I wrote ‘The Past Is Not The Now’ as I was starting to emerge from a dark and stormy time and strive upwards towards the light.

I think there will be parts of this song many people can relate to.  Life is not a simple, planned and executed novel.  Plans go awry, people make mistakes and people get hurt.  I have always struggled with the need to ‘get it right’, ‘do my best’, ‘give it my all’, ‘succeed’ and ‘be perfect’. That is not a reality anyone actually lives in, I see this now!

One of the biggest struggles for me is learning acceptance that the past happened, whether it happened in a way I wished for or not. It happened, it hurt and now I need to focus on the present.

This song is about that desire to move up and move out of the past. This involves allowing yourself to feel your reaction to it in order to live in the here and now, happily.  This can be challenging to do when past events have gone against what you expected or hoped for.

So, ‘The Past Is Not The Now‘ is a song for anyone who has ever experienced this. I salute your determination, resilience and inner strength. It is a celebration of stubbornly persisting, not giving up or giving in and finally leaving the past where it belongs – behind not in front of you. Let’s keep on going and live in the sunlight of the here and now. Enjoy the present moment!

Huge thanks to Pete Nash for his beautiful guitar, bass, drum programming, singing and arranging on the single at Electric Troubadour Circus. I loved every minute of working with Pete again musicially and he has such a skill for arranging and producing it was a privilege to record with him.

Thank you also to the extremely talented Chloe Kutkus Morton for understanding exactly what I wanted to express with the song and converting it into a beautiful visual impact with the artwork she designed. I love what she has created and will proudly hang it on my music wall.

I’ll be celebrating the launch of this single on Thursday 28th March at The Samuel Pepys Pub, Huntingdon. Do come along and join me, and three other singer songwriters for ‘Performers at The Pepys’ hosted by Gavin Chappell-Bates.

Claire X

‘Moving on’ is such an overused phrase.  It also doesn’t usually work unless you stop in one place with the feelings you are trying to escape, first.

I’m in the process of finishing the third in a set of songs I’ve written about this very subject.

Songs live in my head and my heart for a while before I can sing them out and complete the process.

I usually write the piano part first, and then the melody comes out of playing the piano riff and the lyrics follow.

I know that it is a ‘real’ song developing when I don’t have to try too hard with the words and the melody. If they come easily and almost knowing what they want to say without me having to be involved I know it is right. I’m not a patient person generally, but I have be patient with my songwriting self because she does things in her own time in what can seem a slow creative process.

There is nothing more satisfying than the first time I sing a new song through and it has ‘settled’ into a story of sounds and feelings strung together coherently.

Singing it out is by far the best therapy I’ve ever experienced and it can also take me closer to an answer or a next step forward.

Moving on isn’t really it, actually. I prefer being, now.

This way life isn’t all about what is happening next but focussing on living in the moment!

Watch this space – I hope to record the new sounds soon……

CC X

Taking leave of the day-to-day I had a blast camping out in a field with my mum and other musicians and letting the ebb and flow of music and creativity take over our senses for the weekend.

I love how the only important timings at a festival are when the next band or artist that you want to see is on and the only planning is around how to see as many of these as is humanly possible!

Having been out of the country for a while one of the things I’ve missed the most has been the UK festival scene, so when I was invited to perform at Kendal Calling Festival this summer I couldn’t have been more chuffed!

KC is a unique and for me, perfectly sized festival situated in beautiful surroundings with an eclectic mix of music as well as immersive art installations so it ticks all the boxes.

It didn’t disappoint so I wanted to share a few of my favourite experiences of the weekend with you. I was lucky to have my excellent roadie/driver/supporter/Mum Julia with me to enjoy it and we had a ball!

After a mega 10 hour rainy journey on typically gridlocked UK motorways (thank you Julia) we got the tent up in a break in the rain and caught the end of Stereophonics and an exceptional set by Lakuta. The lead singer was amazing and explained the story behind the songs and she made me cry with her emotive performance, but also made us dance lots in particular to ‘Mr Serious’ and ‘Rice & Peace’. The band as a whole were so so tight and fused so many sounds I can’t do them justice here so check them out and have a listen. Chai Wallah tent was set to be a place you would be sure to find us again.

