From Stockton-on-Tees but based in Newcastle, Sarah Johnsone has been performing in her band for three years now and didn’t play her first gig until finishing her degree in architecture.
Like many other creative people, the pandemic lockdowns were a creative opportunity, and Sarah took advantage of that and began her journey into songwriting, a moment when it all clicked for her.
She vividly remembers writing her first song on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night, a time when many ideas seem to appear for most of us…but not necessarily on the kitchen floor? Anyway, it was a proud moment to have written her first song, a song that was also her first release.
Her vocal inspirations are soul, jazz and anything blues-based, but her band’s overall sound is rooted more in alternative rock; due to varied tastes, individually, they like to blend a lot of vibes together. To quote Sarah: “I usually say indie rock with jazzy influences.”
Sarah is musically influenced by many of the greats including Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac (the early stuff) and always makes an effort to listen to past genres. Her contemporary influences are the likes of CMAT, Feet, CVC and Willie J Healey.
She noted that her highlights so far are: “Playing at The Glasshouse and Ronnie Scotts, as they are historic venues” and “Reading my first-ever review of my first single, which was an amazing feeling”, and she was totally blown away by the lovely responses to her song.
Her new release, titled ‘No Serenade’, is actually the first positive, romantic song she’s written, being about the warm comforting feeling a partner can give you when life feels heavy and stressful.
Sarah adds: “The track was recorded over a couple of days on vintage equipment with a live take first then building on that.”
This was followed with a two-hour session, recording a ten-part choir, which was nearly cut but features towards the end.
The track has a ballroom-esque flow to its 6/8 time signature, to which Sarah wanted the accompanying music video to follow the music itself rather than the story – and it’s a very pleasing video to watch.
You can watch the video now on YouTube or stream the single on all major streaming platforms.
