Sarah jane delighted with busy year

Singer Sarah Jane Morris plays The Ropetackle in Shoreham for the first time with Tony Remy (Annie Lennox) and Kevin Armstrong (David Bowie and Iggy Pop) on nylon and acoustic guitar (Friday, June 10 at 8pm)

Sarah Jane, who remains perhaps best known for her association with The Communards in the mid-80s and in particular the hit Don’t Leave Me This Way, said: “The material will be from the current album Where It Hurts which are original songs co-written with Dominic Miller and Lewes-based Martyn Barker.

“There will be several new songs co-written with both Kevin and Tony and most have an African flavor. There will also be a few songs from the next album CelloSongs which is to be launched in the autumn at the Auditorium in Rome.

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“The album consists of 14 cellos, Dominic Miller on nylon string guitar and Danilo Rea on piano and myself on voice. The idea was to explore the relationship between cello and voice with my friend Enrico Mellozi in Rome and then it developed into many cellos.

“Boy George wrote an original song for the album called She Always Hung Out Her Washing and I co wrote with Ennio Morricone and wrote lyrics to a Debussy tune as well as a Tom Waits song, a Tracy Chapman song and several original songs that I wrote with Johny Brown and Martyn Barker. We did our first concert for this project last Thursday in Verona in a large church with amazing acoustics.

“This project will take me through 2012 as we hope to be touring with cellos and orchestras throughout Europe and hope to bring it to the Purcell Rooms as the London date. On July 1s I headline the Margate jazz festival at the Wintergardens with a wonderful line-up including a brass section of Annie Whitehead, Mark Lockheart and John Eacott. I sing in the Robert Wyatt band with Annie, sung with Loose Tubes with Mark and John and was also in Test Department and Happy End with John so we all go back a long way.

“I have 6 brothers and I tend to reform my family within my band. I like my band to feel like family which is why it’s very important we all get on socially as well. I feel very blessed with my musicians.

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“On the July 2, I am singing with Jimmy Sommerville for the first time in 25 years as we are duetting on Don’t Leave Me This Way on the Here And Now tour in Brighton, along with Ultravox and my old friend Boy George. I’m really looking forward to this and Ascot racecourse where we play in August.

“In July I move to Kent to live as my partner has his studio there and it’s as important for him to paint as it is for me to sing and write, so off I move for the 37th time. I have loved living in Hastings, it’s been the most amazing of places to live and the people without exception are the best! We are bound to keep contact with the place and occasionally do concerts here and come back I am very excited about the coming concerts, move, album and year ahead! I am happy!”

Tickets on www.ropetacklecentre.co.uk or 01273 464440.