Have You Heard? #9: Sarahsson

Ahead of her performance at Bristol New Music next week, we spoke with Bristol-based composer, producer, performance artist and DJ, Sarahsson (aka Felix) to learn more about the impact that living in Bristol has had on her as both an artist and as a queer person, her thoughts on taking part in this year’s BNM Festival and her recommendation of Our Tears Gleaming by Magnus Westwell.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what Bristol means to you – do you think living here has impacted your identity on an individual or artistic basis?

I’m a musician, I’m transfemme, I play a few different instruments and make field recordings and distill the noise in some meaningful manner!

I moved to Bristol 6 years ago and have been really lucky to fall into so many creative circles from the moment of arrival. It’s been the most developmental stage of my experience as an artist yet, and probably as a queer person too.

I’m from Exeter, so it still feels very home-y here as a west country girl. Both the history and the music scene were always drawing me here, but I think it took a while for me to heed that call.

Tell us a bit about what you’ve been up to – it seems like the last few years have been pretty full-on in terms of your creative output!

I’ve been on tour pretty much since I released my album in 2022, which has been a wild ride. Right now I’m really enjoying writing again and getting lost in all the research.

It’s so special to be able to connect with people through this incredibly personal project – I’m always heartened by the breadth of people’s responses to something so specific which I feel, in Bristol at least, is a product of the range of music here. There’s a real scene, not tied to specific genres or anything, a large proportion of which has been built by queer people which is really bolstering.

Of course the Bristol New Music festival is coming up soon which is kind of a dream come true. I’ve wanted to work on something specifically for The Mount Without for a while now and the programming at BNM is always remarkable, so I’m still reeling a bit.

I’m playing at Intonal festival in Malmö the next day as well as a few others around Europe over the summer but I’ve also been working on some collaborative projects, which will surface fairly soon.

It’s been really precious spending more time with friends and family this year – we’ve been celebrating with a feast every six weeks or so, which is just wonderful.

What makes a stand-out live performance for you? 

I think having a clear vision and a connection to what you’re doing will always make something very powerful. That way everyone from the audience members to the lighting and sound technicians can all connect and be a part of it, which is the most important part for me.

Having crazy tech and set design is really cool, but things can be very simple and very dramatic too – I saw Keeley Forsyth in Hebden Bridge last year and it was completely captivating – all with just one spotlight. But then also seeing Gabber Modus Operandi was one of the loudest, most laser-filled shows I’ve ever seen which was dramatic in a very different way…

What are you listening to right now?

Our Tears Gleaming by Magnus Westwell has been soundtracking my movements recently – very, very beautiful.

Don’t miss Sarahsson’s breathtaking performance at The Mount Without on Thu 25 Apr as part of this year’s Bristol New Music Festival.

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