Interview: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

Sam Duckworth, lead singer of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, talks to Dan Poole about his rise to fame and love of festivals

What with Independent student team being the switched-on, well connected, summer loving peeps that we are ,we decided it would be remiss of us not to go along to Beach Break Live this year, the student only festival that takes place in Cornwall. So, we went. Then, when we got there, we went backstage. Why? Well, not least because of how switched-on and well-connected we are (obviously), but also, and most importantly, to grab Sam Duckworth of Get Cape.Wear Cape. Fly for a chat about surfing, performing live and the life-changing moment he received his A-level results. Here’s what the man had to say.

Have you been surfing yet?

Yeah, it’s good. It’s choppy but if you’re a beginner that’s what you want.Unless you’re a really good surfer, you should never try to do anything that comes up to your neck, because you’ll drown. It’s not so much the actual surfing that’s difficult, it’s getting out into the sea, and having to go over the waves. If it comes up to your neck you have to go under them and the backwash sucks you under, which is where things can go wrong.

So is this your first festival of the summer?

We did one a few weeks ago – which was quite a contrast to this – called the Wood Festival. It’s the first fully sustainable festival, so it’s all powered by solar power and everything was biodegradable, from the tent pegs right the way through to the drinking cups.

And are you going to be sticking around after your set, or shooting off to the next festival?

We were supposed to be shooting off, but I don’t think I can leave! Pendulum are going to be on later – a few hours of drum ‘n’ bass, definitely up for that. Then a little bit of surfing in the morning and straight back to London.

Have you got a lot of festivals coming up after this?

Every week, it’s amazing; there’s one every weekend until the end of September. I like festivals because everyone is really up for it, and it’s nice to have a break in between them; it’s a totally different dynamic to being on tour.

How long have the been together?

Well I’ve been doing it for about four-and-a-half years, but the band has been the same group of guys for about two-and-a-half years. The first show we did was Reading, two years ago. When we play live, it feels more like a band now. It’s nice because it’s bedded into that zone where we read each other, so we can mess up the songs a bit and kind of rework loads of things. I just think it’s fun for someone to hear something they know differently.

Well that’s the thing, if you turn up for a gig, you want the band to play the songs you’ve been listening to, not something completely different...

Yeah, but also you don’t want it to be the same, you want that live energy. We’re on our second album now but we’re predominantly playing stuff off the first, because the second album is only just out and I hate seeing a band that’s playing songs off a new album. I think with festivals, particularly, it’s about playing songs that people really know.

Agreed. Did starting the band mean you didn’t go to university?

The day I got my A-level results was the day I decided I was going to be in the band on a full-time basis. I got into the universities I wanted to, but wasn’t sure how I was going to keep my music going. So, it was a gap year that became a two-year gap year that became four years!

A part of me is still disappointed that I didn’t go to university as I would have loved the opportunity to study something I was into for three years.

What did you apply for?

Advertising – I found it really interesting. I wanted to study in Manchester, which I think is an amazing city. But at the same time, I think that if you’re going to study something for three years and you really love it, it doesn’t matter where you go, it’s passion that makes people get the best experience out of uni.

• Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly will be playing at the Reading and Leeds festivals on 22 and 23 August and at Bestival on 7 September