosonic Festival and the confirmation that they would be showcasing with the BBC at the prestigious SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. The momentum has continued to build with a sold-out debut headline tour around the UK and plays on BBC Radio 1 with Huw Stephens. A second headline tour (April/May) is in the diary alongside more singles set for release in the second quarter. In short, there's a lot, lot more to come from Ferris & Sylvester”.
There is a lot of great Ferris & Sylvester music to check out. 2017’s The Yellow Line EP won some positive reviews; they released the excellent Made In Streatham E.P. in 2018. I will come to that in a minute. One reason why the music is so connective and engaging is the connection and closeness of the duo themselves. There is a harmony and understanding that goes into their work and enforces their music. This was sort of touched upon in a 2018 interview with Building Our Own Nashville:
“Yes, made it! So then how would you describe your sound to our readers?
Issy: To be honest it’s a bit of a mish of everything. I think we’ve made a genre of our own in a way.
Archie: I would say, correct me if you disagree, one thing about our music is we’re coming at it from different angles so it’s always meeting and moving.
Issy started off as quite a folky singer and I was quite a bluesy singer and songwriter and then we came together and now we’ve got something that’s somewhere in the middle, with a little rock and roll maybe.
How did you meet and become a band?
Issy: We actually met through the Spiritual Bar community. It’s a little folk/blues bar in Camden which has a family of musicians. Archie had been playing there for quite a few years and I had been playing there for several months but we hadn’t really met.
We had a mutual friend and I was doing a gig in West London and he came along and bought Archie, I think Archie was basically dragged there.
Archie: I was dragged there as a wing man actually. This is the full story. My mate dragged me out to a gig on a random Wednesday night and said “I really need you to come because I fancy this girl called Issy Ferris and I need a wing-man”.
So obviously I was a really good wing-man because I went along and then stole his bird, so he was really happy.
PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Wilberforce
What a good story! and you’re still friends?
Issy: Yes, still friends! We all play at Spiritual Bar and that’s kind of where we grew. I wanted to be Archie’s backing singer so I joined his band.
Archie: And then kicked out the other members.
Issy: (laughing) So we started writing together and since then, we’ve kind of had our home up in Camden to rehearse and grow and develop and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind nearly two years”/
When you write songs how does the process go? Do you go in together or do you come with different ideas?
Issy: We really don’t have a formula. Sometimes we’ll sit down and we won’t have anything in mind and the two of us will work at it and something will happen. Or Archie will say “Ah I’ve got these lyrics” or “this guitar part” or I’ve written a poem and that’s all it is at the moment.
The only thing we do make sure of is that we get the song to a point where it’s sounding great on acoustic guitar and vocals before any other instrumentation or production is done. We’ve got a make shift studio at home but before we go in there we make sure that we’re really happy with it, just the two of us.
Everything has to embellish the core. You can’t put smoke and mirrors around something that you’re not happy with.
Archie: That’s what we’ve been trying to do for our recent projects. That’s not the only way to write a song, who knows in a couple of years we could become a drum and base outlet”.
I think the Made In Streatham E.P. was their first real high. Songs like Better in Yellow and London’s Blues are among their very best songs. I am going to finish with a review of their latest E.P. I wanted to pick up an interesting interview Ferris & Sylvester gave to SW Londoner, where they were asked about the influence and importance of the capital:
“While Issy Ferris comes from the Midlands and Archie Sylvester comes from the south west of England, both have been vocal about their love of where they now call home. They recorded their 2018 EP in their kitchen and named it ‘Made in Streatham’.
Archie said: “I think London feels like home to us. It’s stressful getting in and out sometimes, but when we’re at home, we feel really comfortable. We’re not there enough at the moment. It probably won’t be until 2020 that we’ll get some time to spend at home which we are looking forward to.”
Their music takes traditional American influences and gives them a British twist. Archie said: “We have a lot of American influences, but we try and make sure we’re writing songs from a British angle. It wouldn’t feel genuine writing about pick-up trucks and cowboy boots.”
Place is integral to the duo’s lyrics. Issy explained: “You write about what you know. When we started writing, south west London was our backdrop, that’s where our friends were.
“It’s where our stories have been set. As we toured more, we’ve been broadened but London has definitely been an inspiration while writing together.”
Issy said “We get quite homesick on tour. South west London is a great place to be. We live near Streatham Hill. It’s a place with lots of hustle and bustle but it really is our home.”