Our tent palace for the weekend

Lakuta performing in Chai Wallah tent

Saturday brought slightly less drizzle but the mud was making the trek from the camp site to the arena better exercise already!

Highlights for us on Saturday began with the #IntoTheWild parade which featured drummers, dancers, musicians and family festival goers impressively kitted out as wild things stomping through the woods and the main arena. It was really uplifting and a carnival-like celebration masterminded by my brilliant friend Roxy. It was so nice to catch up with her and Ben Robinson (who along with Andy Smith founded and organises the festival) after not seeing them for ages!

#IntoTheWild parade Kendal Calling 2017

#IntoTheWild parade Kendal Calling 2017

#IntoTheWild parade Kendal Calling 2017

Ben aka Robinson Boone and Claire Cameron at #IntoTheWild parade Kendal Calling 2017

Ben & Roxy Robinson at Kendal Calling 2017

Awesome ‘family of foxes’ taking part in #IntoTheWild parade Kendal Calling 2017

Roxy getting the job done!

We spent the afternoon pottering about ‘Lost Eden‘ and exploring the art in the woods which was pretty special and nice to find the stage I’d be playing at the next day. Even better, found out Ben was playing a set of his own there so we could enjoy watching him and we did – nice one Robinson Boone you smashed it!

Robinson Boone performing live on Carvetti Stage at Kendal Calling 2017

Claire Cameron explores Lost Eden at Kendal Calling

Lost Eden at Kendal Calling

Evening fell and the sundowners were had along with a smattering of glitter and flower-hair acquisition. Then we trudged back through the muddy lanes and fields and enjoyed some Saturday night sounds at various stages, but the highlight for us had to be the epic set from Liam Bailey in the Chai Wallah tent again. He is excellent, his band is amazing and we loved every minute of it!

Lost Eden at Kendal Calling

Claire & Julia at Kendal Calling

muddy fields at Kendal Calling

Liam Bailey at Chai Wallah Kendal Calling 2017

Sunday morning brought some sun and clouds but a happy and amusing breakfast thanks to top comedian Roland Saunders aka The TV TV. He was slightly disbelieving that we had pitched such a tent mansion for just two of us (3 nights justified it I think and needing to be well rested to sing, obviously!) and after we got talking he treated us to some impromptu sneak previews of his show which was very funny! An excellent morning coffee buddy it was great to chill out and chat with him!

Roland Saunders aka The TV TV and Claire enjoying a campsite coffee Kendal Calling 2017

Did some more mud trudging to and from the tents and stages throughout the day, then it was time to get glittered up courtesy of Chloe and Briony at The Feather Tree, ready for my set! Love these girls they were really nice to talk to and did a fab job on my hair and makeup thanks.

Claire with Briony and Chloe of The Feather Tree at Kendal Calling 2017

Claire & Julia cocktail time by the lake at Kendal Calling 2017

Claire by the lake at Kendal Calling 2017

We even had a bit of time for some R&R by the beautiful lake ahead of my performance 🙂

My glamorous roadie Julia at Kendal Calling 2017

Awesome Andy driving the buggy with the piano

Julia came into her own helping me lug Roland (my electric piano) from the campsite to the pretty Carvetti stage in the woods of Lost Eden. Massive thanks and respect to Andy who drove us on the buggy through treacherous and muddy terrain AND he was buggy driving most of the weekend helping everyone so what a guy!

We were met in the woods by Luke (my very helpful Artist Liason) who took one end of the heavy piano and we carried it backstage. Getting changed into my Vietnamese Ao Dai surrounded by mud was funny but thanks to the team and Julia we managed it and even switched to evening shoes side-stage ready to go – felt weird to be out of wellies for a bit!

