HIGH HOPES

Ferris & Sylvester

Sublime psychedelic soul meets “Johnny Cash and June Carter, with balls”.

CONSIDERING THEY HAVE a young, excitable son, Lucky, married duo Issy Ferris and Archie Sylvester are bright-eyed for our morning chat, brimming with cheer when asked about their success at the UK Americana Awards, where they were nominated in three categories, and won Best Album for their 2022 debut Superhuman.

They’re also excited about their new album Otherness. Comprising 14 tracks of what Ferris terms “folk-blues rock’n’roll”, it’s the result of “years of writing what’s best for the song, and also what holds an audience’s attention when they might be chatting”.

The pair met in 2016 through playing at respective live music nights at the (sadly now defunct) Spiritual Bar in north London. London-based Sylvester was rocking out at the blues night, while Midlands-born Ferris played the midweek folk spot. Pairing up romantically and musically has led to a stunning line in Led Zepish guitar whoopee tempered by elements of Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling.

They caught the ear of Robert Plant, who they played with in 2018. Among other supporters including ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris and Joe Bonamassa, a more left-field champion from early on has been Martin Glover, aka Youth, Killing Joke bassistturned-producer and label owner/publisher.

“I was invited to play some songs to him,” says Sylvester. “I was very nervous, and he told me they were terrible [laughs]. But he sent me away with constructive cri