You’ve just spent the weekend in Jo’burg launching your debut album. What was the most memorable part of your first ever cross-country tour?
For us it was probably being interviewed live on 5FM by Catherine Grenfell and getting to perform two acoustic tracks. We should mention that we drove up to Joburg in onesies given to us by aFREAKa and Mardi Gras, which was memorable and comfortable (Sarah was a lion, Kyle a rhino and Damian a penguin). We also got to perform at a fundraiser for a beautiful little girl named Layla who needs to get to the US for a life-saving surgery. Check out “Raising hope for Layla” page on Facebook to contribute.
Your music has had a great reception in Cape Town. What was Jo’burg’s response? The response we received from our Jo’burg audience was out of this world. The folks up north show a lot of enthusiasm for local music. Our first appearance at Wolves Café was probably our favourite of the tour. It was a very stripped down, intimate acoustic gig and the response from the audience was incredible.
Your live shows are often accompanied by atypical performers (burlesque dancers, artists). What does this adds to your show?
It offers the audience a different experience to the average live band. We feel strongly about putting together a production when we perform rather than it just being another gig. Bringing in various other types of artists brings a great dynamic to the shows and adds a sense of excitement.
“Soul on Fire” has been in the works for almost two years. How do you think spending so much time on the project influenced the end product?
It really allowed us to form a clear picture of what we wanted the album to sound like. Having spent several months in pre-production [and] thoroughly working through the material meant that every song sounded and felt exactly the way it should.
You’ve said that “Soul on Fire” is about “having a burning passion for the things you spend your time doing”. Can you elaborate on this a little?
It’s more specifically about the things you love, for us it represents the passion that we put into our music and the people that surround us. It’s also about fighting for what is closest to your heart and never giving up. As the drawing on the album cover illustrates, it means burning brightly till your last embers.
“Settle Down” was the first single you released and is also the first song on your album. Why is this song so significant to you?
“Settle Down” was a start of a new era for us. It was one of the first songs we wrote as Wolftown and we feel that it defines our sound in one song. As the first single and music video release, it was Wolftown’s first footprint in the music industry.
A large part of Wolftown’s unique sound is based on Sarah’s raw, gritty voice. Was it hard developing a sound such as yours when so many females shy away from such a powerful delivery?
It was more a natural process than a difficult one. When you have so much strength in your vocal section it means you don’t need to add too much volume. The energy is already there, all you need to do is build around that.
The local music industry is currently experiencing a strong wave of folk/blues-inspired music. What do you believe sets Wolftown apart from other artists in your genre?
We don’t really focus on setting ourselves apart from various other artists in the local circuit. We focus on delivering our own personal strengths to the song writing and recording process as well as our live performance. Each of our own personal elements make Wolftown’s sound what it is and sets us apart from other bands in the industry.
