With a string of successful singles, high-profile collaborations, and a summer festival schedule that would make seasoned veterans weep, it’s already pretty clear that A Little Sound is a name you’ll be hearing a lot more of. As she teams up with British pop royalty the Sugababes, that starts right now. Check out the latest cover story for our New Music Friday playlist edit, PLAY.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
A Little Sound, ‘aka’ Evie Plumb, is here to make her mark. With a string of successful singles, high-profile collaborations, and a summer festival schedule that would make seasoned veterans weep, it’s already pretty clear that she’s a name you’ll be hearing a lot more of. Starting now.
And there’s no better way to make a statement than by collaborating with Actual British Pop Royalty. A Little Sound has just dropped her biggest serve yet, ‘Situation’, which sees her teaming up with the Sugababes for a fresh take on their classic bop ‘Overload’. On the one hand, it’s a collab that bridges generations of British music, blending A Little Sound’s drum and bass prowess with the Sugababes’ iconic pop sensibilities. On the other hand, it’s a big arrival on British music’s main stage, powered by a modern classic.
As we catch up with Evie, she’s riding high on the success of a stellar performance at Reading & Leeds, one of the UK’s most iconic festival duos. “I’m trying to catch up on some admin after such a surreal weekend,” she shares, the excitement still palpable. It definitely was hectic – our chat was originally meant to take place after her set, but the chaos that takes hold of Reading year in, year out put pay to that. “It’s proving to be quite difficult to switch off the excitement from how well it went,” she adds, evidently not suffering from our more sedate ‘need to sleep for a week’ malaise.
The festival, which had a few issues with temperamental weather, didn’t dampen her spirits or those of her audience. “It was actually so incredible,” she enthuses. “Besides the weather, I was blown away by how many ravers came to dance so early with me!” [No. We don’t think that was intentional – Ed.]
This summer has been a whirlwind for A Little Sound as she further cements her place at the head of the scene. “I honestly didn’t think this summer could top last year’s, but it’s proving to be another huge one for the books!” she exclaims. “I’ve played so many festivals for the first time and have returned to some of my favourites, but they have all been so special in their own little ways.”
The new Arcadia dragonfly at Glastonbury, Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Luton, and Beats For Love in Ostrava all get a special mention, “but they’ve all been so, so good,” she gushes.
It would be both unfair and a little reductive to reduce A Little Sound’s success to simply being part of a broader trend in drum and bass that’s seen female artists start to take charge, but at the same time, it’s a movement that is pumping fresh blood into the scene’s veins. “Women are just amazing!” she declares. “It’s honestly mind-blowing to think it’s taken so long for so many of us to break through, and I’m so glad at the progress that’s been made in the last couple of years. There are so many amazingly talented female artists – it’s no surprise that we’ve started to take over the scene.”
Her list of favourite female artists in the genre certainly proves the point: “Jenna G, Charlotte Haining, Harriet Jaxxon, DJ Rap, Koven, Eva Lazarus, Emily Makis, Becky Hill, Lens, Kara… but the list is so extensive that I’d be here for years!”
When she’s not platforming her peers, A Little Sound has her own prime placement in such a talented field. “I’ve actually found my way into this job in quite a different way,” she explains. “I have always performed on stage in musicals, but as a character and not as myself. It wasn’t until I was about 12 that I started exploring songwriting, which led to me attending the British and Irish Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) in Bristol, where I studied songwriting as a degree.”
“There are so many amazingly talented female artists — it’s no surprise that we’ve started to take over the scene”
It was at BIMM that the A Little Sound project began to take shape. “I started releasing my original music as collaborations with drum & bass producers and performing them live as a live PA in Bristol,” she recalls. But it wasn’t until the dreaded pandemic hit that she added a new skill to her repertoire. “I decided to take up DJing as a hobby after watching Katie (from duo Koven) perform a live vocal/DJ set,” she continues. “The rest is history!”
A Sliding Doors-style turn of events has led to a career she never anticipated but one she clearly buzzes off like nothing else. “I never thought that I’d be touring the world as a DJ, but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Evie admits. “I get such a rush from playing other people’s tunes and performing my original releases.”
A Little Sound’s affinity for dance music isn’t a recent development. Her love for the genre stretches back to her childhood, shaped by familial influences and early festival experiences. “Looking way back to when I was little, I have definitely always had a passion for dance music,” she reflects. “My mum got me into Basement Jaxx [who she saw as a child at Glastonbury 2005], and a friend’s parents used to show me all of their Chase & Status and Prodigy albums.”
Early exposures to dance music like that tend to leave an indelible mark. “As soon as I was able to attend festivals, I always found myself glued to the dance tents and couldn’t get enough of live drum and bass sets by Rudimental and Chase & Status,” she recalls. However, like many music lovers, her tastes weren’t limited to a single genre. “That being said, I have always explored most avenues of the music industry and did find myself in a bit of an indie phase before fully delving into the DnB scene.”
