With her new live-in-lockdown album 'The St Buryan Sessions' drawing critical raves and appearing on best-of-2021 lists on three continents, Sarah McQuaid is once again preparing to hit the road.
Her first tour of 2022 starts off on 20 January in the Spain-born, USA-raised singer/songwriter’s adopted home town of Penzance, Cornwall, and continues through 12 February with dates in Cambridge, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Maidstone, Bordon, Luton, Nuneaton, Winchester, Salisbury and Wotton-under-Edge. See below for full details of all shows. More UK dates are scheduled further on in 2022, alongside tours in continental Europe, Ireland and the USA. “Obviously it’s all dependent on how the COVID situation develops,” says Sarah, “but I did manage to get through a 21-date album launch tour in October and November without any cancellations, so that gives me hope. And it was so amazing just to be able to sing and play live to other flesh and blood human beings who were in the same room with me. I’ll never take that for granted again. Every gig feels like a gift.” Released on CD and limited-edition double vinyl LP on 15 October 2021, 'The St Buryan Sessions' was recorded live, with no audience, in the lovely medieval church of St Buryan, not far from Sarah’s home in rural West Cornwall. The project was the brainchild of Sarah’s longtime manager and sound engineer Martin Stansbury, who also produced and recorded the album and whose superb job of capturing the beautiful natural acoustic of the building has come in for mention in many of the reviews. “McQuaid’s voice, a fragile, starkly resonant alto, has always been a thing of folk-trad beauty,” wrote reviewer Kenny Berkowitz in Acoustic Guitar magazine, “but here, with ambient mics placed around the church’s interior, it takes on a new joyfulness and a deeper darkness.” Ink 19’s Bob Pomeroy called it “a starkly minimalist recording of exceptional beauty”, and Folk Radio UK described it as “a wonderful, expressive and intimate live album from a consummate performer.” “There is an audience,” wrote Adrian Jones in Songlines, “– it’s you, and you’ve kept shtum in the back pew. It’s an intimate and changing 70 minutes, ending with the silence of this hallowed setting. Sneak out quietly. And then listen to it again!” 'The St Buryan Sessions' made it onto “Best of 2021” lists published by such far-flung media outlets as 2ser 107.3fm in Sydney, Australia; the “Ear To The Ground” radio show on Nashville’s WXNA FM; the Netherlands’ “Slim Chance” music blog; and the UK’s “Strummers & Dreamers” show on Cambridge 105 and Blues & Roots Radio. USA podcast Radio Crystal Blue ranked Sarah as their Top International Artist for 2021 and 'The St Buryan Sessions' as their No. 3 album of the year, while Scottish music writer Stuart Hamilton of the “Zeitgeist” blog ranked it No. 1 on his Best of 2021 list, writing “There isn’t a moment here that isn’t beautifully executed. You’ll be hard pushed to hear a better acoustic record this year. In fact, you won’t, which is why you really need to head off and order a copy now.” With the assistance of second cameraman John Crooks, Cornish filmmaker Mawgan Lewis filmed the entire album as it was being recorded. His videos of all 15 tracks can be viewed on Sarah’s YouTube channel, together with a 9-minute documentary, “The Making Of The St Buryan Sessions”, featuring interviews and song snippets, and a 59-second promotional video about the album and tour. Dates for Sarah’s January-February UK tour are as follows: Thu 20 Jan: The Acorn, Penzance Parade Street, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4BU Tel 01736 363545 8pm (Doors 7pm) https://theacornpenzance.com This will be Sarah’s long-postponed eighth visit to this lovely arts centre in her adopted home town of Penzance. Tickets: https://theacornpenzance.ticketsolve.com/shows/1173617807 Fri 21 Jan: Fulbourn Arts, Fulbourn, Cambridge The Six Bells, 7-9 High Street, Fulbourn, Cambridge, CB21 5DH 8pm (Doors 7:30pm) http://www.fulbournarts.org Tickets: https://checkout.square.site/buy/XZPTY6DL73ESM57A2DXWISXT Sat 22 Jan: Wychwood Folk Club, Ascott-under-Wychwood Tiddy Hall, Shipton Road, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire OX7 6AG Tel 01993 831427 7:30pm (Doors 7pm) http://www.wychwoodfolkclub.com Tickets: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/525083 Thu 3 Feb: Hunton Village Club, near Maidstone, Kent West Street, Hunton, Maidstone, Kent ME15 0RS Tel 07779 367412 8pm (Doors 7:30pm) https://applause.org.uk/whats-on Having performed previously at Hunton Village Hall in 2013 and 2015, Sarah looks forward to her third visit to the village, this time round at Hunton Village Club under the auspices of the Applause rural touring scheme. Fri 4 Feb: The Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre, Bordon, Hants Station Road, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 0LR Tel 01420 472664 8pm (Doors 7:30pm) http://www.phoenixarts.co.uk Sat 5 Feb: The Hat Factory, Luton 65-67 Bute Street, Luton, LU1 2EY Tel 01582 878100 8pm (Doors 7:30pm) http://www.lutonculture.com/hat-factory This will be Sarah’s second visit to this lovely venue, and as before she’ll be performing in their gem of a Studio Theatre upstairs! Bar opens at 6:30pm with doors to the auditorium at 7:30pm. Mon 7 Feb: Nuneaton Library Church Street, Nuneaton, CV11 4DR Tel 0300 555 8171 7:30pm (Doors 7:15pm) https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/libraries Having performed previously at Nuneaton Library in 2018 and Rugby Library in 2019, Sarah looks forward to her third Warwickshire Libraries appearance, this time once again at Nuneaton Library. Thu 10 Feb: St Mary The Virgin, Twyford, near Winchester Church Lane, Twyford, Winchester, SO21 1NT 8pm (Doors 7:30pm) https://sc4m.co.uk/sarah-mcquaid-at-twyford-st-marys-church-february-10-2022 Tickets: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/532019 Fri 11 Feb: Winterslow Village Hall, near Salisbury Middleton Road, Winterslow, Salisbury SP5 1PQ Tel 01980 862776 8pm (Doors 7:15pm) http://winterslowvillagehall.org.uk Sat 12 Feb: Under The Edge Arts, Wotton-under-Edge The Chipping Hall, The Chipping, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire GL12 7AD Tel 07791 323869 8pm (Doors 7:30pm) http://www.utea.org.ukit See https://sarahmcquaid.com/tour for more tour dates later in the year. At the invitation of the At Sea Compilations record label in Germany, Jo Beth Young and Peter Yates put together a cover of the ethereal Tori Amos track from her album 'From The Choirgirl Hotel'. The track is part of a tribute album to Tori called 'Freebird' which will be released in 2022 and features a host of eclectic and brilliant artists sharing their own interpretations of her virtuosic songs.