When the moment came to start my set I felt quite overwhelmed by how excited and pleased I was to be there, at this awesome festival singing my heart out. Thank you so much to all of you who watched and listened to my songs. I really felt that you were there with me in that moment and truly hearing the emotions I felt when I wrote the songs. Thanks to Kendal Calling for having me! I loved it X

Here’s: ‘You Taught My Heart To Travel’

Claire Cameron live at Kendal Calling Carvetti Stage

Claire Cameron live at Kendal Calling Carvetti Stage

After my set we headed back to the tent to drop Roland back and then meet Roxy and friends in the woodlands to enjoy the incredible set from the London African Gospel Choir who performed Graceland in its entirety! It was amazing and the fireworks going off during ‘You Can Call Me Al’ really topped it off as the best festival ever!

Roxy and Claire letting their hair down after the show!

Sometimes life does not go to plan. Sometimes it happens to you and there is a decision to be made – allow it to be in control of you or take back control of it and make something good come out of bad.

Recently life has not been what I ordered, what I wanted or how I planned it. I’ve had a lot of questions for fate, God whoever makes the wheels spin and things happen. I’ve asked ‘why me?’, I’ve railed against fact and tried to argue with the unnacceptable, when what I really need to do is accept that life is a rich tapestry of tough and difficult as well as happy and enjoyable and ‘move on’. This is such an over-used phrase but maybe that is for a reason – it is the only way to try and put into words what to do next after crisis; dwelling in the bad stuff won’t help get to the good. However acknowledging that you are feeling awful and letting the emotion out is vital. I don’t think it matters how this is done – through music, exercise, talking to a friend or family member or counselling – it just matters that it comes out and doesn’t get suppressed.

So ‘How Could You‘ is for anyone who has felt any of the above, now or before and been left challenging the empty sky and asking ‘why me?’ I’m trying to stop asking that now – ‘how could this happen?’, ‘why me?’ – I’m moving towards finding the better out of worse and hopefully staying there. Life happens though – I’d rather choose to happen with it rather than letting it happen to me from now on. I am here, I have my music and in this new song I’ve put the feelings that sometimes have to come out so I’m not left stuck inside them.

Mental health was already in the news when I started writing this song; since I’ve finished it two musicians I respected have taken their own lives. This makes me feel so sad and underlines just how vital it is to treat mental health like any other illness – there should be no shame or stigma attached to it. It is no different to getting treatment for cancer or a broken leg – at least it should not be seen as different in my opinion. It is so important to support each other and help anyone who is feeling depressed to talk and feel truly heard, not just listened to.

A big thank you to Neil Sadler at No Machine for not only recording, mixing and producing the single but for his excellent guitar and bass parts. Thank you to Scott Hunter for nailing the drums and Tom Hunter for the atmospheric strings. It was a pleasure to work with all of you and I feel like ‘How Could You’ was really brought to life by your performances.

Thank you to Helen Barlow-Scott of One Line Studio for the perfect Cover Art.

I hope you like the song – it is certainly a cathartic one to sing.

CC x

Listen and Download ‘How Could You’ below:

This was the most beautiful Lunar New Year (Tết Nguyên Đán) we’ve ever celebrated in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). I think it was the most enjoyable due to the fact that we truly embraced everything there was to experience.

From the family centred festivities at Damsen park, to the country-show feel of Tao Dan park and the photogenic flower street of Nguyen Hue, the whole city came alive with flowers and decorations.

It was extremely atmospheric walking into a sumptously decorated Tao Dan park in District 3 to a surprising array of competitive displays.  There were bonzai trees galore, the traditional yellow-flowered trees of a southern Vietnamese Tet celebration, rocks and minerals and incredibly detailed minature garden scenes.  It was great to see the traditional caligraphy created on demand for hanging at home, and there were lots of different dances and live music performances too.

I visited Dam Sen park for the first time, and what struck me the most was the wonderful feeling of space, carved out for holiday makers and family days out in the middle of a bustling city.  The traffic was almost non-existent on getting there – I really recommend travelling around Ho Chi Minh City during Tet because it is so chilled out and peaceful.

Dam Sen has a lot to offer including an Aquarium, beautiful gardens, a lake, monorail, water park and loads more! We just pottered around this time and enjoyed the scenery. I felt a wonderful sense of new beginnings and tranquility walking around the quiet gardens near the water.

