A formidable performer on stage, Thea is among the finest singer songwriters of her generation, a frank and fearless pursuer of home truths who has constantly adapted to remain relevant in the fickle, forever changing music industry. And done so on her own terms.
A painful creative and personal rebirth delivered a brace of brilliant albums last year. Although poles apart musically Afterlight, the 18th album of her career, and The Emancipation of Eva Gray, written by Thea’s alter ago and imagined 100 years ago, share the same foundation in their sentiment and subject matter – the end of a toxic relationship – as she explores the female experience through her own story.
Writer Neil Gaiman brilliantly encapsulated the spirit of Afterlight as “an emotional rollercoaster in a musical wrapper… a post mortem with better lyrics, executed by someone who can sing her heart out even as she slices into yours.”
In the 24 years since the teenage Thea released her first album, Burning Dorothy, she has worked with and won the admiration of Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Martha Wainwright, John Cooper Clarke, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, Beth Orton and The Waterboys among many others. Her landmark 2011 album Don’t Stop Singing was a collaboration with the late Sandy Denny and her music featured in the BAFTA-winning film Bait (2019) as well as Blithe Spirit (2020) starring Judi Dench.
Praise for Afterlight
“poetically wrought but emotionally direct” – 4* FINANCIAL TMES
About Clare Sands
Channeling the music of her ancestors through her deep rooted Irish traditional fiddling & bilingual song, Clare Sands is a unique force in Irish music. A sixth generation fearless feisty fiddler, the singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist is breaking the boundaries of Irish Music. She makes pulsating Folk music, infused with a myriad of influences from around the world to create an invigorating new sound, for the young and the old, brave and the bold.
As well as performing solo, Clare has also performed with critically acclaimed artists such as the Hothouse Flowers, The Stunning, Daithí, Mick Flannery, Susan O’Neill, Manchán Magan, Niamh Regan & many more. This ‘force of natures’ time has truly come….
Throughout 2021, Clare collaborated with some of Ireland’s finest Folk and Traditional musicians to compose four new songs over the four seasons, inspired by the landscapes and soundscapes of the four provinces. These compositions with Steve Cooney & Tommy Sands, Susan O’Neil, Brídín and Liam Ó Maonlaí will feature on Clare’s highly anticipated self-titled debut album of pulsating Folk, due for release this year. Described by Mark Radcliffe on BBC Radio 2 as ‘Ritualistic, Hypnotic, Tribal…deeply earthy’ and ‘full of life’ they are a glance into the invigorating new Irish sound to come.