EXCLUSIVE: Liv Austen Talks Upcoming Sarah Darling Support Act Slot

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Liv Austen is one of the most delightful voices in Country Music and this March the Norwegian born, UK based artist will be supporting US Country sweetheart and adopted Brit Sarah Darling on her headlining Wonderland tour.

Fans can expect to see Liv Austen across the whole Wonderland tour with the exception of Manchester where British Country artist Laura Oakes will be joining Darling.

Here we chat exclusively to Liv Austen to discuss the forthcoming tour support slot, working with Sarah, and what fans can expect from her performances:

How did the Sarah Darling support slot come about?
Sarah and I have met a couple of times, and we got along very quickly. I have huge respect for Sarah and her music, the way she conducts her career – everything. I shamelessly got in touch with her when her tour was announced and expressed my interest in supporting her, and didn’t necessarily expect her to say yes, she probably had plenty of great artists to choose from! But to my surprise she let me come along with her, which I am incredibly excited about and grateful for.

How long have you been aware of Sarah’s music?
A long time! I still remember having Spotify radio on while I was cooking in my kitchen in my old flat a few years ago and Home To Me came on. That was the first time I heard Sarah. I had let a lot of songs play without necessarily being too aware of what I was listening to, but her gorgeous voice and the beautiful song made me stop in my tracks and I ran over to my phone to see who it was! Ever since then I’ve loved her music and her unique image and style. This was in the beginning stages of my own career, so I found her really inspiring.

What are you looking to bring to the Wonderland tour?
Just like Sarah is so wonderfully herself – I want to bring the same authenticity to my performances on the tour. My current music (mainly the songs from my album [A Moment Of Your Time]) is as “me” as I’ve ever been as a writer and a performer, and it is super exciting to see the great reactions I’m getting from sharing that. I won’t think too much about what people might expect, but rather give them something that only I can give them as a performer, and then hopefully people will connect with that.

With your support slot what kind of vibe are you setting out to achieve?
I’m doing a mix of solo shows, duo shows and one trio show (London), so every night will be slightly different. But all of them will be fairly stripped down, compared to my full band performances. I’m hoping to keep the music in focus at all times, and I want to give people the opportunity to just get lost in the music and in the moment and take whatever they get from it.

What songs off your debut LP can fans expect to hear?
I think I will probably mix it up a bit every night! I will probably play my singles every night but I might gauge the room and see what I think will fit in each setting. But by the end of the tour I will probably have played most of the songs from the album at least once! So if people have requests – they should tell me now. Ha!

Will you have any merch available on the tour?
Absolutely! I have so much cool merch now – these incredibly comfy hoodies, some lovely beanies, really nice looking baseball tees, and a few Window Shopping t-shirts left too. And of course I will have the album with me on CD, which has all the lyrics inside, which people seem to be loving!

How do your support slots compare to a headline gig?
It definitely is a different experience – you have less time on stage of course, so you are essentially giving people a taster of who you are as an artist. But I really love support slots, I’ve been lucky to support some great artists who have all had very kind audiences. I enjoy the challenge of putting together a shorter set and find a balance between my different songs – and maybe throwing in a cover too.

Last year Sarah brought out support act Emma Stevens for a couple of duets, can we expect you to join her on stage too?
We haven’t spoken about duets yet but then again who knows! Maybe as the tour goes on, I’ll manage to convince her to get me on stage with her, haha!

Is there a particular city you’re most excited about performing at during the tour?
I honestly mean this when I say I am equally excited for every single night on this tour. Every city apart from Brighton and London are firsts for me (in terms of performing) and even Brighton and London are new venues (both prestigious and high up on my wish list) – so it’s safe to say I feel extremely excited for this entire tour.

What are your tour must haves?
My instruments, of course (I might be bringing two!), a notebook for sudden songwriting inspiration, a book, and workout gear so I can sneak in a morning workout here and there before I travel on to the next place. Definitely some comfy shoes as well, so I can explore the cities we play if I have time.

Tickets for the UK Wonderland tour are on sale now!

Make sure you follow Liv Austen on Twitter @LivAusten to keep up to date with all her latest music and tour news!

Did you enjoy our exclusive interview with Liv Austen? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix.

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