Nguyen Hue always delivers an impressive stroll through living, blooming sculptures and temporary gardens around the theme of the year’s animal. This year was the rooster, whose colourful plumage lent itself well to the decorations!

Beauty was everywhere and tranquility immersive as the traffic receeded, shops shut and people spent time just stopping to look, see and simply be.

It is such a privilege to be in Vietnam during the run up to Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year).  It is our fourth year in Vietnam and we have stayed in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) every year during this celebratory time.  Many people go away from the city either to visit relatives or go on holiday abroad but we’ve always really loved being around to soak up the atmosphere!

Our first year here was the year of the horse (2014) then came the goat, then monkey and this year will be the year of the rooster.  Saigon is vibrant with hues of reds and yellows predominantly but all of the colours of the rainbow can be found at the cho hòa (flower market) where everyone enjoys getting their flowers and decorations ready for the new year.

I have visited the famous flower street of Nguyễn Huệ every Tet I’ve been here, (which is always amazing and I’ll include another post about that after Tet) but strangely I hadn’t been to the amazing flower market on 23/9 Park (Pham Ngu Lao Street near Ben Thanh Market), District 1 before.

So this morning I went along to see where the locals buy their blooms and it was a revelation! What a beautiful and atmospheric place, especially in the early morning light before the hottest part of the day takes hold.  I highly recommend pottering around this beautiful market, where you’ll find friendly sellers and sensible prices for breathtaking floral displays.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

As a few people have asked me to share the lyrics to ‘Song for Saigon‘  I thought it would be cool to share them with the world, so here they are.

Listen to and download ‘Song for Saigon’ on CD Baby,

Song for Saigon

Saigon growing up my window

She’s creeping right under my pillow

With warm lights and motorbikes and sleepless nights and I know,

It’s go with the flow

In this place which goes by many names,

Both different yet somehow the ‘same, same.’

There’s smiling and trying and guessing

..Means ‘no’ when you’re ‘yes-ing’…

Where the city sleeps whatever ways

A nap can be taken most times of day

A floor here, a desk, but by far the best is stretched

the length of a moped.

Stop, watch the ride

of the people who live, the people who give their

calm, moving tide

of peaceful exist; it’s hard to resist this life.

Hard to resist this life.

Language can defeat me

With much local hilarity

Em tên  là Claire

một hai ba yo!

hẹn gặp lại

Rất vui được gặp em

Drumming dreaming anti-rhythm

The unrelenting sound of construction

Blends into calls of street food stalls and busy malls

Then hush; the heat of the day

There’s a beauty in her coloured hems

Old houses standing tall and thin since then

When bicycles and cyclos ruled before

The sound of an engine…

Such a happy, truthful open place

With an honest and an easy grace

The busy waves of peoples days and humid haze

Keeps on

While I’m just observing.

Saigon lives near, chaotic yet placid here

Rising high, her focus on present times.

It’s hard to resist this life.

Claire Cameron  Copyright 2013.

After I finished Song for Saigon I spent a long time looking through my own photographs, trying to find one which encapsulated everything I was trying to say with the lyrics.

The image for the cover art of the single needed to convey a busy city, chaos, tranquility, people and traffic and shops and food, the beauty and the unlovely, the noise and quiet.  It needed to say; ‘here is modern Saigon, as though a woman to be reckoned with, a city who has faced much and grown up, a person who moves on and moves up and forwards with modern times yet holds onto tradition against the odds.  A place with two names and one heart, a home, a contradiction and an inspiration and a change.’

So the song covers a lot of ground!

After attempting the design myself and unsurprisingly failing miserably (mainly because I’m not a graphic designer or an expert photographer) I decided to look for ideally a local Vietnamese designer who might be able to put my words and music into a picture.

Then I met Nguyen Thi Kim Hue.  She is a wonderfully modest and sweet person who was more than a little daunted by my over-descriptive and perhaps at times (!) confusing proclamations about what Song for Saigon is all about and how she might translate this into art please?

