Sam Duckworth (aka Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly) just celebrated his 21st birthday by headlining a sold-out 2,000 seat theatre in London. If that's not precocious enough for you, he also has three UK Top 40 singles and made almost all of the major British magazines' Top 100 albums of '06 lists. The emotive and earnest vocals Duckworth employs are a touch emo, often political, and quite radio-friendly, which has earned him comparisons to everyone from Bright Eyes and Dashboard Confessional to Billy Bragg. After two consecutive SXSW appearances, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly are currently touring the UK but will return to the US later this year. Sam recently spoke to Austinist about his SX experiences, surfing, and kazoos.

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly were one of the big success stories of SXSW 2006. How was your experience here in Austin?

It was quite overwhelming coming to SXSW last year, having just signed a record deal the week before and having heard so much about the heritage of the festival. Then - on arrival finding out the Beastie Boys and the Flaming Lips (two huge influences of mine) were in town left me feeling a bit, "What the hell is a 20-year-old kid from a small suburban town doing here?!" But it was nice to be in good company. Last year's festival as a whole was incredible. I got to spend a lot of time with similar UK artists such as the Mystery Jets, Plan B and ¡Forward, Russia!, which was great as I didn't feel so alone. Being 20 was a little bit hard as it restricted a lot of musical choices, but there was still a lot going on.

What kind of band will Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly bring over for this year's US shows? We know you've done lots of one man band-type gigs in the past.

This year will be the first US shows with a live drummer, which has given more scope to the live shows and allowed me to inject more energy. The laptop will be running a mini- orchestra, everything from trumpets to strings to kazoos. Well, maybe not kazoos.

Your singing voice goes from a very conversational voice in your verses to a loud, emotional shout in the choruses. Does that type of singing ever kill your vocal chords? It seems difficult.

Having grown up listening to punk rock bands like the Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music, a gruff snarl has always been adopted in my vocal styling! Sometimes it's best to keep this to a bare minimum, especially when trying to do many shows in a week. However this often proves difficult as it is the way I feel most comfortable singing. In which case...lots of honey and lemon and extended warm-ups!

How did it feel to be nominated for the same award (NME best solo performer) as Thom Yorke and Jarvis Cocker?

A bit weird really, but Jarvis', Thom's, Lily's and Jamie's albums have been gracing my iPod all year, so it was nice to be considered amongst such lofty company.

You are already headlining big venues in the UK like London's Astoria. Does it surprise you to have made such a big impression with your first record?

I think the Astoria was close to my 300th show so in some ways it felt logical, although that is a pretty thought out and nonchalant way of saying, "I don't know how the hell it happened, but I'm glad it did." It was nice to step up the production and move into bigger rooms with projections and great lighting. It added a third dimension to the live show.

Given the album's title and the lyrical content, it's obvious that you travel a lot. Do you have any places you're looking forward to seeing when touring the US?

I'm looking forward to (read: trying to fit in) getting some time to do a bit of surfing in LA. American tours for me are often very whistle stop, so I don't get to do much touristy-type stuff. I guess this is probably a good thing though as I get to see a bit more of real America. Austin is always great fun.

Do you listen to much music when you tour? If so, tell us about a favorite recent album.

Music on tour is a great way to avoid conversation with your bandmates (just kidding.) However, our bus usually has music on 24/7 ranging from the new Arcade Fire to the Kitsune Maison compilations right the way through to Nitin Sawhney and Air. Best recent album? Either Orchestra of Wolves by Gallows or the new 4hero.

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly's The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager is out today in the United States.

[Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly MySpace]
[Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly Official Site]

Image via isla from the Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly MySpace page.