Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago
The Toerag Sessions - emilybarker.com/thetoeragsessions
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Emily's latest album Fragile as Humans is out now: emilybarker.com/fragile
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The Toerag Sessions is a collection of solo versions of Emily Barker's songs, recorded live to 2-track tape at Toerag Studios in London with grammy-winning producer Liam Watson (The White Stripes - Elephant).
In the album's sleeve notes, Barker explains how the idea came about: "over the last few years, in between touring with my bands The Red Clay Halo and Vena Portae, I've played lots of solo shows. Often people will come up to me at the end of those shows and ask if there is any way to get hold of recordings of the songs as they've just heard them - just me, my guitar and my harmonica".
After what turned out to be her final tour with The Red Clay Halo, Barker took the opportunity to go in to the studio to record her own selection of songs from her back catalogue. Many of these songs are the ones she was playing in her solo sets at that time, plus a few additions. The songs go right back to her first UK band the-low-country, through all her albums with The Red Clay Halo, and including 'Anywhere Away', written as the theme to Jake Gavin's movie Hector (starring Peter Mullan and Keith Allen).
Filmed and edited by Kieran Short and Sinead O'Hara
Hair and makeup by Lesley Vye
Photography by Ben Morse
Recorded live to two track tape at Toerag Studios, January 2015
Produced by Liam Watson
Written and performed by Emily Barker
=========================================
Through the snow, wake of morning
In the winter I returned
Clouds pull shadows ′cross the gland
Over roots and dry stonewalls then back again
We go to find warmth
The cold wind pushes day
Black and grey through the valley
There are heartbeats in the leaps
There are crows that hold the trees
And then off, they fly through the sky
Time passes and we stayed
All the choices I have made
Led me to this place
I don't travel, I′m always here
No matter for the years
No matter if I never call you home
Through the old moonshine
In the winter, I need it
As the stars fill the night
None of them, I recognize
But you gave them all anyway
So it's here, I choose to be
In the midst and endless trees
In a place where swans are white
Where it snows at wintertime
And you gave me more than I could know
Time passes and we stayed
All the choices I have made
Led me to this place
I've travelled, always here
No matter for the years
No matter if I never call you home
How many times will I
Leave and then return?
How many years until
You count me as your home?
How many times will I
Leave and then return?
How many years until
You count me as your home?
=========================================
#indiefolk
The Toerag Sessions - emilybarker.com/thetoeragsessions
Subscribe to Emily Barker’s channel for the latest music videos, behind the scenes, live performances and more: youtube.com/@EmilyBarker
Emily's latest album Fragile as Humans is out now: emilybarker.com/fragile
Stay in touch:
Sign up to my newsletter: emilybarker.com/subscribe
emilybarker.com
instagram.com/emilybarkerhalo
facebook.com/emilybarkerhalo
tiktok.com/@emilybarkerhalo
The Toerag Sessions is a collection of solo versions of Emily Barker's songs, recorded live to 2-track tape at Toerag Studios in London with grammy-winning producer Liam Watson (The White Stripes - Elephant).
In the album's sleeve notes, Barker explains how the idea came about: "over the last few years, in between touring with my bands The Red Clay Halo and Vena Portae, I've played lots of solo shows. Often people will come up to me at the end of those shows and ask if there is any way to get hold of recordings of the songs as they've just heard them - just me, my guitar and my harmonica".
After what turned out to be her final tour with The Red Clay Halo, Barker took the opportunity to go in to the studio to record her own selection of songs from her back catalogue. Many of these songs are the ones she was playing in her solo sets at that time, plus a few additions. The songs go right back to her first UK band the-low-country, through all her albums with The Red Clay Halo, and including 'Anywhere Away', written as the theme to Jake Gavin's movie Hector (starring Peter Mullan and Keith Allen).
Filmed and edited by Kieran Short and Sinead O'Hara
Hair and makeup by Lesley Vye
Photography by Ben Morse
Recorded live to two track tape at Toerag Studios, January 2015
Produced by Liam Watson
Written and performed by Emily Barker
=========================================
Through the snow, wake of morning
In the winter I returned
Clouds pull shadows ′cross the gland
Over roots and dry stonewalls then back again
We go to find warmth
The cold wind pushes day
Black and grey through the valley
There are heartbeats in the leaps
There are crows that hold the trees
And then off, they fly through the sky
Time passes and we stayed
All the choices I have made
Led me to this place
I don't travel, I′m always here
No matter for the years
No matter if I never call you home
Through the old moonshine
In the winter, I need it
As the stars fill the night
None of them, I recognize
But you gave them all anyway
So it's here, I choose to be
In the midst and endless trees
In a place where swans are white
Where it snows at wintertime
And you gave me more than I could know
Time passes and we stayed
All the choices I have made
Led me to this place
I've travelled, always here
No matter for the years
No matter if I never call you home
How many times will I
Leave and then return?
How many years until
You count me as your home?
How many times will I
Leave and then return?
How many years until
You count me as your home?
=========================================
#indiefolk
