SARAH DARLING RELEASES NEW SINGLE ‘DIAMONDS’
– PLAYS UK FESTIVAL DATES THIS SUMMER
Release Date: June 15th 2018
Release Date: June 15th 2018
Impact
date: July 20th 2018
“The
Darling of country music” – Metro
Click here for Live Review: Sarah Darling at The Basement, York (Mon 19 March 2018)
Celebrating the announcement of 5 UK Festival dates this summer, including British Summer Time at London’s Hyde Park on July 15th, country singer-songwriter Sarah Darling released her new single ‘Diamonds’ on Friday June 15th. The single is her second released in 2018, following the soul-stirring single ‘Wasted’ this March.
Time and pressure, gives you
diamonds. Listen here:
Release Date: 15 Jun. 2018
Label: Be Darling Records
Copyright: ℗© 2018 Be Darling Records
Total Length: 3:12
Genres: Country/ Pop
As with ‘Wasted’, the new single was inspired by real life events
and has deeply personal significance for Sarah. Through her masterful
storytelling ‘Diamonds’ holds a tone of relatability for the listener… as Sarah
puts it, “the song is a reminder that life is a journey with a lot of ups
and downs. It’s the struggles that bring out the beauty. I’ve been to the
bottom and literally had to pull myself back up, and I’m grateful for the whole
adventure, not just the fun glittery parts. I think of how many wonderful
things just need a little time and patience.”
Sarah’s musical output in 2018 has been pushing her beyond the
realms of country, and further developing her sound. With pop sensibilities and
clear-cut hooks creeping into the mix, fans have been delighted that Sarah has
managed not to lose the cordial nature of her lyric writing, and the gravitas
of her stories have not lost their weight.
Enlisting some of music’s brightest minds for this release,
‘Diamonds’ was recorded at state of the art Starstruck Studios in Nashville.
The single was written with Jessica Sharman (songwriter for Ward
Thomas), produced by Mark Bright (Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood,
Keith Urban) with additional mixing from Ash Howe (1D, Dido,
Ellie Goulding)and mastered by Nigel Walton (Biffy Clyro, Bloc
Party, Richard Ashcroft).
“She’s
broken free of the box and is running towards the horizon as fast as
possible” – Maverick
Stateside Sarah has played the CMA Festival in Nashville, toured
with stadium fillers Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves, Vince Gill and Tim
McGraw, and performed at the Grand Ole Opry more than 80 times. In the UK, as
well as her own headline concerts, Sarah has toured with her signature ‘Night
in Nashville’ shows, opened for the chart-topping Ward Thomas and performed at
the C2C: Country to Country festival in 2016 and 2017.
Related Post Feb 2018: Sarah Darling teases new single ‘Wasted’ ahead of UK & Ireland Tour
Related Post Feb 2018: Sarah Darling teases new single ‘Wasted’ ahead of UK & Ireland Tour
Sarah plays select UK dates and festivals this Summer:
Sunday June 24, 2018 - Black Deer Festival, Eridge Park, Tunbridge Wells www.blackdeerfestival.com
 |
| Playing live at the Black Deer Festival Fri 22 June 2018 |
Sunday,
July 22nd, 2018 - Sage Gateshead, Gateshead
SummerTyne Americana Festival Sage
One 7:30 PM with Sam Palladio and Striking Matches
Monday 23 July 2018 - St George's, Bristol (Great George Street (off Park
Street) BS1 5RR) with Sam Palladio, Wandering Hearts and Striking Matches £23.25 Event
Sunday 26
August 2018 - Cottingham Folk Festival, Cottingham (The Civic Hall, Market Green, HU16 5QG) opening for Ward Thomas
£35.62 Event
PAST
UK LIVE DATES
First
headlining tour
Mon 5 March 2018
- Union Chapel Union, London (Compton
Terrace N1 2UN) with Katie Pruitt
Sat 10 March 2018 - Unitarian Church, Brighton (New Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1UF) with Kiol
Sunday 11 March 2018 - C2C Country To Country
Festival, London 13:10
Town Square
Mon 12 March 2018 - Oran Mor, Glasgow (Byres Road, G12 8QX) with Emma Stevens
Tues 13 March 2018 - The Sage, Gateshead (Sage Two (St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, NE8
2J) with Kiol
Thurs 15 March 2018 - The Waterfront, Norwich (139-141 King Street Norwich NR1 1QH) with Kiol & Lisa Redford £14
Sat
17 March 2018 - Unitarian Church, Cambridge (Emmanuel
Road CB1 1JW) £15.40
