Lead singer of the band VERA, Sarah Toner from Atticall, has had a whirlwind journey over the past five years. From an acting career to solo music and now fronting a band, Sarah says she’s finally found where she belongs: “Now that I’m in a band, it feels right.”
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarah made the leap from acting to singing, initially performing solo before making the shift to become part of a group. Since then, she and her bandmates have gone from barely knowing one another to building a solid musical partnership over the past year, crafting a series of singles and performing live in Belfast, Dublin, and at festivals such as Under the Drum in Antrim.
VERA – made up of Sarah Toner, Darragh Tibbs, Matt Holland, and David Dalzell – officially came together in 2023. The band formed after Sarah was introduced to Darragh through her manager, Declan Legge, who runs Stray Dog Records. Reflecting on the band’s journey, Sarah said, “Darragh, Matt and Dave are maybe the best musicians that I have ever come across, and I think that the chemistry as a band is so strong. We spent so much time recording the music and practicing live performances so that when we had our very first gig in spring of 2024, we looked and sounded like a band who had been playing together for years. We love playing and writing music together – it just works.”
Sarah emphasises that behind their rising success is a strong work ethic. “Our manager said it’s about getting lucky, but you don’t get the luck without working hard. You work really hard and hope that the right person hears you.”
She believes the groundwork laid during their first year together made all the difference when it came time to perform and release music. “I do think us spending time together before ever releasing a song helped. We had all the photo shoots and the video shoots done before we ever decided the date to release our first single. Once that first single was out, we were ready to have a single out every six weeks.”
VERA released their debut single, No Help From You, in May 2024. Their latest release, Skinbag, dropped in June. “From the first single to the most recent one, it does seem that with each release, more and more people are discovering us,” Sarah said.
In the full story Sarah explains how growing up in Atticall laid the foundations for her performing career.
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