Under the Radar: Sara Rae

With her catchy soon-to-be-released debut single October already picking up airplay, expect to hear a lot more about former Sara ’N’ Junbug songwriter Sara Rae over the coming months, write Derick Mackinnon and Olaf Furniss

Sara Rae PIC: Diana Dumi of Dumi Visuals

Hailing from Glasgow, actor and musician Sara Rae was the frontwoman and songwriter in Sara ’N’ Junbug. The group enjoyed support via BBC Introducing and BBC Radio Scotland, toured the UK and played numerous festivals, including the likes of TRNSMT, where they were enthusiastically endorsed by Edith Bowman.

Embarking on a solo career, she’s already supported artists such as Rachel Sermanni and Ben Abraham, and last month performed in Newcastle, Edinburgh and at The Ovo Hydro in Glasgow as part of the Country to Country festival. Her debut single October (released 26 April) has already picked up a spin on Amazing Radio and we expect there’ll be a lot more attention to follow. The song, about her fiancé Catriohna, is touching and catchy – a masterclass in songwriting.

Rae is busy scheduling more live outings across the UK and has been confirmed for a slot at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (27-29 July). Pre-save October at https://sararae.ffm.to/october and see https://www.instagram.com/sara_rae_music/

Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run music industry seminar and social night Born To Be Wide, www.borntobewide.co.uk Find them on Twitter @olafwide and @newfoundsound

Off Axis is an artist-to-artist, non-profit gig swap network, enabling bands and solo acts to build a nationwide fanbase by playing meaningful gigs throughout the UK. They offer a transparent touring model, where musicians keep 100 per cent of profits, showcase at festivals and benefit from expert mentoring. If you have a hometown fanbase, you can join, it’s free, supported by Creative Scotland register https://offaxistours.com