The track will be released on Jo Beth's Bandcamp page this Friday, 26th November 2021. Jo Beth's original and ethereal take on the song is a much more stripped back, ethereal version than the original. Not wanting to replicate but to honour the song was her intention. She says: "Being asked to create a cover of a Tori Amos track by At Sea Compilations was a long term dream come true, she has simply been one of my biggest influences and heroes, not only musically but in her spirt and approach to music and the industry itself. Tori taught me it was okay to face adversity in music and to speak up. Her mellifluous, spiritual way with words describing how she works with the mysterious muse that is music has made me feel comforted and seen over the years, like I was not alone to feel the way I did or to work in the way I do. I think we are often forgetful of the sacred nature of making music itself, and Tori Amos has never forgotten it and has fought hard to remind us, both in her work an in her actions and words. It's intimidating to cover an artist that is such a master and influence in one's life. I hope I have done the track justice, it's one of my absolute favourites. Working with Peter Yates is a constant dream come true for me, and he just nailed the atmosphere of this track for me along with the always brilliant Jules Bangs (bass). I'm excited to hear the rest of the album next year!". Iconic Hull Band Red Guitars have just announced details of their long awaited reunion tour with a series of UK shows in 2022 that will feature their complete and original line-up.
Red Guitars were formed around the pairing of Jeremy Kidd (vocals) and Hallam Lewis (guitarist). Initially cutting their teeth playing benefit shows for a series of left-wing causes, Red Guitars quickly built a loyal following, before launching an assault on the charts with a series of singles via their own Self Drive Records label that would see them earn a nationally renowned status. Proving an instant hit with their debut single, the quintet shifted an impressive 60,000 copies of their self-released 'Good Technology' single, before going-on to top the Independent Charts with consecutive No.1s with the classic cuts 'Marimba Jive' and 'Steeltown'. Forging their own sound with a unique mix of infectious rock and African rhythms, the band quickly earned support from the tastemaker titles of the time including cult 1980s Channel 4 music TV show The Tube and the BBC's Whistle Test, through to a number of memorable sessions for BBC Radio legend John Peel. The band were notably enjoyed by thousands when supporting The Smiths on their breakthrough tour too. Releasing their seminal debut album 'Slow To Fade' in 1984, frontman Jeremy Kidd announced his departure soon after and Red Guitars ultimately disbanded completely two years later. Fast forward to 2022 and Red Guitars are set to return with their complete and original line-up for what will be their first tour since their 80s prime. Featuring vocalist Jeremy Kidd, lead guitarist Hallam Lewis, drummer Matt Higgins, rhythm guitarist John Rowley and Lou Duffy-Howard on bass. They will be joined by old friend of the band Jos Allen on even more guitar. Shedding light on why the time is now right for the return of Red Guitars and what fans can expect from the upcoming live shows, Lou Duffy-Howard of the band says: “We were contacted by Steve Homer CEO of AEG Presents who are a big worldwide event promotion company. They represent the likes of Nick Cave, The Who, Blondie, and festivals such as Coachella and The Eden Sessions. He asked if we’d be up for a tour. We thought about it and the answer was … yes!.... It will be great to play in cities where I have friends I haven’t seen for a while, Glasgow and London amongst them, as well as the gig in our band hometown, Hull. We had so much to choose from including some new songs that we’ve jammed over the years. But it’s most likely that we’ll include all the singles and all the tracks from our album 'Slow To Fade'." Tickets for the April 2022 UK dates will go on sale at 9am on Friday, 15th October 2021 - aegp.uk/RG22 Starting this week the wonderful music played on The Progressive & Acoustic Compendium will be shared with many more listeners across the world.
As well as the usual weekly airing on TD1 Radio the show will also now be broadcast on the Blues & Roots Radio global network. The timings of broadcast are detailed in the show's banner. We are delighted that the first show of each month will feature a song chosen by us. |
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