20 | August 1, 2013 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News

The day I meet the front woman ofCambridge band Fred’s House, it’s too hot toeven think.

Melting over old fashioned lemonade and jazzmusic on Gwydir Street, Vikki Gavin walks inlooking chic, calm and cool. Oh the envy.

Super petite and surrounded by a mass of wavyblonde hair, the 28-year-old is a school secretaryby day and a folk singer-songwriter by night,performing alongside bandmates Griff Jamieson,31, (co-lead and acoustic guitar), his brotherGafyn, 35, on bass, percussion and backingvocals, with Lachlan Golder, 24, on lead guitarand banjo.

They “straddle the line somewhere betweenacoustic folk and rock,” with lilting harmoniesand catchy tunes. “Alt-folk is a new term I’mhearing recently,” Vikki explains, citing FleetwoodMac, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Bob Dylan ashuge inspirations. “All that kind of West Coast60s and 70s folk-rock. Those sorts of artists aredefinitely what all four of us have been broughtup on.”

To be honest, if you’re interested in theCambridge Music scene at all, you’ve probablyalready stumbled upon them; Fred’s House areserious grafters when it comes to gigging. “People

have come and seen us again and again andagain,” Vikki laughs bemusedly. “Not really surewhy! They must be bored of us!”

Apparently not. They won best act at theCambridge Buskers and Street Performer’sFestival in June (it was a public vote), andhave a slew of festival slots lined up, includingCambridge Rock Festival this weekend.

Vikki, who is originally from Hemel Hempsteadhad classical training (“I did musicals, I’m notsure it’s cool to say that,”), and met Griff whileperforming in a show together. Swiftly becominga couple, they started singing and song-writingand thought: “Let’s move to Cambridge. We’d hadenough of London anyway, it’s too hard! We’re toopoor!” Vikki laughs. “We basically moved up toCambridge to be in the band with the boys.”

Scrapping their acting plans and temp jobs, sheadmits, was “quite a change”.

“Although I’d always loved the sort of musicthat we’re doing, I never thought I’d be singing ina band,” she muses. “Griff and his brother, they’dalways been in bands when they were in SouthWales, as teenagers, growing up, so [for them] itwas going back to something they knew.”

Tentatively forming as a band in 2010, theydrafted in New Zealand-born Lachlan, and

started playing together live in January 2011; andthe name? That came about pretty simply: theyfirst recorded with a guy called Fred at his house.“We have been told it’s quite a bad name!” Vikkilaughs. “At least it means something to us. It was areally good weekend, we were bouncing off eachother and something kind of clicked immediately.We just thought, yeah, we have to do this.”

So far, it’s gone rather well. They’ve had setsat Cambridge Folk Festival, Secret Garden Partyand Bestival, while this year they are gearingup for quirky Hertfordshire festival StandonCalling, thanks to support from the FolkstockArts Foundation which is hosting a “Folkstockpresents” stage.

“Our following has built and it feels like peopleare starting to take a bit more notice,” Vikkiacknowledges modestly. “The word’s getting outthere.”

Darlings of the Cambridge folk scene, thissummer they’ve already showcased what theycan do at Ely Folk Festival. “It was amaaazing!”Vikki grins. “It was just such a nice atmosphere.We were the first band on, on the Friday night,we were thinking there might not be too manypeople but as soon as we started playing everyonecame over.

*

Fred’s House

Cambridge News | cambridge-news.co.uk | August 1, 2013 | 21

Vikki’s top tips forlocal bands

Standon Calling highlights

DON’T JUST READ ABOUT MUSIC – SEE THE ARTISTS IN ACTION AT CAMBRIDGE-NEWS.CO.UK/WHATSON

The music: Aside from Fred’s Houseof course, Standon Calling has a prettyeclectic line-up. Digitalism, Band of Skullsand De La Soul are headlining, while thelikes of Bastille, AlunaGeorge, Lucy Roseand The Joy Formidable are set to haulin the crowds. Cambridge folk acts TheWillows and Boo Hewerdine are also onthe bill.