I wanted to share this process because Hue didn’t just produce one amazing image but several, and she managed to capture such a wonderful array of moments from life in Saigon that it was hard to select only one!  In the end I chose the one we have because it contains the essence of the song in that you can see if you look closely the traditional long thin Vietnamese houses on the street as well as the modern Bitexco building looming behind a bustling night street scene full of motorbikes, people, shops, bars, restaurants, lights and life.

It is exactly what I was looking for and taken on a popular street in District 1, which is apt as that is where I lived when I started writing the song.

However the peaceful moments, the old, new, fast and slow pace and the construction and the calm and the chaos Hue found in these other images had to be shared as well. Because Song for Saigon is for the whole city with all of these scenes interwoven.  Here are a few of my favourites, with my heartfelt thanks to Hue for taking a difficult brief and answering it with beauty.

On a warm, sultry Saigon evening in December, I gathered my friends and fans together at La Fenetre Soleil, 44 Ly Tu Trong, District 1, to launch ‘Song for Saigon‘.

Two years in the writing, and another one waiting for the right time to release it after flying back to the UK to record it, the time was now.

It was overwhelming to see so many familiar faces in the crowd enjoying the music and supporting the launch. A huge thank you to all of you that came along!

Filming the event were ‘Impressive Vietnam for VTC 10 Net Viet’ and ‘Tuiotre Online’ and it was a privilege that Song for Saigon generated so much local interest. I was really delighted to perform it live and play the recording with the complete Claire Cameron Band performing through the PA for everyone to get the full impact!

There are some photos from the night below, and here is the ‘Impressive Vietnam TV Show about Song for Saigon.’

Download ‘Song for Saigon’ here.

It has been two years since I moved to Saigon, and it there has been plenty of music explored and performed in that time.  I spent the first year performing with a pop/rock covers band (Pho Play) at various venues including Pacharan, Acoustic, Darts Darts Darts, The Intercontinental and Caravelle Hotels as well as private parties. It was the perfect introduction to the music scene here and a great way of meeting some talented musicians already dwelling in Ho Chi Minh City.  The guys I played with are a storming success in the city with ‘Zunkbomb‘ and ‘The Wanderlusters‘ and I recommend their gigs at The Boathouse and O’Briens in particular.

The second year I shifted focus to performing solo (I felt like I was missing limbs without the Claire Cameron Band boys Pete, Jim & Mike but it was good to play CCB material again, as well as some of my solo numbers that work better as piano vocal) at various city centre venues including La Fenetre Soleil, DeciBel, Broma Bar and VANS Unforgettable. It was beneficial to have more time to reflect and head-space for writing.  I particularly enjoyed my monthly residency at La Fenetre Soleil, playing their beautiful grand piano and enjoying lots of support from my brilliant friends who would come along to the gig and enjoy the cocktails and something to eat while I warbled for them.

The main song I was working on was the song about Saigon, and a local newspaper, Thanh Nien, heard about this and called me up to meet them for an interview. Mr Tuan was very charming and it was an open conversation about what brought me here and my impressions of the city.  It was pretty exciting to see this in print a couple of weeks later, and my Vietnamese friends assure me that it was all nice things (my Vietnamese is not strong enough to translate it exactly!) Read the article here.

Claire Cameron và chồng – Ben Durrant tại Sài Gòn – Ảnh: Nhân vật cung cấp

The past year has been a whirlwind of decisions, planning, moving and arriving, first physically and finally now as I sit down to write this on a simmering Sunday afternoon here in Saigon, mentally.

Emotionally I think I’m nearly there, and I know this mainly because I have finally started to make use of having Roland (my precious Roland FP2 model Electric Piano) here and begun to wake up from the uninspired daze I have been wallowing in to set fingers to keys and ideas to music.  I’m perhaps being too hard on myself there, because most of the other songwriters I know go through a dry spell here and there, even the more prolific ones.  I don’t think I’ll ever fit into the prolific songwriting category, but I think that is a good thing for me, as each song unfolds in my head like a novel and the pages write themselves in their own sweet time once I’ve been brave enough to step up to the keys and give the story music to sing to.

Breakfasting at Hotel Continental on Tet Eve  near The Saigon Opera House 

As soon as I get the mood to write a song it feels like I’m coming back to myself, and the more the song takes shape the closer I get to that ever elusive true contentment, when everything in life slots into place and stops rushing.

