Kendal-bred, London-dwelling Woman's Hour were among 2013's most hyped bands, attracting the sort of buzz that blesses some and curses others. 

This year the foursome's stock has continued to rise, by route of a gorgeous, graceful and warmly received debut album and a sold-out show at the Southbank Centre.

We talked to singer Fiona Burgess ahead of the biggest headline show of the band's three-year career at the Village Underground on Tuesday.

You're fresh out of the festival circuit. What have been the summer's highlights?

"Yes, we're relentlessly packing and unpacking. Going to festivals abroad is really cool. There's a festival called Best Kept Secret in Rotterdam that was really amazing. The whole place had sand put down so it felt like  you were walking on a beach and it had this amazing line-up, amazing stages, the sound was great and it was a really nice atmosphere. In England, Green Man was great. I love going there. And then we played Bestival just the other weekend; that was great. We played a festival in Ireland called Electric Picnic and we did two sets and got to play straight after St Vincent because she was doing a small, intimate show, so I got go on after her, which was amazing.

"We have found a love of golf buggies. That has definitely been a highlight! They are a lot of fun, although mainly for the guys. I get the sit on the back and be terrified. We have a lot of fun after we've played. Like at Field Day, we managed to get eight of us on one of these tiny buggies. There were limbs everywhere and it really wasn't even safe, because we'd definitely had way to many drinks. We should probably be supervised."

Your album has been out for two months now. Are you pleased with the reception it has had?

"I am, yeah. Like with anything, you build up so much to something and then once it's out there it feels like less of a big deal. For so long it is your complete life and then when you let it out it is in some ways a relief, because it's not like a secret you're keeping. You just let it float around the world. 

"We've been surprised with the amount of reviews and feedback that we've got. Anyone who can be bothered to sit and write a review of something, that is a compliment. They've spent time listening to our music and giving us feedback, which is always welcome. 

"It's just been nice to play live and go around festivals for the first time. That's been a learning curve, but there is less pressure in some ways because it's not your own gig. You can have  a lot of fun and we've been able to experiment a bit with playing the songs live, which I've really enjoyed."

The album feels kind of understated, like it could go bigger, sweeping and dramatic but holds back. Was that intentional?

"Truth is, it is our first ever experience of recording something full-length and I feel like in hindsight we all kind of probably would maybe looking like someone else mixing it in a radical way. We didn't actually want it to be as restrained as much as it is. We all feel like it could have been pushed a little further. It wasn't a conscious thing, it was a practical thing. It's a shame that it felt like that towards the end, but the kind of situation we were in we just needed to get it finished because we'd spent so long on up it until that point. I don't think we spent enough time thinking about the mixes and I think that maybe reflects on the record.

"But truth be told I'd much rather our third or fourth album is our best album. This is the beginning and it's almost nice to start off making some mistakes and learning from them. We'll be having some writing time soon and that's going to be really interesting because we're all going to come at it with fresh perspectives on what we want the next record to be. As long as we keep learning and being able to experience and pushing in different directions, I that's going to keep everything we're doing fresh. I think it can be a poisoned chalice to some extent when a debut album is flawless because it can be really hard to live up to that again and it can just seem to everybody else like a downward spiral. I think we're the kind of band who would much rather develop as we go naturally.

Wimbledon Times:

"We're all super proud of this record but we're also exciting to start on something new. I'd hate to ever feel like I've finished, like I'm done. All of us all to a certain extent perfectionists, which means nothing is ever quite perfect. That is quite nice because it keeps you on your toes and keeps you wanting to challenge yourself in new ways rather than sitting back and thinking that our work is done." 

With that in mind, how do you approach your live set?

"One thing we've done is we've got a live drummer. When we recorded the album we just used a drum machine and the odd live drum, but none of us are drummers ourselves. A live drummer has made a massive difference, it is has just added a new level and more of a rawness. We have got a headline show in London and we have been rehearsing quite a lot for that and have a few extra elements we are going to add in, which is quite exciting. The idea is always to just keep trying things out, as much as you can and as much as you can afford to. If we had all the money in the world we would probably be doing things very differently, but I think in some ways being refrained financially makes you have to think even more - to work out what it is you desperately want to change or include and just stick to that." 

Your show at the Village Underground is your biggest headline show to date...

"Yes, it's super-exciting but nerve-wracking. But we love a challenge and it's another challenge. It's one of those venues we've all been to as punters and it's an amazing venue. It feels very ambitious for us to be playing there anyway. It definitely feels like a massive step up. Our last headline show in London was the Purcell Rooms at Southbank, which is 300 capacity, and that felt like a massive step up at the time and feels like another.

"When we play an intimate gig, I feel my heart in my throat a little more, whereas when I play to big audiences I feel a bit more confident. You are not quite as close to people and can let go a bit more because they are not in breathing difference. In smaller gigs you somehow feel more vulnerable." 

What's it like being being in a band with your brother? (Will Burgess plays guitar in Woman's Hour guitar)

"I've never been in a band without him, so it feels really normal. I think it would be weird if it wasn't there. Your relationship is very different in a way. When you're performing, it's like nothing else. You go through something with the people you perform with that you'll never got through with anyone else, so in a way I'm really grateful that I get to do that with my brother because we're so close anyway it's nice to go through that with someone who you know is going to be there for the rest of your life."

Wimbledon Times:

Were you raised in a musical home?

"Before I'd been in a band I'd never thought about it like that, but thinking about it there was always a piano playing or someone on a guitar or some sort of music playing. But that just felt really normal - it wasn't that we were in this super high-pressured family and we always had to play music. My parents just have a real appreciation for music and love playing it and hearing it.

"When we a lot were younger my parents would take us to church on Sunday and that's when I would sing. My first ever experience of singing was probably as part of the congregation, which is quite a weird thought because that's now not part of my life. Even that being around music and song in such a communal way as a child growing up probably did affect me and my brothers."

I'm guessing you had Radio 4 on at home as well? Do you still see radio as an important platform for your music?

"You are correct! And not just in my family - me and Will have Radio 4 on the tour van. We are so uncool. 

"Ironically I have never really listened to that much music radio because I tend to have other ways of listening to music. But what I've been really amazed about is the amount that people actually do rely on radio to find out about new music. It's only since being in a band that I've realised the power that radio has. It is quite amazing. I think radio is really important in an age where people have so much control over what they listen to. I'm still more likely to listen to Radio 4, but being in a band has made me listen more to music radio beause I kind of want to be aware of what's going on and have my finger on my pulse a little bit more. I can see how it is a really important platform.

"There's a cynic in me, as well though. I remember reading an article recently about somebody who went into the Radio 1 playlisting meeting. It's really shocking and really quite sad and the cynic in me was like, 'I knew it was all biased.' It is quite sad for me, as a musician who is desperate to be heard, how so much of radio is dependant on YouTube views and Twitter followers and Facebook fans. Especially for public radio stations that we are paying for, they are able to take risks in a way that other stations aren't. They don't need to rely on advertising companies and all these other funding agencies. They are able to platform musicians who don't have all the money in the world or hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers, so it is really sad to me that it seems like they are not taking those risks and are playing it really safe."

Woman's Hour; Village Underground, Shoreditch; Tuesday, September 23; £11; villageunderground.co.uk