Clarke has been hailed as the songwriter-poet of melancholy, as well as a thrilling interpreter of traditional song. In the wake of her acclaimed new album, Far From Nowhere she is now stepping up to honour Sandy Denny – a singer with whom she has been compared – with a show that brings Denny’s music to a new generation.
‘If I can take one fan of mine and introduce them to Denny, in a context that they can grab hold of,’ she says. ‘If they like my music they will love Denny. And that would be the whole concept sorted. To pass it on, so that these songs can go on forever.’
Songs like ‘An Old-Fashioned Waltz’, ‘Reynardine’, ‘Fotheringay’, ‘The Sea’, ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’ and ‘Solo’ – ‘a beautiful song, one that has personal resonance for me’, Clarke says.
Clarke brings a folk-rock set-up of guitar, piano, bass and drums to capture all the rich textures and tones that exist within Denny’s music, leaving Clarke free to work her vocal magic.
Clarke describes Denny’s songs as her north star – a constant guiding light. ‘Look at how brilliant they are – and there are so many of them. And each one has gold in it.’
If any contemporary performer is set to extract that gold and fashion it anew, it is Josienne Clarke.
Celeste Madden
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