Living here is noisy, busy, interesting, a bit overwhelming and sometimes beautiful.  I’ll keep you posted on the first song from Saigon as it comes to me.

Claire Cameron is an outstanding artist. She has worked tirelessly to perfect her skills as a Singer, Songwriter, Pianist and recording artist. The results have been celebrated by headline performances at some of the UK’s top venues and multiple plays on BBC Radio. I highly recommend Claire Cameron as a music professional.

First on in the evening was a young lady called Claire Cameron. Playing solo piano and singing well planned personal songs. Claire got the evening started in a sophisticated fashion, easing the crowd into it.

The Claire Cameron Band offer alternative rock storytelling with deliberate themes of love, trauma and broken relationships. Their instruments produce melodies that blend with passionate vocals and time to create authentic, multi-layered journeys – ones that strangely raise the spirit, despite the downcast subject matter…..  ‘Love of you’ bursts into life with piano and drums that energise from the start. Claire’s vocals are clear and offer great depth. It kicks into extra gears all the way up to five – a consistent feature of most songs on the album, along with the dynamic, attitude-laced climaxes…..   ‘Question Every Day’ is the best track overall. An atmospheric, chilling, wintery intro gives way to lyrics that provide hope for the future after a traumatic, draining relationship (‘you could not be further from, the kind of man I’d waste my loving on’). It seems to pay homage to ‘Free Bird’ and other long rock songs during the final guitar solo for an explosive ending.

With influences ranging from Beyonce to Led Zeppelin, there is most definitely something for everyone in Claire Cameron Band’s music, and I suggest if they are playing a gig near you, you go and check them out! Concluding the gig was ‘Exposition’ a rather darker, heavier track, to which the crowd clapped along to for its entirety. A perfect end to a successful gig, the acapella ending absolutely left the audience craving more, who were screaming so by the end. Claire simply replied to the hungry crowd ‘you’ll have to buy the CD if you want to hear more tonight’ and with a gracious bow, was gone.

A solo performance by Claire Cameron followed and the quality remained, with some wonderful compositions which were provided with powerful vocals and delicate keyboard playing. While some keyboard players “lose” their audience, Claire kept everyone interested and showed why many people class her as the best female-keyboard player on the circuit at present.

The music of Claire Cameron Band takes a cross section of almost every genre imaginable and flits between them in a surprisingly cohesive manner. Rock, metal, folk and prog all have a place on ‘Time I Start’ as the captivating voice of front-woman Claire, along with the hooky choruses, drive the song forwards. ‘No Illusions’ is gentler but equally well constructed with sweeping guitar from Pete Nash while subtle keyboard parts offer a perfect backdrop to the powerful vocals. ‘Question Every Day’ sees the rock vibe return with a vengeance as the rhythm section kicks things up a notch and the ending guitar solo reaches just the right level of self-indulgence to be really satisfying. Overall the effect is very ‘Fleetwood Mac-meets-Imogen Heap’ but with something a little more volatile and fiery lurking below the melodic surface. After several years on the circuit it is great to see that Claire has found a band with which her talent can truly thrive.

Thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics, punchy piano, solid rhythms, electric guitar snaking in and out of powerful verses and catchy choruses; Claire Cameron has it all. It’s been a while since I’ve heard an original talent supported by such a sympathetic and exciting band. Claire is not only a chanteuse of considerable charisma but a poet to boot – she draws you into her songs so that you are living the emotion she obviously felt during composition. Comparisons? Hmm, a difficult one. Tori Amos meets Fleetwood Mac? Check ‘em out while you can still see them in the clubs and decide for yourself – they are destined for greater things.

‘I was amazed at your songs, beautifully written, played and sung. I am now an official fan. Peace

Leeds Festival Fringe finale ended in style at the ‘Well’ on Wednesday with Claire Cameron hosting a gorgeous night of music. Claire Cameron and her band played out the Fringe with flamboyant flair. Energetic, contemporary and unique, Claire’s band had the audience writhing and clapping with pulse quickening rhythms combined with delicious harmony and melody and a stunningly visual stage presence. What a great night at the ‘Well’ anybody who didn’t go missed out!

