Shropshire unsigned trio Effervescent rising in harmony

The trio had met at high school – attending Lakelands Academy in Ellesmere. It was a low-key start for them and not one that screamed a career in music, as Laura Powell explains.

"The music department there was small so we got to know each by being involved in the concerts and school productions," says the 18-year-old from Ellesmere. "We decided we wanted to raise some money for the department by going busking in Shrewsbury and Chester, so we started working on some songs."

Yet Laura and her bandmates - 18-year-old vocalist Harriet Rose from Shrewsbury and Jay Morrison-Little, 17, a pianist and vocalist from Gobowen - obviously had talent. And it got spotted.

"We never set out with the intention of becoming a band, but after going busking in the summer of 2015 we got out first gig at Ellesmere's Merefest in September and from then on it just took off.

"We were then lucky enough to end up all going to Shrewsbury Sixth Form College which meant we could carry on working together. Being in Shrewsbury gave the band a real boost, there is a really strong music scene, so we found ourselves getting a lot more gigs and meeting other musicians."

They approach music through vocal-tinted spectacles. Harmonies play a big part in their creations and a lot of emphasis is put on their strong singing voices as opposed to loud or over-polished instrumentals.

"We never really decided what our sound was going to be but as we started practicing together it developed on its own," Laura adds. "We started out with just guitar and vocals so adding harmonies was a way to make our sound more interesting and stand out. The harmonies were what people commented on most so we spent a lot of time working on them and making them interesting."

Their influences are varied, showing an interest in music which far surpasses the stereotypical view of quick-fix teenagers swallowing the latest chart offerings and YouTube sensations. They do like their pop, but pigeon-hole them at your peril.

"Harriet is the songwriter of the group, she's been writing since she was young. She loves Fleetwood Mac.

"Ed Sheeran is the artist that inspired me to really push forward with my own music when I was younger, but John Mayer, Hozier and Declan McKenna are songwriters that when I listen to, it makes me want to put all my time into writing songs until I can do what they do.

"We all have our personal general musical influences, Jay's being Alison Krauss and Eva Cassidy, and mine being Mayer and Eric Clapton. We were all brought up listening to great music so we have a very similar taste which really helps when choosing new songs to cover.

"Our choice of covers is usually a song one member has been listening to recently, or have heard somewhere that they'll then pitch to the group, or if an artist we all like releases a new song."

They've done this with some success on the internet. Last year they uploaded a cover of the song Diane by American Country star Cam to their Facebook page which received a couple of thousand views and a positive response from one person in particular that shocked them.

"We love putting our own twist on songs, for example one of the group's favourite artists is Cam," Laura adds. "She brought out the single called Diane and we all loved the song and the message behind it. So we decided to do a short acoustic cover. We had been sharing it on our social media like usual and we woke up one morning to see that she had seen our video and shared it on her Twitter and was going to be sending us each a t-shirt.

"Our friends and family have also been so supportive, especially our parents who spend a lot of time driving us back and forth for gigs, allowing us to do what we love."

But it's not just other people's songs they perform. The girls have been busy on their own material and two single releases this year have been grabbing attention.

"The reaction to the release of both of our singles has been incredible, and beyond what any of us expected. To see something we've all worked so hard on enjoyed by so many people is amazing.

"The support and recognition from BBC Introducing has been amazing too, our debut single My Mind And I was made 'song of the month' and our latest release, Bound To Be, was 'record of the week'. The radio play has definitely helped our tracks reach a bigger audience so we are very grateful to Adam [Crowther] and Jolon [Kemp Walker] from BBC Introducing Shropshire.

"Having our own material released for people to listen to has definitely given us more opportunities to play bigger gigs and events as it looks professional and makes you stand out. Back in April we had the opportunity to support a band at the O2 Institute in Birmingham which was a great experience.

"We're very excited to be playing at Shrewsbury Folk Festival from August 24-to-26. Then on September 5 we're play at the Songwriters Showcase at Albert's Shed in Shrewsbury, where we'll be playing a full set of original music. We're supporting Patawawa at Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham on September 26 and on December 13 we're supporting some friends of ours, Outline, at the River Rooms in Stourbridge."

Things are certainly starting to look lively and sparkling for Effervescent.

The trio can be followed on Twitter @EffervescentBnd or Facebook @effervescenttheband where their cover videos can be viewed. For their own material, search for Effervescent on Spotify.

By Leigh Sanders