FES

THE KIT LIST FES

INTRODUCTION

Hi, I’m Polly. I’m the guitarist and vocalist in FES. I’d personally describe our style as trying to meet in the middle of Math Rock and Pop with a progressive edge. Over the years my gear and preferences have changed a lot but I love discovering new pedals and sounds and the gear I am using now has become a huge part of the FES sound.

GUITARS

Since 17 I’ve always found myself leaning towards Fender Telecasters and started off the band using my brothers for a couple of years. It was great and it did the job nicely but after purchasing my first Fender Strat, there was no going back. Playing in a 3-piece I’ve found that I’ve needed to take every opportunity to sound as big as I can. Not only do I think the Strat achieves this, but it also has a wider variety of tones to accompany it. In the studio, I also tend to lean towards a Jaguar for those gritty, beefy vibes.

PEDALS

In terms of pedals, it’s been a long journey to where I am now finding what suits the band. I’m a huge fan of Walrus’ pedals! They sound great and they look dreamy.

WALRUS AGES

My most used pedal is the 5 Ages-State Overdrive. I love the versatility of it! It has 5 different types of overdrive which have been so handy when doubletracking guitars in the studio. I used to swear by the Fulltone OCD but like many others, I fell out of love with the company

WALRUS SLO

My other shoutout pedals would be Walrus’ Slo (dreamy reverb). The thing I love about the Slo is the added low octave that it adds to reverb tails. This again comes in handy as a three-piece when we want to create bigger sounds but I find that it’s not too overbearing. Whilst some reverbs can sound like a huge cathedral, the Slo adds colour without losing itself in massive swirling worlds of reverb.

BOSS DD-8 DELAY

I’ve tried out quite a few delays now. But I always end up coming back to Boss’ Delay DD-8. The DD-8 is pretty much always set to the Shimmer; it’s mouthwatering. In our music, we’re not trying to create huge shoe-gazey dreamscapes so the DD-8 gives me a more straight and versatile delay sound.

TOURING ESSENTIALS

Touring can be difficult if you’re an introvert like me! Trying to find time alone to recharge is a difficult task when you’re constantly surrounded by people. So… We need to find a way to create the illusion of being alone. Get an eye mask and thank me later. Make sure to buy one that sits comfortably on your face and doesn’t squash your eyes! Earphones are an obvious must and I’d recommend a book for the long drives. If you’re a person who menstruates, I’d suggest trying out a menstrual cup. They’re more comfortable and generally last longer which means fewer stops along the way.

FES’ Debut album ‘With Regards from Home’ is out April 29th on Small Pond.