August | 2016 | Lowri Clarke

Shura started making music in her bedroom at 16. While at uni she formed a band with guitarist Patrick Duncombe and collaborated with producer Hiatus (Cyrus Shahrad). Following her work with Hiatus, Shura decided to assume creative control over the production of her music and, during night shifts, taught herself music production via youtube videos.

In 2014 she laid down the sensationally popular debut ‘Touch’. Her self-directed video featuring her friends kissing has over 26 million views. Two other singles, ‘Just Once’ and ‘Indecision’, followed the same year. In 2015, Shura was longlisted in the BBC Sound of 2015 poll. Her debut album Nothing’s Real is due for release in July.

Describe your dream festival day.

Getting to the stage on time. Haha. If I’m playing that’s probably the most important bit for me. I still get a bit nervous when I play so for me I’m just happy if there’s somewhere I can pee that isn’t a million miles away from the stage…. (hint, hint).

Career highlight so far?

It’s so hard to think of only one thing. The last couple of years have been bonkers. If I had to pick one it would probably be the fact that I actually finished my album, which is probably not that exciting to read, BUT I REALLY CAN’T BELIVE IT’S DONE.

Song you’d most like to cover?

There’s about 3 million songs I’d love to cover and it changes on a regular basis. I’m on a Michael Jackson Human Nature flex today but if you asked tomorrow it might be Nirvana or Smashing Pumpkins.

Dream colab (dead or alive)?

I’d love to have rocked out with Kurt Cobain. That would have been a lot of fun. Prince was another dream of mine too. Madonna. I CANT PICK. Haha.

Festival Essential – what’s in your bag?

I love taking photos so I tend to pack lots of different analogue cameras. Disposables, Polaroids, My Old Olympus. There’s something really fun about taking them to be developed and having no idea what’s on there. Sometimes I screw up the film when I take it out though and that’s a HORRENDOUS surprise when you get it back and the film is totally f***ed.

Shura will be playing the Wilderness main stage at 4:45pm on Sunday.

Published by Wilderness Festival 2016

Secret Adventures bring you unusual and off-grid adventures in London and beyond. Designed to generate a sense of exploration and wonder, they take you away from the normal trappings of city life and into the unknown..

They like water, they like fire and they like to explore. Upcoming adventures include kayaking at night under Tower Bridge, swimming under a full moon in London and a summer solstice canoe and wild camp down the River Wye.

They organise adventures at Wilderness every year. This year there’ll be a fire bowl picnic in the woods and a skinny dip in a hidden lake outside of the main festival area…

Book here soon.

What’s been your best adventure so far?

It’s hard to choose but possibly The Secret Concert. A concert in an abandoned underground space in central London only accessible by boat under a building. We canoed in the dark in late December, crept through a secret door and had a dinner party in an underground chamber. Then Merlin and Cosmo Sheldrake and Strangefruit performed acoustic sets by candle and torchlight. It felt like a real adventure right here in the city. The Huffington Post described the journey back onto the streets of central London as like “returning from Narnia”.

Video of The Secret Concert.

When do you feel most alive?

There’s a certain expression I see on people’s faces on some of the adventures and I know that I’ve got it right when I see it. It’s a sort of child like glee as they slide under Tower Bridge in the dark, gobble marshmallows they’ve toasted around a campfire or plunging into an icy dark lake. I get a lot of reflected satisfaction when I see that. It’s a feeling of being in the moment.

Ideal place to live?

It’s not a place to live but my family and I are in the process of buying a small piece of woodland within a larger wood about an hour and a half out of London. It has a hut on it and I’m excited about spending time there with family and friends and having an escape out of the city.

Best meal cooked in the wilderness?

I think the best campfire food I’ve ever had was on one of our summer solstice canoe and wild camp adventures down the River Dart. Our canoe instructor had brought along some amazingly delicious chorizo and chickpeas which he stewed over a fire with fresh herbs. After a days canoeing and wild swimming down the river it really tasted amazing. Also the location, a field on the riverbank with stars twinkling overhead made it the best dining room in the world.

This all sounds very exciting. I want to come. How to find out more?

The best way of checking everything out is via our fancy website with loads of beautiful photos, videos and exciting adventures. Upcoming adventures include kayaking through the canals to Crate Brewery’s boat in Hackney Wick, kayaking under Tower Bridge, full moon swims and campfires across London, and the summer solstice adventure down the River Wye.

Secret Adventures will be at Wilderness Festival this year. For more info and booking check it out here.

www.secretadventures.org