She lists her favourite places in south west London as the Hood restaurant, the Hamlet bar and Tooting Bec Common. She also misses the ‘lovely little fox’ that lives in their garden, although Archie disagrees vehemently.
Issy said: “This year, we’ve done two headline tours, released new music, and played 101 shows. We didn’t plan it.
“I’m a massive fan of 101 Dalmatians but there’s no correlation. We just keep a tally of the shows that we’ve done and that’s the grand total.”
Issy declared the two nights at London Bridge’s Omeara in early September as her favourite shows of the year. Issy said: “We were lucky enough to do two nights as the first sold out pretty quickly.
“Those shows were insanely special. We couldn’t believe in six months, we went from The Lexington to playing two nights at Omeara.”
They were especially pleased to have been selected for the Emerging Artist Award by Bob Harris, known for championing young acts throughout nearly 50 years in broadcasting.
Issy said: “Bob and his family have been really amazing to us. We’ve done gigs with Under The Apple Tree, the company he runs with his son to promote new Americana music.
“He’s watched our writing develop, he’s watched us go from not selling any tickets to selling 600 in London. He’s seen that progression.”
It’s hard to pin down the sound of Ferris & Sylvester, but they accept the Americana term with grace.
Archie said: “It’s difficult to define what Americana is, and it’s difficult to define what our music is. There’s blues, folk, rock and soul influences, maybe a tiny bit of country too.
“That’s generally how people define Americana music too. As songwriters, it’s very important to not pigeon hole ourselves into one specific genre, but we feel comfortable in the Americana world”.
I think that everyone should keep an eye out for Ferris & Sylvester as they have a bright future looming. Check out their social media channels to see when they are on the road next (although the image above gives you some guidance). I have been listening back to their E.P. from last year, I Should Be on a Train. At the Barrier had this to say about a remarkable work:
“Ferris & Sylvester are making some pretty significant waves. Already lauded by such luminaries as Bob Harris, who premiered the title track from this new collection on his BBC Radio 2 Country Show, they’ve also been praised widely in the music press. In early 2020, were awarded the Emerging Artist Award at the UK Americana Awards.
The duo are Issy Ferris and Archie Sylvester, and their sound is American West, via South London and takes in touches of folk, blues, pop, psychedelia and, at least on Good Man, one of the tracks on this excellent EP, Eastern influences. They switch interestingly and effectively between up-close intimacy and in-your-face riffing and, on the evidence of I Should Be On A Train, their growing reputation is well-justified.
As noted above, the EP’s title track has already received airplay and is available as a download single or on limited edition 12-inch vinyl. It’s a song that grows from its intimate beginnings into a full-blown power ballad with some nice guitar flourishes and lyrics that articulate the confusion of someone seeking, but for lack of courage failing, to end a relationship. The second track, Knock You Down has a 60s feel to it. Indeed, the intro wouldn’t be out of place on a Donovan album. The song, once again, builds nicely into a riff-heavy chorus which implores the listener “not to let the system knock you down.”
Everyone is Home, a contemplation of the loneliness of COVID isolation, is probably my favourite track on the EP. Again, it’s a song that has already had a degree of exposure and, whilst it starts by lamenting the isolation from a loved one, it does convey a message of hope as the refrain switches from “everyone is lonely, everyone is scared” to “everyone is lonely, everyone is brave” and makes the observation that “we learned what it is to be human again.” Powerful and reassuring messages in these confused times!
On Good Man, the duo get solidly electric, particularly during the chorus, which builds on a strong, insistent riff. The song also incorporates an eastern feel – Indian, or is it Arabian? – in a way that recalls Richard Thompson. The closing track is an enchanting version of With a Little Help From My Friends. Ferris and Sylvester’s version leans more towards the Joe Cocker interpretation than towards The Beatles’ original, but essentially the sound and emphasis is all their own. Issy, in particular, takes the opportunity to give her vocal chords a good workout and the overall effect is admirable, fresh, and utterly enjoyable.
Ferris and Sylvester’s last recorded output, the 2018 EP, Made in Streatham, made a lasting impression. It even managed to hit the number one spot on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart. There’s something stronger than a mere impression that suggests that this new offering is also destined for big things”.
I wonder if we will see a Ferris & Sylvester album later this year. With some incredible E.P.s under their belt, many will look to see whether the duo put out an album. Of course, when things start to get back to normal, there will be a chance to see Ferris & Sylvester on the stage. I have been following them for a few years now and, with every release, they seem to get stronger and reveal new layers. Ferris & Sylvester are definitely…
ONE of my favourite acts.
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