by Myron Jobson
Not many young adults would give up a comfortable job, sell their worldly possessions in a whim to purchase an old school second hand caravan and pursue a career in the wonderful world of music.
Then again, the Daughters of Davis are not your average young adults.
CaravanTimes met the brilliantly bubbly duo on a beautiful summer’s afternoon at a micro festival hosted by the Caravan Club.
They were entertaining an audience at the event against the scenic backdrop of City Hall and Tower Bridge, which looked particularly grand on the hot summer’s day.
The Winchester born sisters started the adventure nearly two years ago leaving behind a stable and predictable life to embark on a new and exciting music adventure.
Their travels have taken them to many cities in the UK, and beyond, performing in Belgium, France and even Holland.
“Ferne suggested it as a joke,” Adrienne explained tucking stray hairs behind her ears.
“I was actually working full time in occupational therapy at the time. Because it’s really hard to work full time and play gigs, I quit my job, she sold her car and we just hit the road.”
Ferne, sporting a 1960s-style blue dress accented by subtle white flowers, looked up to the heavens, seemingly reminiscent.
She said: “So once she quit her job I sold my car [on eBay], painted houses to get some money together; we sold pretty much everything we owned and got this van.”
But was it easy giving up a comfortable lifestyle to embark on an unpredictable journey?
Adrienne, who wore a black and white polka dot dress with complimenting black cotton cardigan, was first to admit her reservations.
“To be honest on the first night, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking ‘what are we doing, we are committed to this now’.”
“We sold everything we owned,” Ferne interjected.
One big issue they immediately identified on the first night sleeping in the motorhome was the sleeping arrangements.
They spent their first night parked in front of a river, much to the disturbance of Adrienne.
“I kept having this irrational fear that the handbrake will come off and that we’ll go into the river,” she said.
The beds became a reoccurring problem, Ferne describes the double bunk bed, which they shared as “a piece of wood and it had a bit of foam in it.”
Manoeuvring their beloved motorhome was “nightmare” – especially in “vannist” city centres – and barriers became their worst enemy.
You may be wondering how two young ladies managed to live in an old, dated motorhome for the best part of two years.
When asked this question their wide-eyed expression suggested they wondered how managed this feat too.
Finances were tight, especially in the early days, and the talented duo lived off an affordable diet of noodles and soup.
Shopping for the latest garments became a thing of the past, and the musicians had to improvise with what they had.
They could not even spend money on something most women their age great take pride in: their hair.
“We got inventive. It was more the hairstyle. We had crazy hair dos going on, with ribbons and everything,” Adrienne said stroking her golden locks.
“We just hid away our hair with flowers and bows and passed it off for fashion,” Ferne said before breaking into an infectious laugh.
And what personal hygiene wasn’t much better.
“It was funny because the van did not have a shower so we had to find service stations or even rivers,” Adrienne said laughing.
“The Caravan Club was like a breath of fresh air to us. They had everything you want. They have electric points, showers and you could do your washing there. So when you get to a Caravan Club site it was amazing.”
“Refuge,” Ferne said clutching her hands.
“Every time we stopped in one I just remember it being the most beautiful day because you’d get everything done. Stopping there was good value for money,” she added.
However, despite these problems, the ladies have enjoyed performing in high profile venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, supported by a loyal fan base.
Their best gig came from the humble act of busking as Ferne explains: “When we were in Birmingham one time, a lady approached us saying I need a band to perform pitch-side at St Andrew’s Stadium at a Birmingham City v Leicester game. We couldn’t believe it.
“So we played pitchside before the game and at halftime in front of 17,000 people. It was crazy. It was so big our voices echoed back to us a second later. It was the craziest feeling.”
So what is next on the agenda for the up and coming stars? Sadly, their motorhome has died and they are continuing their tour in a car, staying in friends’ houses and hotels. However, this is soon to change.
Elddis is giving them a brand-new, top-of-the-range vehicle: an Accordo 125 compact motorhome.
Rob Quine, Managing Director of Elddis, said: “Elddis is pleased to be supporting these talented sisters. After caravanning as kids with their family, it was their natural instinct to turn to a motorhome when pursuing their dream.”
They will be performing at the Birmingham NEC on the 15-20 October for the NCC Motorhome and Caravan show.
To get a taste of what’s in store, click on the video below to hear their song ‘Where Do We Go’.
