Released on CD and limited-edition double vinyl LP in October 2021, ‘The St Buryan Sessions‘ was recorded live in her local medieval church of St Buryan, Cornwall. Our staff reviewed the career-spanning album here late last year. A video about the album’s unique “live without audience” production can be seen on her youtube channel. Americana UK interviewed McQuaid about the church recording last week; she says of it “Since I couldn’t have an audience to provide the atmosphere, I wanted to find a place that would bring the same kind of magic to make me feel like I had an audience there.“. Martin Johnson’s interview with McQuaid can be read here.
To celebrate the release and bring the album to a wider audience, McQuaid is doing a series of intimate concerts across the UK, starting in Cornwall where she resides. Regarding touring, McQuaid said “I’ve missed performing so badly, because you can’t really learn even though rehearsing is really important and I do rehearse at home intensively, and I spend a lot of time working on songs, but it is not until you get out in front of an audience that you really understand what effect what you are doing is having. You learn more from doing the song once in a live concert than you do from rehearsing it umpteen times at home.“. It is believed the small venues have been carefully chosen for good acoustics and close emotional connection while maintaining covid safety.
Tour dates:
Thu 20 Jan: The Acorn, Penzance
Fri 21 Jan: Fulbourn Arts, Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire
Sat 22 Jan: Wychwood Folk Club, Ascott-under-Wychwood
Thu 3 Feb: Hunton Village Club, Kent
Fri 4 Feb: The Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre, Bordon, Hants
Sat 5 Feb: The Hat Factory, Luton
Mon 7 Feb: Nuneaton Library
Thu 10 Feb: St Mary The Virgin, Twyford, Winchester
Fri 11 Feb: Winterslow Village Hall, Salisbury
Sat 12 Feb: Under The Edge Arts, Wotton-under-Edge
For complete tour information and tickets, see the artists website.
