SALLY CURRIE is The Dyr Sister, an enigmatic folk artist from Hull. She spoke to SAL WILCOX ahead of her performance at Substance Live in Hull tomorrow.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
In a nutshell: I’m a one-woman band. I’m a loop pedal artist and my main instrument is the viola and there’s some synths thrown in too. Sometimes I’m called a contemporary folk musician, but I mix a lot of different styles into my songs. I’ve got a lot of different influences and my set covers a huge variety of sounds.
Who are your main influences?
That’s really difficult to answer to be honest. I listen to all sorts! I like a lot of electronic music. I like drum and bass, hip hop, techno – so hopefully you can hear a bit of that in my music. I also love singers Bjork and Kate Bush and bands like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
What makes your performances stand out?
Sometimes people don’t know what to expect from me, as it is a bit unusual. The viola isn’t a very common instrument, and then I’m using a load of loops and pedals on top.
I like to incorporate a lot of stage banter too. A lot of my songs are driven by real life experiences, but it’s great that they get a few laughs too. I really enjoy performing in different or slightly unorthodox spaces, particularly art galleries. I did a gig at Kingston Art Gallery the other week, which was really good fun, despite it being absolutely freezing.
What’s your favourite part of your set?
At the moment, my favourite piece to play is: The Futility of the Thousand-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle. It’s basically about doing a really big jigsaw and only realising there’s some missing pieces when you’re nearly finished. I enjoy playing it because it catches people off-guard – people don’t expect to hear songs about jigsaw puzzles. It’s a mildly depressing topic, but the beat of the song is really uplifting which compliments the futile lyrics nicely.
How are you feeling about playing Substance Live tomorrow?
I’m so excited. I love playing at the City Hall. I’ve played there quite a few times as part of an orchestra, so it’ll be nice to do a solo performance! I feel like I’m returning home.
The lineup is just fab. There’s so many interesting and cool women playing. It’s difficult for female musicians to get the recognition they deserve. It’s great that there are more and more opportunities for women to show off exactly what they’re capable of. It is a sexist industry and female orientated festivals are a great way to tackle the fact that all female or female fronted bands are often overlooked when it comes to festivals. It’s a massive step in the right direction.
On a lighter note – I’ve got a couple of Christmas songs prepared too. I like taking festive songs from around the world and putting my own spin on them.
THE DYR SISTER performs at Substance Live: Future of the North on 9th December, part of Substance, ten days of music, art installations, performance and provocations for Hull 2017 until 12th December 2017. Details here.
More about Substance Live on Culture Vultures