Edinburgh husband-and-wife dream pop duo Sarah/Shaun return to Bongo to launch new record Who Just Wants To Survive?, completing a triptych of EP releases via local label Hobbes Music, with support from local guitars and synth combo Hans Klammer plus gloriously idiosyncratic soloist Gurry Wurry.
Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), alias husband-and-wife duo Sarah and Shaun McLachlan bring their full, five-piece live band. They’ve released two EPs to date, both receiving a lot of love from critics and fans far and wide.
Last year’s debut EP, It’s True What They Say?, wooed hearts and wowed critics, attracting fans across the board: Artist Of The Week in The Scotsman, rapturous reviews from The Skinny and Tokyo’s Ban Ban Ton Ton blog, BBC 6Music airplay courtesy of Nemone (Mary Anne Hobbs’ Morning Show), more radio play from Radio Scotland’s Roddy Hart & Vic Galloway, plus Simone Butler (Primal Scream) and Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds) via their respective Soho Radio shows, not forgetting ringing endorsements from the likes of David Holmes, Youth, Kevin Bales (Spiritualized), Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks) and Julian Corrie (Franz Ferdinand).
They played gigs supporting Glasgow’s huge Glasvegas, at festivals (Kendall Calling, Dunbar Music, Hidden Door), plus a slew of venues across the Scottish capital, ending the year with a trio of shows supporting Glaswegian 80s pop legends The Bluebells at Aberdeen’s Tunnels, Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys and Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms, while The List magazine tipped them among their Ones To Watch For 2025, with The List magazine suggesting they were “blending the starry-eyed pop of Sonny & Cher with the electronic experimentation of Chris & Cosey.”
Second EP Someone’s Ghost got pulses racing in April (when they last played Bongo) and 2025 has been quite the year for them, with gigs at Kelburn, The Pitt, Fringe By The Sea, Glasgow’s Glad Cafe and Hug & Pint, Dunbar Music Festival again and Carlisle, among others.
“I LOVE that! Dreamy dreamy pop.” ROY MOLLOY (Marvellous Crane/Alex Cameron) on BLAST RADIO, Sydney
“the Scottish music scene’s cream of the cool… buzzy drum beats, high, distant chimes, and heavenly electronics…. very ethereal.” THE SKINNY
“Listening to Sarah/Shaun is like eavesdropping on a noir dreampop, long-distance phone call between them both, across two separate sonic locations. On this stunning 4-song EP, Sarah’s voice, effortlessly mesmerising, draws you into these big beautiful and haunting passages of perfect dream-pop. All beautifully produced in a multi-layered-scape of low-fi analogue textures, epic cinematic crescendos, intense electro-pulse grooves and warped psycho-pop guitar riffs. Within the songs lurk a sense of unresolved emotions, longing and pathos. There are shades of classic Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra but also Post-Punk Electronica and Beach House. But what a unique sound they’ve created of their own. I love it” DAVID MCCLUSKEY (The Bluebells)
“Absolutely beautiful” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
“Lovely stuff here! Total quality.” MARTYN ‘MASH’ HENDERSON
“Ooooh. Everything the last record promised is here. Well done” GEORGE T aka George Demure (Accident Machine)
“Vince clark Era Depeche Mode in places” KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized)
“Sounds cool. Well done” PETE KEMBER (Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3)
“Glorious, it (Debbie Harry) grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go.” IAIN DAWSON aka RAVECHILD (Everyone Wants To Play The Hits Podcast)
“Woozy pop” NEMONE (BBC 6Music)
“Beautifully formed dream-pop here PICCADILLY RECORDS, Manchester
“Blending the starry-eyed pop of Sonny & Cher with the electronic experimentation of Chris & Cosey” THE LIST
An accomplished and dreamy debut” THE SKINNY
“Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
“Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop” YOUTH
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
“Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point” KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized)
‘Makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ HAMILTON (Sea Power)
Combining synths, guitars and one of the most soul-stirring vocal presences we’ve heard in a wee while, Hans Klammer will be opening the night in their unique way. These guys don’t gig very often. Not to be missed.
We were all a bit smitten when we came across this curious character, all the way from sunny Leith, no less. His bandcamp says it’s ‘for fans of Gruff Rhys, BC Camplight and Michael Nau’ – seems apt (and, listening closely, it seems likely he’s also a fan of classic Ray Davies, Donald Fagen and perhaps Ringo Starr’s contributions to the Fab Four’s catalogue). He’s been generating yet more effusive epithets for his wonky pop genius from the broader media (see below). Be sure to arrive early, to catch this whimsical bus…
“Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci meets Randy Newman” Vic Galloway, BBC
“Like a wonky psychedelic take on Supertramp at their seventies finest… layers of warm and dreamy haze” SNACK Magazine
“Stylishly hypnotic alt-pop” Obscure Sound
“Imagine David Thomas Broughton covered the Beach Boys” Grotesqualizer
“A deft musical touch and willingness to keep it weird” Is This Music?
“Dense and sophisticated pop… full of soul and magic” Phonograph Me
“Disturbing and captivating” Iggy Magazine
“Rather wonderful” Bottom of the Pops
“Velvety tones… rich and distinctive” Analogue Trash
“A really unique feel” Clout
“Unlike any other” Parapop
Location
The Bongo Club
66 Cowgate
Edinburgh
EH1 1JX