Mon 19 March 2018 - Basement, York (The Basement, City Screen, 13-17 Coney Street, YO1 9QL)
with Kiol
Tues 20 March 2018 - Night & Day, Manchester (26 Oldham Street M1 1JN) with Emma Stevens
Thurs 22 March 2018 - Empire Music Hall, Belfast (42 Botanic Ave, Belfast,
BT7 1FQ)
Fri 23 March 2018 - Grand Social, The Loft, Dublin (35 Lower Liffey Street,
Dublin 1)
Sunday
25 March 2018 - Studio 2, Liverpool (Parr
Street, L14JJ) £15.40 Event
Tues
27 March 2018 - The Lantern, Colston Hall, Bristol (Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR) with Emma Stevens
CONNECT with Sarah Darling:
LIVE REVIEW: Sarah Darling Live at The Basement, York (Mon 19
March 2018)
ABOUT THE
VENUE: Basement, York (The
Basement, City Screen, 13-17 Coney Street, YO1 9QL) Facebook | Twitter
The Basement is a 100-capacity events venue situated below City
Screen Picture house cinema, right in the heart of York city centre. The venue
has hosted an eclectic mix of events including live music, poetry, comedy,
drama and DJ nights since March 2000. Its low ceiling and side on layout make
the venue incredibly intimate, with the audience rarely more than a couple of
metres away from the acts. Although not exactly what you expect from a venue,
The Basement has a character all its own.
After queuing patiently on the stairway for
some time waiting for doors in order to get in and secure good seats the
evening got underway some 45 minutes later than published. For a weekday gig
this is something that both the headline artist and venue need to consider, or
do they just assume that local people were attending? There were people who had
travelled some 60 miles from different parts of Yorkshire and with a late
finish, meet and greet afterwards it would be midnight returning home which
isn’t ideal with work commitments the next day.
20-year old Italian singer-songwriter KIOL opened and was the fourth date on
the Sarah Darling UK Tour where he had supported (others: Brighton,
Gateshead & Norwich).
He said it was the first time playing in the UK and was joined
by fellow guitarist Federico Puttilli
for a 30-minute acoustic to a largely sold out attentive audience.
Kiol, who has played at gigs and festivals right across Europe
is said to written more than 40 songs releasing his
first EP “I COME AS I AM” (Warner Music Benelux | Amazon UK) back on Jan 6, 2017 and a single “Hard
Things”, premiered on Clash magazine UK. dropped Nov 24, 2017 produced at
the Grouse Lodge Studio in Ireland by Paolo Nutini’s producer Dani Castelar.
Kiols 7-song set included the amusing melodic
“Slipping
On My Tears”, the first song he ever wrote “Someone”, “Piazza
Grande” sung in his native tongue encouraging a quiet but respectful
audience to participate, a joyous “Broken
Up Again” and whistle-along “Wrinkless” with Mumford & Son vibes.
Overall it was pleasant enough but hardly breath-taking.
Sarah Darling Setlist:
21:10 - 22:35
1. You Don't Have to Be Lonely Tonight (Home to Me - EP; 29 Jan
2013)
2. Tell That Devil ("Tell that Devil" Juliette Barnes -
Nashville/ Jill Andrews / Emery Dobyns / Matthew Mayfield; Nashville Cast feat:
Hayden Panettiere)
3. Where Cowboys Ride (Dream Country; 10 Feb 2017)
4. Starry Eyes (Dream Country; 10 Feb 2017)
5. Shimmer
6. Diamonds (written with Jessica Sharman "Carry You Home")
7. Yellow (Coldplay cover)
8. Wasted (single; 2 March 2018) Chris Country new music playlist
9. More Issues Than Vogue
10. The Boy Never Stays (Brandy Clark / Sarah Darling / Josh
Osborne) (Angels & Devils; 15 Feb 2011)
11. Wildflowers (Tom Petty cover)/ segued into 12. Anchor
(Dream Country; 10 Feb 2017) (co-written with the ABC show Nashville’s Sam
Palladio)
13. Home To Me (Black River; 21 Aug 2012)
14. Angel Wings (words God & The Angels...Got My Wings)
15. Montmartre (Dream Country; 10 Feb 2017)
16. Halley's Comet (Dream Country; 10 Feb 2017)
Encores:
Stargazer (Dream Country; 10 Feb 2017)
Little Umbellas (Single; 2013)
Band:
Dean
Roberts (Acoustic/Electric guitar, backing vocals | Website) Highlights
of Dean's career include playing to a 70,000 strong crowd at Leeds Party in the
Park (Freefaller), opening for Bon Jovi at Twickenham on their 'Lost Highway'
World Tour (Stewart Mac)
Alasdair
McLachlan (Bass, backing vocals) Scottish Session Musician. London, UK.
