Anne-Marie Sanderson
8th March 2025 8:00pm (Doors open at 7:00 pm)
Kirkgate Centre
Anne-Marie Sanderson is a singer-songwriter whose music is at once earthy and airy, groundedyet ethereal. Drawing inspiration from nature, literature and her travels, Sanderson's haunting melodies and poetic lyrics mesmerise and enchant, taking listeners on innerjourneys of theirown.
Her new album, Old Light, has been described as "uplifting and gentle" (NARC), "articulate and ethereal" (Rocking Magpie), and "melodically divine" (BBC Introducing). With influences including Nick Drake and Jesca Hoop, her intricate guitar work and captivating vocals make her a standout in the modern folk scene.
Old Light comes six years after Anne-Marie’s previous release, the EP ‘Book Songs Vol. 1’, a collection of songs inspired by the work of authors including Robert Macfarlane, Sarah Hall and Barbara Kingsolver. Anne-Marie’s new album opens a new musical chapter, with lead single ‘Turning of the Year’ offering both an invitation and a manifesto: ‘It’s time to set a new intention, focus our attention / Follow this breath to its full potential…’.
In addition to being Sanderson’s first full-length album, Old Light is both musically and thematically her most diverse release yet. Touching on themes of nature, personal growth, and ancestral wisdom, the album is also rich in musical scope, paying homage to diverse influences from folk, pop and jazz. The end result is a signature sound crafted with care in Anne-Marie’s home studio, where she took on the roles of multi-instrumentalist, arranger, recording engineer and producer.
In an age where attention is spread thin and our focus seems constantly blurred by peripheral darkness, Sanderson’s songs seek out glimmers of hope and create space for them to shine. There is an understated authority to her work and an irresistible inevitability to its emotional momentum. Each note and every word is significant, an essential part of the greater whole. Or to borrow from the album’s soulful second single If, ‘everything has got its right place / everything has got its right time / and everything has got a balance / and everything will work out fine.’