Margo Cilker with support Joana Serrat

A good friend and favourite of ours; Margo Cilker returns to The Sound Lounge!

Margo Cilker's sophomore album, Valley of Heart’s Delight, refers to a place she can't return: California’s Santa Clara Valley, as it was known before the orchards were paved over and became more famous for Silicon than apricots. In this 11-song follow-up to 2021's critically acclaimed Pohorylle, family and nature intertwine as guiding motifs, at once precious and endangered, beautiful and exhausting. Cilker and Pohorylle producer Sera Cahoone brought most of that record's highly-acclaimed crew (studio players for The Decemberists, Band Of Horses, and Beirut) back to the studio with additional contributions from acclaimed Northwest traditionalist Caleb Klauder. Valley of Heart's Delight, Cilker's second record on Portland, Oregon label Fluff & Gravy Records, has already racked up an impressive list of accolades and year-end picks and has paved the way for 2024’s extensive touring and festival appearances.

Margo Cilker lives near the Columbia River in Goldendale, Washington with her husband, songwriter and working cowboy Forrest VanTuyl, as well their dog and some horses.

Joana Serrat

Joana Serrat is a Catalonian born singer-songwriter based in London, with her music often described as "folkgaze". Featuring members of Midlake and Mercury Rev, Joana’s latest album ‘Big Wave' was released in 2024 to rave reviews. In a feature in Uncut, Allan Jones awarded it 9/10 and claimed it was “Serrat’s boldest, most singular album”, with Mojo magazine describing it as “mining a sweet spot between Stevie Nicks and Kim Deal… as if My Bloody Valentine and an early Cocteau Twins have seeped through the cracks… Easily Serrat’s finest hour”.