Proudly hailing from the North East, fast-rising artist Amelia Coburn releases her first single of 2025 with the bewitching ‘Sandra’.
It takes a certain type of magic to capture the praise of Paul Weller and Paul Heaton off the back of one album. And yet, that’s exactly what Tees Valley singer-songwriter Amelia Coburn has achieved with her debut effort Between the Moon and the Milkman, released in March 2024. One year on, her latest single to be lifted from it, ‘Sandra’, tells a true story of suffering at the hands of an alcoholic and abusive husband.
This gothic-folk story came from an elderly woman Amelia stayed with while she was studying for university in France, one who spoke no English. After all she endured from her husband, his addiction led him to an early grave and his dying wish was that he be buried and that, under no circumstances, should she cremate him… so she cremated him.
Amelia Coburn: ‘“Sandra” is one of my favourite songs from the album, inspired by the life of my French landlady, who I’m still close to today. I wanted to release it as a single to carve out a special space for her story. Filming the video in Paris made it even more meaningful; walking the same streets she once took to and from work felt like stepping into her world. Her life held a lot of tragedy, but she never let it define her. We took inspiration from the classic short film Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Balloon) to capture that part of her: the way she found joy and happiness even in the smallest things.’
On the live front, Amelia has a busy year ahead opening for a number of established acts including UK underground survivors The Levellers and Katherine Priddy, as well as heading out on a headline tour with her full band in May. She has previously appeared at Reeperbahn Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, and Focus Wales, and will soon be flying stateside for her first American shows at SXSW Texas.
Upcoming Live Dates (tickets available here):
06.03 G Live, Guildford (w/ The Levellers)
07.03 Corn Exchange, Cambridge (w/ The Levellers)
08.03 Royal & Derngate, Northampton (w/ The Levellers)
09.03 Barbican, York (w/ The Levellers)
12.03 SXSW, Texas
19.03 City Varieties, Leeds (w/ Katherine Priddy)
20.03 Manchester Folk Festival (w/ Stornoway)
27.03 The Rankin Club, Leominster
28.03 St Anne’s Church, Bewdley
29.03 Violet’s Tea Room, Bridgnorth
09.05 YES Basement, Manchester
10.05 The Straw Yard, Berwick
11.05 The Glad Cafe, Glasgow
14.05 The Grace, London
15.05 The Louisiana, Bristol
16.05 Heartbreakers, Southampton
17.05 The Blue Moon, Cambridge
25.05 A Stone’s Throw Festival, North Shields
30.05 Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
31.05 The Live Rooms, Chester
01.06 Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham
15.08 Beautiful Days Festival, Devon
Supported by PRS Foundation’s Open Fund.
Bio:
Weaving together the literate lyrical approach of Scott Walker with the melodic genius of Paul McCartney, Amelia Coburn has a knack for making the unusual sound timeless.
Drawing inspiration from gothic literature and the shadowy allure of film noir, there is a darkness at the heart of many of her songs, populated by vivid characters and nocturnal creatures that inhabit the liminal space “between the moon and the milkman”. This is artfully counterbalanced, like the chiaroscuro of an old master, by Amelia’s down-to-earth charm and wicked sense of humour.
Produced by Bill Ryder-Jones (founding member of The Coral), her 2024 debut album Between the Moon and the Milkman has already gained a cult following, including praise from British music legends Paul Weller – chosen as one of his albums of the year for MOJO – and Paul Heaton, as well as national radio play in the UK and Ireland (BBC Radio 2, 3, 4, 5, 6Music, Scotland and Ulster). The album reached number 7 on the Official UK Independent Album Breakers chart and spent 3 consecutive months on the Official Folk Top 40.
Multiple end-of-year lists have praised Amelia, with Drowned in Sound naming her in their ‘15 Must-See Acts 2025’ shortlist, and Louder Than War’s ‘25 acts to see in 2025’ including her. The Arts Desk crowned the album as their Album of the Year, and it also made its way into Shindig! Magazine’s Top 30 Albums of 2024, while the likes of CLASH, Line of Best Fit, RnR and Far Out Magazine have been incredibly vocal of their support for Amelia.
The new Amelia Coburn single ‘Sandra’ is out now.
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