Brighton date for Ferris & Sylvester

Ferris & Sylvester are set to headline Brighton’s Green Store Door on September 19 as they work towards their debut album release next year.
Ferris & SylvesterFerris & Sylvester
Ferris & Sylvester

They have enjoyed an excellent 2019 so far, which began with an impressive sold-out first-ever UK headline tour. They then enjoyed slots at Glastonbury, Neverworld, Boardmasters and plenty of other festivals throughout the summer.

The duo are Archie Sylvester and Issy Ferris.

“We met three years ago in London,” says Issy.

“We were both solo musicians and we met in a bar in London and started writing together.

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“We played together a couple of times and went from there. Archie was doing a lot of blues stuff, and I was doing a lot of folk, and we got together and started to write together.

“It took a while to understand what we wanted to do. We both had clear influences, but by combining them, after about three months, we got our own sound.

“The music is blues folk with a bit of rock in it. We are not interested in being in a genre. We just try to write good songs.

“I was very much in the folk tradition, the traditional folk background which is where I learnt to sing and play.

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“Archie was more into the blues, so it was interesting bringing the two together. It is a real blend.

“I definitely can’t speak for anybody else but that’s what is special about a partnership. For everyone it is different, but we came together and formed the duo.

“I think we both have quite different approaches to song-writing but came together because of those differences. I have an idea, Archie might say ‘You can do better’, or the other way round. You can just push it and push each other and take it that bit further. It is definitely more creative together. Something just started.

“And also when you are working hard and you are away from home a lot and you are touring quite a lot, it is great to be together, to be there to share the pitfalls and to share everything that happens.

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“It has been three years now and we have released a lot of music. And now we are about to do our second UK headline tour which is really exciting.”

Issy is delighted with the progress so far: “In some ways, it is not rocket science. You have just got to go out there and play your best and make good music.

“And if you want somebody to listen to the songs you are writing, you have got to take it to them.

“It is about good music. I really feel the song-writing has got to be at the heart of everything. You have got to start with a good song. You have got to give people truth and meaning.

“We are currently planning the album.

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“We have released a lot of music in the past two years, but it is really exciting to be working up towards our first album. It will be next year.

“We don’t have a name for it yet, but the first album is always such a big thing, isn’t it. It’s how you feel about the world, it is about where you are.

“There will be angry songs that you can bang your head to and other things that you can cry to. It is a real moment in time. It is about light and shade. It is about every emotion and about letting it show.

“When you make an album, it just represents where you are at that particular moment.”

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