Backstage with CuckooRow

The Stroud-based trio CuckooRow are drumming-up quite a following in Gloucestershire – they tell us they’ve even been chased down the street by fans.

Who are CuckooRow?
We’re an acoustic pop band with a line-up including Aimee Ballinger on lead vocals, Meri Wills on piano and backing vocals, and Freddie Whittaker on guitars and backing vocals.

How did the band come about?
Aimee and Freddie were originally part of a rock band called Roundabout – noted for their Stroud Fringe Festival performances in 2005 and 2006. The band disbanded and we formed a small project called The Voiceovers. We developed our own style and then asked Meri to play with us, and CuckooRow has been going since September 2006.

CuckooRow, why call yourself that?
Meri lives in Minchinhampton and on the way to practice we got lost and passed a road called Cuckoo Row. The name The Voiceovers had been criticised so it seemed like a fitting change.

Are you all from Gloucestershire?
Freddie and Aimee both grew up in Stroud, and Meri moved to Minchinhampton after spending her childhood in Somerset.

What’s happening with CuckooRow at the moment?
We’ve now got a good range of original material, penned between us, which takes over the majority of our live sets. This doesn’t stop our frequent playing of covers though, and they’ve often been described as our strongpoint – especially our performance of KT Tunstall’s ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ which won us the best trio prize at the Undiscovered Talent Contest in January – a competition run by The Door Youth Project in Stroud.

Main influences?
Our influences are eclectic, and some of them most people would never even admit to having heard of. We always start by naming KT Tunstall and Regina Spektor, two artists who have revolutionised music in their own unique genres and became popular through years of unnoticed accomplishment, and not just from having a Myspace profile! They also influence the female-vocal-orientated sound of the band. Other influences include Sufjan Stevens, Incubus, Jack Johnson and Radiohead.

Who do you get compared to?
We don’t – which is always nice because it suggests that what we play is unique, in its own way!

Who comes to see you play?
CuckooRow has a great local following – including friends and family of course – as well as some loyal supporters who track down all of our gigs, no matter how obscure the venue.

Latest material?
We recently did a studio session with local producer Andrew Butler, and recorded five tracks that will join two tracks from our previously released EP The Albert Sessions, recorded at The Prince Albert Inn in Rodborough. We’re also intending to make some more recordings and hope to release our debut album at the end of the summer.

Your favourite Gloucestershire venue?
There’s always a fantastic reception at the Vine Tree Inn in Randwick. The owners are always pleased to see us and they genuinely seem to want us there – which makes a change from some local promoters – so our pub gigs are probably the most fun to play.

Where would you most like to play in the county?
The Guildhall in Gloucester would be nice and we’d also love to play Cheltenham Town Hall – they host some fantastic artists and there’s a great atmosphere created by having so many different acts play.

Best local gig you’ve been to?
When Glenn Tilbrook, the ex Squeeze frontman, played at Stroud Subscription Rooms. Our parents are big Squeeze fans and we had a fantastic time.

Who would you most like to support?
It would have to be KT Tunstall, who may well be old enough to be our mother, but she’s fantastic.

Have you ever… thrown a TV out of a hotel window?
We would love to! But as we only ever seem to stay at budget hotels the TV probably wouldn’t be worth much anyway.

Have you ever… had a groupie stalk you?
There was an instance when Aimee was chased down the street to be asked if we could play at someone’s 40th birthday party – so we know we’ve got a following at least!

Can you recommend one album to our readers you don’t think they will have discovered?
A Sufjan Stevens album called Come On! Feel the Illinoise.

Your number one ambition?
To take our music as far as we can go without selling out.

Where can SoGlos.com readers expect to see you in a year’s time?
We’d love to play at Glastonbury Festival – even if it was on a tiny stage!

Catch CuckooRow on Saturday 8 September at this year’s Stroud Fringe Festival, playing the Fawkes Place stage at 11am.

SoGlos.com
27 July 2007