Local Grahamstown band, The Fishwives recently returned from Rocking the Daisies in the Western Cape, and they are on a roll.
Local Grahamstown band, The Fishwives recently returned from Rocking the Daisies in the Western Cape, and they are on a roll.
The colourful and quirky group is comprised of Lizzie Gaisford on acoustic guitar and accordion; Celery Burger on electric guitar; Cal Thompson on bass guitar and keyboard; Nicole Germiquet on keyboard, Kalimba and accordion with drummer Strato Copteros backing them up.
Nicola Poulos asks the questions:
Grocott’s Mail (GM): First off, how was your performance at RTD?
Fishwives (F): Pretty tight. We played on the Green Pop stage which made all the difference. Our sound was incredible and Mike, friendly sound engineer, was on-point with what we needed whilst performing in the persistent Western Cape wind. The wind created a reckless energy on stage and a sense of the ‘uncontrollable’ which we fed-off. The stage set-up made our performance close and intimate. Once again, it was great to see familiar faces in the crowd and feed-off their energy as well. One of our supporters said she felt an affection in our set – she said it was magical.
GM: Tell us more about the Green Pop stage?
F: We were happy to be playing for Green Pop because we can relate to their whole festival ethos and the human environment they created. We’re not there to play and be famous; we want to make a difference with whatever we can. We want to get involved. In that sense we were well suited to the stage. The Green Pop stage was solar powered – they were hugely environmentally conscious and welcoming. The sound guys even let me [Cal] plug my laptop in to their power so I could work on my thesis on the first night – and were friendly enough to keep checking I was doing ok. The organisers lived in their interaction with us – it was more than entertainment. For us, the music is the gift; everything else is a bonus. They even let us play the full 1 hour set we had prepared in our original 45 min timeslot. We have Liz, our fairy-godmother to thank for that – for helping all the ‘kids’ make it to the zoo. The Hemporium tent also deserves a mention – Tony Budden and his team are doing a great job of promoting the hemp industry.
GM: About the whole environmentally conscious ethos behind RTD, “Play hard; tread lightly,” how successful is this?
F: In principle the green agenda and the attempts to create awareness around environmental issues is well executed by the festival organisers with recycling bins etc. But we noticed that its the festival goers who need to come to the party. There needs to be a greater awareness, acknowledgement and an attitude change among festival goers. The Green Pop guy on the loud hailer was a nice touch.
GM: How important is it for you as a band to travel far and wide to music festivals such as RTD?
F: Traveling and organising logistics teaches us so much about each other and ourselves. When you improvise in these situations, your personality comes out. We learn who is better at what in our band family and it brings us closer together. We’re not always running through sunflower field – the vibe gets tense at times – but we learn to work together. In terms of music festivals themselves- they are the best place to connect with like-minded musicians and be inspired by them. Its like a conference for musicians – a great networking opportunity. Daisies was especially significant for us as we are currently planning our move to Cape Town. Daisies hosts many Cape Town bands and we were able to make connections for the future.
GM: This was your third festival, after playing at the National Arts Festival and Oppi Koppi. How did it compare and what are you learning from each experience?
F: Each festival has its own unique vibe, logistics and ethos. We played on a bigger stage at Oppi which felt awesome, but our sound and the energy at Daisies stood out for us. Our Daisies performance was fresh. We were far less nervous at Daisies than we were at Oppi. We are feeling more and more confident with each gig. The more festivals we play, the more technical proficiency we learn – there’s a sense of experiential growth. The more we play, the more confident we become and the more fun we start to have on stage.
GM: What were some of your favourite acts at RTD?
F: The Wonton Bishops, Los Tacos, BUCU
GM: Besides the Green Pop Stage, what was your favourite stage at RTD?
F: The Nu World Beat Club, designed by Ma’or Harris. The decor was really unique with its spinning monkeys and mirrors. Ma’or also designed the Bruilof stage that we played on at Oppi.
GM: What is it like being on the VIP side of these festivals?
F: The backstage bar is really cool place to network with other artists. There are obviously the perks like free meals and tequila shots and the campsite is a nice chilled space. Most of all its really awesome to make friends with fellow artists and that we have the chance to develop together.
GM: Do you plan on playing any more festivals?
F: Yes, we’re playing at STRAB Fest (Subterranean Rhythm & Blues) in Mozambique in May next year. We also hope to play Oppi, Splashy and Daisies again and a fest coming up in Zambia. We want to play everywhere.
GM: You debuted a new song at Daisies. How did it go?
F: yes, Pied Piper. Its a song about Grahamstown and Whiskey, and never wanting to leave Grahamstown because of Whiskey. It went really well for the first time.
GM: When can grahamstown expect to hear Pied Piper?
F: Right now academics are taking preference. We are feeling a bit of the pressure from the preparations leading up to Daisies. But we hope to play at least one last farewell Grahamstown gig for you all.
GM: Lastly, a question on many people’s minds is your name, The Fishwives. Where did it come from? and what does it mean?
F: It originated from Sarah’s doodles and her imagination. One day I [Sarah] was drawing fish… and their wives… and I thought to myself, one day when I have a band, we should be called The Fishwives. At that stage it was just Lizzie and I and our friend had actually dubbed us the ‘Beaufort Street Band’. The name ‘Fishwives’ gives us a lot of freedom to just be how we want to be. Artistically it gives us freedom in terms of marketing and posters. It also allows us the freedom to unleash on stage – we get to wear all the crazy colourful clothes we wish we could wear everyday, but refrain, so as to not attract too much unwanted attention on campus.
