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Claire started playing guitar at age thirteen when, on a family holiday with no tv, her Dad taught her how to play the beginning of “Here Comes the Sun” to pass the time. It wasn’t long before, much to his chagrin, Claire surpassed her father’s (admittedly meagre) ability with the guitar.
Over the next few years, Claire’s confidence and abilities increased, leading her to play with various bands; after flirting with a variety of styles—from the stripped-down punk of Paralysis to the melodic rock of Dark Mosaic—Claire struck out on her own.
Finding her niche in the intimate surroundings of open-mic nights, Claire’s singing and songwriting abilities went from strength to strength as she honed the heartfelt music she wrote and played. Claire’s performances at these nights culminated in the recording of her first ep, The White Demo, which is available for download on the Media page of her website.
Following the completion of her demo, Claire played at the inaugural Gavfest in August 2004, a small, one-day festival held just outside Stonehaven. At Gavfest, Claire shared the bill with art-punk band Masamune and Snowstorm Records signees Hookers Green #1. Subsequent to this, Claire played alongside a variety of local acts—including Emma Forman, The Usuals and Lady Mercedes—and some not-so-local acts, such as New York-based Marissa Nadler. In June 2005, Claire held an extremely well-received residency in the Left Bank, Edinburgh; from December 2006 through January 2007, Claire hosted an open mic night in Aberdeen pub the Bobbin with guitarist and friend George Gilles.
Now finished her ba in Sculpture at Gray’s School of Art, Claire signed to Clear and Bright Records in late 2004; working with Clear and Bright, she went on to produce a limited edition of 488 copies of The White Demo, which were then distributed free around Aberdeen in February and March 2005 as an awareness-building exercise for her upcoming gigs. Claire will be entering the studio with a variety of collaborators later this year to record her next ep—tentatively titled Is This Enough?—for release in the second half of the year. In the meantime, Claire continues to gig and write new material.
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