Angular, challenging passages are skillfully built into the songs which often swirl around Claire’s outstanding voice. Pete Nash’s guitar is always inventive and varied in tonality and technique, but always musical and always at the service of the songs. The same can be said of the experienced bassist, Mike James whose unfussy, magical bass meshes with Jim ‘The Hit’ Gaylard’s drumming to provide the ideal rhythm section for the band. This is a band comfortable in each other’s musical company and inspired by the input from each member. The last and perhaps the most prominent thing to strike the listener was the sheer variety of songs and treatments. Conga mixed with controlled feedback, a touch of reggae rhythm complements a controlled instrumental wig out! So many shades and colours from a four piece; the recent of introduction of backing vocals from Pete and Jim only extend this. Claire Cameron Band – the whole world’s watching. If they’re not yet, they soon will be.

Claire Cameron Band are regulars on the local gigging circuit and their highly accomplished and experimental style begs the question as to why they have not been snapped up already and flown off to bigger and grander things. Their set begins very strongly meshing complex guitar parts, powerful vocals and interestingly off kilter keyboard sections with personal lyrics and a confident stage persona. After a beautiful rendition of ‘Amethyst’ they finish strongly with a cover of Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’ that puts Beyonce’s perfume advert rendition to shame. The band are so diverse in their style that not everything they do is crowd pleasing but their stage presence and the simultaneously gritty and polished nature of their performance keeps things interesting.

The 21st January proved a frenetic lively Friday night at the Library in Leeds at the 360 Club. We dropped in and watched the Claire Cameron Band a while. ‘Well Claire’s done it again, a wonderful performance, wowing the packed noisy throng with her sleek elegant looks, powerfully evocative, passionate voice, personal lyrics and restrained yet paradoxically free almost improvised keyboarding. This combined with intricate hand percussion on a pair of conga’s and a cymbal by Jim Gaylard and distinctive rhythmic guitaring by Pete Nash produce a purely contemporary experience and a band truly worth travelling to see.

Claire Cameron Band’s music is a perfect example of the rough with the smooth, an acoustic soft rock blend with Claire, the lead singer’s, being the rose between several thorns, her voice certainly has a certain je ne sais quoi!

Claire’s connection with the audience is immediate her powerful, soaring voice singing favourites ‘Question every day’, ‘Time I start’, ‘Amethyst’ and ‘Spinning tops’ brought rapturous applause from the crowd. A storming encore finished a hot, memorable evening

Cameron’s beautiful, haunting, candid vocals that travel on dreamlike keyboard parts simply demand to be heard. We’ve got our eyes on her, we recommend you do the same.

If you’ve seen them live then you’ll already know how great they are but for those not afforded the pleasure well, you’re in for a treat. Lush complex arrangements that mix up indie/rock/pop influences into a hook-laden, well crafted 7 tracker. Add to that Claire’s heavenly vocals and you’ve got a winner for sure.

Another album release from Yorkshire proves to be a contributing factor to the widespread talent of UK artists. Production features the likes of Mike D, Skuza and Darkstar, and features guest appearances from PCP and No Change. Other guest appearances include the very talented and beautiful ‘Claire Cameron’ who lends her vocals on ‘Slaves’ and ‘Demographic’.

This is my first time seeing Claire perform with her band. I really haven’t given them a chance before, but two songs in and my jaw is on the floor. This is four musicians at the top of their game performing aural massage on my frontal lobe. There’s also an immense sense of ‘That’s our girl!’ from the Idol camp, ‘cause she’s one of us now

From the first time I saw Claire Cameron play I knew a brilliant recording would one day emerge, Time Will Tell is a truly incredible collection of songs, Claire’s vocals are impressive and her keyboard style suits the emotional journey of the album exceptionally well. Having seen Claire live many times and having heard the new album I expected to enjoy the first live performance of it, what actually happened was I was blown away by the wonderful, theatrical, powerful and emotional performance, of Claire and her excellent band. The songs are original, well written and delivered with great passion.