Bassist | Guitarist | Singer | Songwriter | Tutor Website
Ash Cutler (Roland
RD-700SX Digital
Stage Piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals).
A musician and producer and part of duo called The Beautiful Secret (with Rachael Hawnt Website) and
function band called Great Scott!
Chris Allan (Drums; Website | Facebook) freelance
professional session drummer, playing live and recording for bands and artists
from all over the world including USA, Canada, Spain, New Zealand and the UK as
well as appearing on Sky One, Scuzz, Kerrang! and Radio 1.
Sarah described her UK & Irish tour as feeling like a Mary Poppins with 4 Brits and 1 Scotsman all in a van together! :)😊😅
Sarah described her UK & Irish tour as feeling like a Mary Poppins with 4 Brits and 1 Scotsman all in a van together! :)😊😅
 |
| #nowastedmoments #band — in York | Credit Facebook Photo |
The lovely Sarah Darling first came to my attention with the release of her sophomore album, ANGELS & DEVILS (Feb 15, 2011), its lead-off single "Something to Do With Your Hands", the smooth and seductive “Bad Habit” and the fantastic sparse piano driven “Stop The Bleeding” which showcased the beauty of her voice.
For reasons unknown she parted ways with Black River Entertainment
in 2013 possibly due to lack of chart and commercial success. Observing from
this side of the pond she seemed to go off the radar. She tried her hand as a contestant
on ABC's Rising Star first season in 2014 (eliminated 4th week) despite having
played the Grand Ole Opry scores of times!
Then out of blue she was invited to play the Country To Country (C2C) Festival in 2016 playing on the Big
Entrance Stage. Unfortunately, I only caught the very end of her set (Sorry
Sarah, impossible to walk out on Phil Vassar in The Brooklyn Bowl!). Thankfully
she returned for C2C2017 and I made a point of being at the same stage to catch
a wonderful acoustic set where she dipped into tracks from DREAM COUNTRY, released just 4-weeks previous. It’s a favourite
album from last year and for me the standout performance across the festival
stages.
On the back of the success and UK acclaim she backed this up by
returning with her great friend Jenn Bostic and Michael Logan to tour in an "A
Night In Nashville" (In The Round) guise throughout May 2017. In July 2017
she played Bristol's
Americana Weekend, opened for The Shires
at the Summertyne Americana Festival in Gateshead and was called up by UK
Album chart toppers Ward Thomas to
join them as a support.
She released a Christmas set ‘Winter
Wonderland’ (Nov 17, 2017) and then played a headline show at London’s St
Pancras Old Church (Dec 8, 2017).
All this led to her first UK headline tour and
a late announcement saw her return for C2C2018 playing a packed but
inaccessible Town Square Stage situated outside the O2.
Hearing
the soundcheck at the Basement, York I was
somewhat surprised given the venues size to hear drums (thankfully a
transparent drum shield was employed) and electric guitars and imagined it
could be a little overpowering. On this 12-show
tour, the 2017 BCMA Awards ‘International Touring Artist of the
Year’ nominee (See BCMA FashionPost) was slated to perform songs from her three previous
studio albums as well as previewing songs from a forthcoming album.
What we were to hear was a full-on sound with an accomplished
4-piece band, two of whom, Alasdair McLachlan and Ash Cutler had played
for Sarah in her acoustic seats at C2C.
Looking very feminine, youthful, and cutting a beautiful figure
the 35-year Des Moines, Iowa native walked onto the stage to applause and
cheers wearing a lovely ivory lace dress and eye-catching above the knee suede
boots.
