CULTURE INTERVIEW
My emotional electrical sea is always the place I go to for my songwriting
I have learned to bob in the sea of my feelings, to ride them a bit. It is a beautiful sea to swim in: others’ feelings, my own and our perceptions of what being alive feels like. CE: For those who aren’t yet acquainted with your music, can you describe it? PP: Others have described it as Norah Jones meets Edie Brickell. I just make, sing and share it – and I hope it connects us. CE: Which moments in your career have stood out above all others? PP: Supporting Bob Dylan and playing Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London both had the same effect: they got my dad off my back about my career choice – just for five minutes. That was helpful! But I am happiest when writing and when playing live. The best moments have probably been in my shed, writing. Seeing a connection. The making. And then the sharing of it. The rest is gravy.
CE: This year brings an exclusive run of three performances, kicking off in Cambridge, to celebrate the anniversary of your double album, Wildfires . What do you have in store for us? PP: I will play in Cambridge, London and Edinburgh with two extraordinary musicians. The first is Jon Thorne on the double bass. Jon played on Wildfires , and we toured together last March when the album came out. We played tiny little dives – the scruffy kind of acoustic places I love – as a duo. But for these special shows I’m stepping up to play bigger venues and fewer shows. The second musician is an incredible jazz pianist I’m not allowed to name. But if you’re curious, he played on the record so you can just check the liner notes.
With the shows, I’m celebrating the one-year anniversary of Wildfires by releasing The Wildfires Tapes , which are alternative versions of songs that were on the record – mostly demos and early voice notes. And if that isn’t enough, there’s a reissue of my very first album, Scissors in My Pocket , to mark its 21st birthday. There’s a new vinyl edition in red and a new deluxe CD version with five bonus tracks that were recorded at the time of the original release. This run of special dates is a proper celebration of the work, of the horses I am so lucky to ride and of all the connections yet to make. Catch the show on 23 March at Cambridge Junction J2, and find out more about Polly and her music at pollypaulusma.com
26 MARCH 2026 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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