The activities: The Forest of Freaks ishome to a blur of theatre, film and illusion,with puppets, crazy circus feats, treasurehunts, psychics and cabaret. There willalso be ‘rockaoke’, spoken word, graffitiworkshops, trapeze acts, kids classes anda whole lot of fancy dress.

Don’t miss: The pool. It has an actualswimming pool – what’s not to love?

n www.standon-calling.com

From The Willows and Boo Hewerdine to lastweekend’s Cambridge Folk Festival, the Cambridgeroots scene is looking pretty darn healthy.ELLA WALKER talks to front woman Vikki Gavin,of up-and-coming local band Fred’s House, to seewhat it’s like climbing the city’s folk ladder

“It’s a lovely little festival. And they had abrilliant line-up – they had Karine Polwart andSeth Lakeman and Treacherous Orchestra.”

Perhaps most impressive is the fact they allfit their band commitments in around day jobs.Gafyn is a lawyer (“He’s the only one who earnsany money, for gigs we all get in his companycar.”), Griff is a teaching assistant and Lachlan hasjust graduated from university. It must be tough:“We do get tired but it’s different energy,” saysVikki. “You love doing this and even though youmight get in at midnight from a gig and have to bein work the next day, you kinda don’t care becauseyou just wanna do it anyway.”

The dream, of course, is to switch it so the bandis the full-time job: “We’d love to have a chanceto go on tour, because it is frustrating when youwant to give all your time and energy to do thisbut at the end of the day, we’re not kids anymore,we’ve got to pay our bills.”

Her pragmatism comes in handy, especiallyas: “The standard of artists and bands inCambridgeshire is really, really high so it can behard to stand out.” Frankly, Vikki states: “It is hard,but that’s not going to make us give up,” – evenif they have to deal with the odd shambolic gig.“We just played one of the worst recently,” shelaughs, not wanting to name and shame. “It wassupposed to be a festival but it was more like aprivate party. A big marquee, it should have beenreally nice, hot day – no-one there! They were allgetting over their hangovers from the night before.The soundmen were drunk. It was pretty awful.”

But then again, they’ve had some incredibleones to make up for it, supporting Eddi Reader(“That was an amazing gig”), and playing withtheir new drummer Paul Richards for the first

“We’re old school. We just want to perform live.That is where we really do get the kick.”

time at Fringe in the Fen (“I was buzzing for daysafter that one”).

Launching their single Fine Life is still Vikki’shighlight this year though and, after winningstudio time through a public vote on Band App,they are set to record their next shortly – whenthey get a break from putting together theirdebut album at Milton’s Half Tonne Studios thatis. “We’re taking our time on that, making it thebest it can be,” says Vikki, hinting at a release dateearly next year. “We don’t want to rush it.”

Until then, you’ll find them out and about:“We’re old school. We just want to perform live.That is where we really do get the kick,” Vikkibubbles. “I love being in the studio and therecording is great, but you don’t get that feelingwhen you give somebody your CD and you’re notthere when they first listen to it, whereas onstageyou hear the reaction after you play a song, andhear how the audience is enjoying it, that’s whatmakes it for us.”

We’re expecting big things from these guys.

Play live. Gigging experience is really, reallyimportant.It’s all very well going into the studio andtaking hours and hours recording andgetting it right, but if people come andsee you and you can’t actually do it live. . .you’ve got to get that experience of beingable to be in front of an audience.Anything can go wrong on stage. You canbreak a string, one of you can come in inthe wrong key, you can have awful soundmen – you have to build up that experienceof just doing it and doing it and doing it.You’re there to put the audience at ease,no one likes to stand watching an awfulsituation happen and seeing the persongetting upset on stage because they’re notreally experienced to deal with it.Be professional, be proactive, be a niceperson to work with, don’t be a diva.

n See the videofor Fine Life atcambridge-news.

co.uk/whatson andfind out more about

Fred’s House at http://fredshousemusic.co.uk.