HAVING taken some time off from the road after her marathon three-month autumn UK and USA tour, singer-songwriter Sarah McQuaid is kicking off 2025 with a run of shows starting in Cornwall.
Starting in her adopted home town of Penzance on January 17, she will then perform at Calstock on January 18 before heading across the channel for a five-week February-March tour in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Sarah said: “This will be the seventh time since 2017 that I’ve played my first show of the year at the Acorn in Penzance. It’s really nice to be able to try out new material in a setting I already know and love, with lots of familiar faces in the audience.
“I had two brand-new songs in my set during my autumn tour, and I’m hoping to get at least one more ready to debut in January, with a view to recording a new album this summer if I can manage to get my new home studio built between now and then.“
Sarah adds: “I’ve got this great big derelict garage adjoining my house. “It’s got a nice high peaked ceiling with beams running across it — I’ve already tried singing in there, so I know it’s a lovely-sounding space. All it needs is the walls tanked, the roof repaired and the windows and doors replaced, and it’ll be great!
“It’s a massive project to undertake, but I’m hopeful that between touring and crowdfunding I can make it happen.”
Most recently, Sarah’s sixth solo album, The St Buryan Sessions, was recorded live in lockdown in the beautiful medieval church of St Buryan, just over a mile from Sarah’s home.
Released in October 2021 on CD and limited-edition double LP, the album made it onto “Best of 2021” lists on three continents and features stunning solo performances by Sarah on acoustic and electric guitars, piano and floor tom drum, her lush, distinctive vocals echoing through the soaring space.
The entire album was filmed as it was being recorded, and videos of all 15 tracks can be viewed on Sarah’s website - sarahmcquaid.com.
To book tickets to the Calstock concert, visit: sarahmcquaid.com/tour