Farmer Phil’s Festival is very pleased to announce that SOUND OF THE SIRENS will joining us this summer in the Shropshire Hills.
Exeter-based duo Abbe Martin and Hannah Wood dovetail beautifully on their beguiling approach to acoustic pop collection replete with lyrical sensibility throughout.
Already championed by Chris Evans – who declared himself “blown away” when he heard Sound of the Sirens for the first time and subsequently invited them to perform alongside U2 and Take That on TFI Friday – the duo has seen their fan base swell on the back of debut album ‘For All Our Sins’.
It’s a fan base built up not just over several sublime EP releases, but also through their live shows that combine a natural facility for connecting with their audiences and unforgettable performances predicated on energy, warmth, humour and, above all, real conviction. This is true whether Sound of the Sirens are playing the intimate environs of Exeter Cathedral, before tens of thousands at the Isle of Wight Festival or supporting Rick Astley on his UK arena tour.
“We work well together,” says Abbe, a graduate of Dartington College of Arts, who is now a vocal coach and drama practitioner for Vocal Arts. “We have fun and a shared vision of what we want our music to do and how we want it to influence people. Music moves people and can help people overcome adversity. As performers we have a responsibility to write music that will impact and not offend. If people are listening to your voice, use it wisely.”
She and Hannah – who studied performance art at Barnstaple College – met when they worked together at the Timepiece in Exeter, the venue which gave them their debut as Sound of the Sirens. Drawing on diverse influences, including Bob Dylan, Ed Sheeran, Joni Mitchell, KT Tunstall, The Carpenters, they write from a personal experience they feel others can relate to. “We can also be quite inventive in our writing, using different text games to create a stimulus from which to write,” says Hannah.
“We definitely put our emotion into our music and publicly vent. We often put a positive spin on the sadness that life can bring, finding strength in doing so and hopefully helping others to deal with the same issues.”
January 2019 saw the release of their second long player. Recorded in an isolated Welsh barn with only guitars, piano, wine and their dogs for company, ‘This Time’ is an accomplished collection that explores love, loss, perseverance, hope and clarity. It blends intoxicating vocal harmonies with beautifully crafted instrumentals to create a seamless and captivating piece of work.