“Settle down, and I’ll try to make a soothing sound”, Sarah McQuaid sings on the opening number of her current concert set.
That she does. Starting off a cappella, then layering acoustic and electric guitars, floor tom drum, keyboards and lush vocal harmonies, she uses looping technology to create a gentle, organic progression that’s a world away from the frenetic showiness of some of its less subtle practitioners.
Throughout the concert, she continues to move between the battery of instruments onstage with ease and grace, chatting amiably to the audience between songs and occasionally prevailing on them to lend their own voices to the mix.
Sarah’s original compositions — which themselves span a wide range of styles, from contemplative ballads to playful blues to atmospheric instrumentals — predominate, but she also sprinkles in the odd folk song, evergreen classic or unexpected contemporary cover.
Enhancing the show are beautiful lighting effects created by Martin Stansbury, Sarah’s longtime manager and sound engineer — a lyric about car headlights triggering a bright flash across Sarah’s eyes on one song, shimmering columns of purple and green swooping over the stage to evoke the Aurora Borealis during another.
Born in Spain, raised in Chicago and now living in rural England after spending many years in Ireland, Sarah is as multinational as she is multitalented … and she’s about to embark on a marathon 67-show tour that takes in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the length and breadth of the UK, from Cornwall and Kent to Wales and the Scottish Highlands.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, she’ll be working hard on her much-anticipated new album, to be recorded in the new studio she’s built next to her home in far west Cornwall.
“I’m so incredibly grateful to all the crowdfunding contributors who helped to make the studio possible,” Sarah says, “There’s no way I could be performing some of the new material live in concert without having had the space to rehearse it in.
“And because we’ve been able to set up our full PA and stage lighting in there, Martin’s been able to design specific lighting for every song in the set. It’s really brought the production values of my live show up to a whole new level.
“Even with all the generous support I’ve received, the building work has put me into deeper debt than I’ve ever been in before — but I don’t regret the financial outlay for one second, because it’s been life-changing. Hopefully this huge tour will help me to recoup some of the costs!”
Stansbury will be producing the new album as well as recording and mixing it. He’s been working with Sarah since 2008, when Zoë Pollock (writer and performer of 1991 hit single ‘Sunshine On A Rainy Day’) brought him in to produce and record Crow Coyote Buffalo, the album of co-written songs she and Sarah made under the band name Mama.
He’s also filmed several Garage Sessions videos in the then-unfinished studio (formerly a derelict garage, hence the name). The first three of these can already be viewed on Sarah’s website and YouTube channel; a fourth is on the way, with more to follow.
“The idea is to have the Garage Sessions become an ongoing series”, explains Stansbury, “and to get a few guests in to collaborate with Sarah on future live performance videos from Sarah’s Garage, which we’re going to stick with as the studio name.”
“All we need to do now is get the walls and floor sealed and painted”, adds Sarah, “and then we can start tracking the album. I can’t wait!”
‘In The Pines’ – live:
Sarah’s upcoming concert dates are as follows:
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2026 – EU
Feb 19 HORN-BAD MEINBERG, DE: KulturBad Meinberg
Feb 20 VOLKMARSEN-EHRINGEN, DE: Das Steinwerk (Kulturverein Kellerkonzerte)
Feb 21 SUHL, DE: Kulturbaustelle
Feb 22 BOXBERG-UNTERSCHÜPF, DE: Kulturkirche Oberschüpf
Feb 24 NEUWIED, DE: Restaurant Zur Reithalle (Folk On The Rhine)
Feb 26 TÜBINGEN, DE: House Show @Niemaiers
Feb 27 VILLINGEN-SCHWENNINGEN, DE: Folk Club Villingen
Mar 1 ZWICKAU, DE: Projekt 46
Mar 4 MEPPEN, DE: Cafe Koppelschleuse
Mar 6 OBERNDORF, DE: KOMBÜSE 53° Nord
Mar 7 BAD DOBERAN, DE: Kornhaus Bad Doberan
Mar 8 POSTFELD, DE: KulturZentrum Alte Meierei am See
Mar 12 AABENRAA, DK: Koncerter på Damms Gaard
Mar 13 SYKE-BARRIEN, DE: Wassermühle Barrien in Syke (Kulturinitiative Rüttelschuh)
Mar 14 WESTEREMDEN, NL: Roodehaan
Mar 15 ALMELO, NL: PopupPodium Almelo
Mar 18 HÜRTH, DE: Löhrerhof
Mar 19 DORSTEN, DE: Cornelia Funke Baumhaus
Mar 20 BOCHUM, DE: Bochumer Kulturrat
Mar 21 HERZOGENRATH, DE: Soziokulturelles Zentrum Klösterchen
Mar 22 SINT WILLEBRORD, NL: Huiskamerconcerten Willebrord
Mar 27 COSWIG/ANHALT, DE: Simonetti Haus
Mar 28 PUDERBACH, DE: Alter Bahnhof Puderbach
APRIL-JULY 2026 – UK
Apr 8 TEIGNMOUTH: Pavilions Teignmouth
Apr 9 UPTON CROSS: Sterts Sturrock Studio
Apr 10 BRIDPORT Town Hall
Apr 11 DEVORAN Acoustic Sessions
Apr 12 CASTLE CARY: Caryford Community Hall
Apr 15 LLANELLI: Ffwrnes – Stiwdio Stepni
Apr 18 WETHERAL Village Community Hall
Apr 19 COVENTRY: Albany Theatre Studio
Apr 22 PONTYCLUN: Llantrisant Folk Club
Apr 24 LINTON Village Hall
Apr 25 ASTON ON CLUN Village Hall
Apr 26 HUDDERSFIELD: Northern Quarter
Apr 29 SHEFFIELD: The Lantern Theatre
Apr 30 SKIPTON Town Hall
May 1 HELMSLEY Arts Centre
May 2 LEIGH Film Factory
May 3 STAINDROP: Scarth Hall
May 6 MOFFAT Theatre
May 8 CARLOPS Village Hall
May 9 EDINBURGH: Stockbridge Music Hub
May 10 OBAN: The Rockfield Centre
May 12 TOBERMORY: An Tobar
May 14 ISLE OF LISMORE Public Hall
May 15 DRUMNADROCHIT: Craigmonie Centre
May 16 GAIRLOCH: West Coast Arts @Gairloch Community Hall
May 17 ALTASS: Rosehall Village Hall
May 19 NAIRN: The Little Theatre
May 21 KELSO: Eckford Village Hall
May 22 KIRKBY LONSDALE: The Stage at St Mary’s Church
May 23 KIRKBY FLEETHAM: Stapleton House
May 24 SOUTHWELL: The HopBarn
May 25 TONBRIDGE: Shires Oast @ The Hop Farm
Jun 2 FALMOUTH: The Poly
Jun 3 GLOUCESTER: The Folk of Gloucester
Jun 4 LAUNCESTON Folk Club
Jun 5 CREDITON Arts Centre
Jun 6 CAERLEON Arts
Jun 12 WESTWARD HO!: Holy Trinity Church
Jun 19 PARRACOMBE Village Hall
Jul 2 TORQUAY: Fougou Music
Jul 3 MUCH WENLOCK: The Edge Arts Centre
Jul 4 GARTHORPE: Live Music Garthorpe
Jul 5 TADDINGTON: Bramwell Memorial Institute
Jul 10 NORLEY Village Hall
Jul 11 BURNHAM DEEPDALE: Deepdale Live Music
Artist’s website – https://sarahmcquaid.com
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