Bristol, with its rich musical heritage and vibrant drum and bass scene, ultimately cemented her love for the genre. “The city eats, sleeps, and breathes the genre,” she states emphatically, “so as soon as I moved from a smaller town, it was inevitable that I, too, would fall into everything it had to offer. From the endless underground club nights to day and street parties, Bristol celebrated jungle and DnB culture and its origins at any given opportunity.”
A Little Sound’s immersion in Bristol’s drum and bass scene was further facilitated by her association with Born on Road, an underground Bristol label. “They helped to influence my sound as I spent most of the first few years of my career at their shows and cementing myself as part of the family,” she shares. Her love for drum and bass goes beyond just great music – it’s just as much about the community that surrounds it. “I just love how the genre unites people, and I’ll never be able to get enough of exploring what each sub-genre has to offer,” she enthuses.
While Bristol’s clubs and street parties played a big part in moulding A Little Sound’s musical identity, it was during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 that she sharpened her DJing skills, building a loyal online following. Livestreaming gave her both a platform and a place to develop.
“Sugababes really liked what we’d done and were keen to jump on it with us!”
“Streaming was actually a huge part of my journey,” she explains. “Alongside learning to DJ in lockdown, my boyfriend and I decided it would be entertaining to document the journey on both TikTok Live and Twitch. The more we streamed, the bigger the audience became, and we put a lot of time into making the experience a fun one.”
Those online sessions proved to be as much education as they were entertainment – they were a vital training ground for her future live performances. “It really helped when translating my set to live shows, as I was able to perfect what worked and what didn’t before I took to the stage,” she reflects. “We were able to see live reactions and comments to blends, and I could get feedback on different elements.”
But it wasn’t just something that Evie benefitted from – in a time of uncertainty and isolation, they offered a much-needed sense of community and belonging for those who tuned in. “I’ll always remember how important streaming in lockdown was – not only for learning to DJ but for our mental health as well. It was a real little community!” she says. Every cloud, and all that.
As lockdowns eased and live music returned, A Little Sound was ready to take her newly honed skills to the stage. A steady stream of single releases have been building towards something bigger over the past few years, leaving the obvious question – what’s next? “I feel like the last few singles have been slowly teasing and unfolding the new sound I have been working towards,” she reveals. “There are so many more tunes to come, but first, I’ll be dropping the biggest single yet this Friday!”
As we’ve already established, that single, ‘Situation’, is her collaboration with the Sugababes, a new take on their classic hit ‘Overload’. It came together by the kind of serendipity to which we owe so many great pop moments. It’s a new take on a Hall of Fame song that has a story behind it.
“I was in a session with Billen Ted and incredible writer Katy Tiz when we realised the chord progression reminded us of something,” she recounts. “Billen Ted started humming the melody to ‘Overload’, and from then, we decided it would be stupid not to give it a go. Katy and I wrote verses to complement the hook, and before we knew it, Sugababes really liked what we’d done and were keen to jump on it with us!”
The collaboration quickly moved from concept to reality. “It took one more studio session to get the girls’ harmonies on top of the track, and then we were set for an official release,” she recounts. Working with legitimate pop icons was clearly a pinch-me moment for Evie – because of course it would be. “They were incredibly welcoming and easy to work with; I was in awe the whole time. It’s still so surreal, and I don’t think I’ll ever be over it.”
The high-profile collab is just the latest jump in A Little Sound’s meteoric rise, but she’s not sitting still yet. Her ambitions for future collaborations are equally exciting. “I have so many exciting demos in the works. I still can’t believe I’m at the stage where I can work with my all-time favourite producers and songwriters and create such incredible music!” she shares. When asked about dream collaborators, she doesn’t hesitate. There’s a list already written: “Chase & Status, Shy FX, Wilkinson, and Sub Focus.”
As for where next, that busy summer is transitioning into an equally busy rest of the year. “After the single, I’m preparing for my second Australia and New Zealand tour, where I’ll be playing six shows across the continent as part of the Listen Out festival run. It’s super exciting!” she reveals. But that’s not all – she’s also gearing up for more domestic-based fun, too. “Then, when I’m back, I’ll be diving right into my debut headline tour, A Little Sound System, where I’ll be taking my show to Bristol, London, Leeds, Newcastle, and Liverpool! It’s going to be so surreal.”
Between tours and live shows, she’ll also be back in the studio, working on new music. “It’s all go, but I love every second!” she exclaims.
But perhaps the most intruiging development for A Little Sound is her upcoming residency on BBC Radio 1. “This next month, September, I’ll be on your airwaves every Thursday night as part of Radio 1’s Residency,” she reveals. “I’ll be talking about all things drum and bass, including influences, vocalists, Bristol, and where I see the genre progressing in the future.” As you might expect, she’s “super excited” and “can’t wait to get stuck in”.
From livestreaming in her living room to filling out big festival stages, A Little Sound’s ascent has already taken her a long way, but with a love of the music and community around her, she’s far from finished. The kid who once marvelled at Glastonbury is now inspiring a new generation, proving that sometimes, a little really can go a long way.w seem to be revelling in the camaraderie. ■
A Little Sound’s new single ‘Situation’ is out now. Follow Dork’s PLAY Spotify playlist here.
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