The Horn St Albans 4th Sept 2019
Ferris and Sylvester played Glastonbury, and now have sold out gigs waiting for them on their 20 date UK tour. Day 2 brings them to music town, St Albans, and it's a chance for the Streatham based duo to showcase the reason for their ever increasing popularity.
With songs like the heartfelt and raw, Sickness and Breadwinner - a track about “the world going to hell in a toilet bowl,” their set is made of of sounds that cross genres and styles. One moment they are blues, the next they are pairing it down with intimate acoustic tracks like Flying Visits or just letting rip. Heavy mode also suits them without it feeling contrived or out of their depth. Far from seeming to be searching for their sound, Ferris and Sylvester
manage to make whichever style they tackle inimitable. This is partly due to the versatility and charisma of Issy Ferris. Dressed in a 60s floral skirt and a revealing top; even her sartorial style matches her chameleon like approach to music. She’s part Janis Joplin, part Karen Carpenter and sometimes there’s a bit of Robert Plant thrown in for good measure too. She’s also a dynamic bass player.
The intimate and revealing new track This Is How My Voice Sounds showcases her passion for the music along with her ability to be a mesmeric performer. Her partner in crime, Archie Sylvester provides the bassy harmonies and stoic guitar to allow Ferris to fly. Occasionally he steps out for some full on soloing, but in a live setting at least, it’s Ferris who is the main focus and draws out every inch of emotion from their powerful songwriting.
On record you experience this band entirely differently. There’s a certain containment to their sound, with their harmonies coming to the fore, but it’s in the live arena where we really see the band at their best.