Digging immediately into her back-catalogue Sarah and the band
opened with “You Don't Have to Be Lonely Tonight” taken from her 2013
4-tracker 2013 EP HOME TO ME. Starting off slowly this terrific track built was
delivered with attack to get things off to great upbeat start.
Maintaining the tempo Tell That Devil followed which those
familiar with the TV Drama Nashville would recognize the Hayden Panettiere (aka
Hayden Panettiere) track. The number, vastly different to the rest of her
material on 2017 DREAM COUNTRY comes close but doesn’t quite match the
Nashville Cast cut but is a good fit for Sarah.
Slowing things down the superb cinematic Where Cowboys Ride with
its dreamy qualities has become something of her trademark sound and has proved
very popular on Europe’s Keep It Country TV channel. The beautiful mid-tempo
ballad Starry Eyes (a letter to herself) provides material for someone
in need of a little light and keeping the faith when it’s easy to get disheartened
by life’s struggles. This was a delight to hear and brought forth smiles from
the audience.
 |
| Sarah Darling live at Basement, York on Mon 19 March 2018 Facebook Photo Credit: Rebecca Thompson |
Brand new and unreleased song Shimmer with its Spanish-like feel is a funky workout and showcased Darlings soft vocal illuminating the room on an observational song that shines the telescope on best human qualities – You Know You Shimmer Like Gold
The now released Diamonds, co-written with frequent
Ward Thomas writer Jessica Sharman,
has a lovely rise and fall about it, is lyrically beautiful and tells of crystallising
your dreams and turning fear into hope -
Don’t settle for strong/ You’re
worth more than you know/ But it hurts to grow. In her own words: You can’t
find a rainbow without a little rain
I think I prefer Sarah’s take on Coldplay’s Yellow (from their debut
Parachutes) to the original and revealed her talent at interpreting songs in
her own special way – this really worked!
Another new number ‘Wasted’
was released just ahead of this 12 date UK & Ireland tour and was written
by Sarah with country hit songwriters Josh Osborne (Kacey
Musgraves, Sam Hunt et al) & Marc Beeson (Blake Shelton,
LeAnn Rimes). It was originally penned when Sarah first moved to Nashville and
she shared that it was about a family friend who was falling apart due to the devastating
effects of addiction. It’s a very personal song but she felt it was now time
for the world to hear it. Inspired by real life experiences this is a true country
story song. It brought chills and was truly outstanding, what a powerful song!
In support of the tour it made
the Chris Country Radio playlist (www.chriscountry.co.uk) and will make both fans and listeners hungry for a
full album to come which may appear at the end of the year. She has returned to
London on the weekend of the Royal Wedding and continues to collaborate and pen
fresh material.
The light-hearted slower and tongue-in-cheek
More
Issues Than Vogue talks of crazy ex’s and makes fun warning a potential
beau of a train wreck lifestyle. In real life Sarah is very happily married to
an English man James! The song provided encouragement for the audience to join
in with some Oh-O-Oh’s.
She gave a shout-out to Brandy Clark who helped her co-write the brilliant The Boy Never Stays another favourite from 2011’s ANGELS & DEVIL.
In an acoustic section Sarah
seamlessly spliced a cover of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers with the delicate Anchor
(co-written with the ABC show Nashville’s Sam Palladio).
With its laid back vibe she
then brought out the bouncy and funky Home To Me reminding us of what a
great 2012 single it was that peaked at #34 on Hot Country Songs.
The moving Angel Wings was another newbie that
rocked some Celtic flavours – With God
And The Angels Then I’ve Got My Wings.
She spoke of magical special times and transported us on a love
affair trip to Paris on the seductive, sumptuous, and deep Montmartre – Wow! Keeping
us all in that starry-eyed dream Halley's Comet simply shined.
After much applause she returned to the stage for softly Stargazer
and sending fans home in a happy spirit inspired us to break out with some fun
dance moves for the hip and groovy Little Umbellas . The >> video may well
been a lot of people’s introduction and was well aired across Europe on Keep It
Country TV.
Long queues formed for a meet and greet with some holding copies
of her early albums for signing at the merch desk.
This was a great night of music and fans should make a point of
catching her at her UK festival appearances this summer.
Adrian Clark (Country Routes News)
York, you were so much fun tonight!!! Ps. You might be my new
favorite city. #York #Uk #tour #tourlife #soldout
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