Claire brings her natural passion and exuberance to her music, embracing her fellow musicians and the audience alike with energy, harmony and clear musical direction. Her work rate is phenomenal, both in terms of composing and performing – and she has a growing band of fans.

We were lucky enough to have Claire performing at one of the Leeds Rocks events. Claire was punctual, professional and incredibly attentive. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed her creative set and talents. I look forward to working with Claire and the band again sometime in the near future.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Claire for over 4 years, she is an excellent musician with a tremendous work ethic and vast experience. A great friend and colleague.

I worked with Claire on a past album project for which I was the main producer. She provided vocals on several of the tracks and I found her to be a very creative individual who became an integral part of the process. She has outstanding vocal abilities and a brilliant work ethic. I would highly recommend Claire for any vocal application as she has great range, ability and style.

Claire is an extremely talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, with a powerful and beautiful voice. She gives her heart and soul to anything she plays, whether her own compositions or classic covers. Music is the thing that makes her smile more than anything else, and that’s what she brings to her performances. It’s love!

Claire is a highly flamboyant songwriter and keyboard player. She is the creator of dozens of beautiful and articulate songs, always with an air of confidence missing in many musicians. I’ve always thought she was influenced by far more genres of music than she ever let on about!!! As a singer Claire has a tone of voice instantly recognisable, a very sweet ambience to it. Her versatility here lies in an ability to read into lyric content, and translate this with a unique emotive vocal slant. I’d recommend Claire as a solo act, band member, collaborator, or backing musician without hesitation.

Claire is an excellent performer who delivers an energetic and captivating performance. Not the usual female singer songwriter, Claire combines elements of rock and metal with her powerful and well controlled voice to produce songs of a high calibre that will grab your attention. Not only is Claire an excellent musician she is also a consummate professional and highly personal to deal with.

There is a somewhat epic nature of the Claire Cameron Band’s compositions….Claire and her bandmates add layers of guitars, vocals, and keys – all with a distinctly symphonic-metal quality – to the softly woven tapestry of dreamy pop that lies at the heart of Claire’s vocal style and melodies. The five songs making up ‘Time Will Tell’ – ‘Love Of You’, ‘Spinning Tops’, ‘Black Albatross’, ‘Question Every Day’, and ‘Exposition’ – form a cohesive whole, almost as if this were a concept record or the musical component of a larger performance piece.

It was great to have AMP Magazine come and watch this gig.

Claire Cameron Band headlined Future Rock by FeedmeMusic on a hot September night at 100 Club, London. Here’s what they thought of the show!

AMP also wrote a great blog post introducing Claire Cameron Band to their readers.  Read that on A Musical Priority‘s website.

It was great to be asked by the Yorkshire Post to give them my thoughts on balancing life as a musician (as Claire Cameron) with a day job at a busy marketing agency (as Claire Hunter-Smith). Having an alter ego surely needs to become a song at some point….

Read the interview in full here on the Yorkshire Post website, and here is a snippet:

‘After some frustrating experiences at ‘pay to play’ gigs, where we only got to perform for a three-minute slot sometimes, I took a step back and realised that the only real way to grow your audience is to be truly a part of the community you serve. A band in the unsigned music scene has to support the local community and give something back, you can’t just expect a captive audience to land in your lap and love your music because you do……Happily, I’ve also become friends with many brilliant people through the music scene, and I love being surrounded by artists and inspiring minds. It’s a huge commitment; but totally worth it for the thrill of musical performance.’

music player

Claire Cameron Blog

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  About The New Single ‘The Past Is Not The Now’

  I wrote ‘The Past Is Not The Now’ as I was starting to emerge from a dark and stormy time and strive upwards towards the light. I think there……continue reading read more >

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  Songwriting; moving on when the past still moves you

  ‘Moving on’ is such an overused phrase.  It also doesn’t usually work unless you stop in one place with the feelings you are trying to escape, first. I’m in……continue reading read more >

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  My Kendal Calling Festival Experience

  Taking leave of the day-to-day I had a blast camping out in a field with my mum and other musicians and letting the ebb and flow of music and……continue reading read more >