by Swan Yi
EVENT THIS SUNDAY: Waif and Stray at The Fleet, Portsmouth, 17 March, 7M.
Waif & Stray came on my radar at Future Folk’s first show of the year on 22nd Feb. Their show wasn’t like just any ordinary show but, instead, one that had audiences dancing and chanting for encores by the end. Shortly after their exhilarating performance, I caught up with Caz Batten, one of the lead singers and acoustic guitarist, to learn more about them and their music.
The local Southsea band formed in 2014 after Caz recorded her folk/country EP Sit Still & Stop Breathing with her pal, Sam Brawn.
Caz joked “I was too cheap to pay for recording time in a proper studio”. She knew Sam had experience with his own recordings and therefore could help her with her own. To persuade him to assist her, she offered him a deal that involved a pack of beer and a chocolate orange to help with hers.
Caz went on to a songwriting competition, All About The Song, once hosted in Southsea, where she played with Sam for her showcase. “This needs to be a thing. It should be more of a thing”, a friend preached afterwards.
A mutual love of music and such reception to their first gig together solidified a decision to start Waif & Stray as a duo with their respective original songs.
From then on, a diversity of band members came along that ranged from drummers, bass and mandolin players and violinists. Over the years, there were various lineups of band members in Waif & Stray due to family and work commitments except for Sam and Caz; who were consistently in each one.
“We’ve always said if either one of us left, it wouldn’t be Waif & Stray anymore” Caz mused. The core of the band she believed, is their friendship and appreciation for each other’s music.
Through these changes, Waif & Stray found their footing between Caz leaning toward country and Sam with rock, forming the folk-rock band it is today. This is evident in their official 2018 EP About Damn Time, an ambitious feat to blend the best of the pair’s music for the band’s finalised sound.
In terms of deciding what becomes a Waif & Stray song, the two value each other’s feedback on how their songs fit the EP. However, this has changed in recent years as the two have progressed to write collaboratively on songs.
When prompted why that wasn’t always the case, Caz laughed about their differences in songwriting. When she starts with the lyrics, Sam always begins with the music before writing the words. “I can’t understand how he does it, but he does, and they sound great.” Caz gushes. And they do sound great.
Those songs they co-wrote were well-received at local festivals like Victorious and Icebreaker, with plans to release them in a full-length album eventually.
Depending on the gig, Waif & Stray also has a standard setlist where they play covers at functions like weddings and birthday parties. They especially love covering worldwide beloved bands like Fleetwood Mac, a band that is a mutual inspiration.
It has the intricate songwriting Caz adores, great guitar solos Sam needs, and a rhythm section their drummer craves.
Even at an ‘originals gig’ they might throw in a couple of covers, “Because people enjoy hearing them in different ways”, Caz believes, and it shows based on the crowd at Future Folk.
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