Season 2, Show 4, on January 17, 2026
Text and photos by Sylvia Mallory
Before taking the stage for our first show of the new year, Erin Ash Sullivan had noted in an Instagram post how thrilled she was to kick off her 2026 touring schedule at New Song. She would share the spotlight with fellow singer-songwriter Rupert Wates, she’d written. Sullivan promised an evening of community and connection, and both artists delivered in style when they took the stage.
London-born Wates, the evening’s opener, quickly pulled in the audience with humorous reflections on everything from his immersion in classical guitar during the pandemic to his excitement upon hearing from Paul McCartney’s cousin Emma that Sir Paul deeply admired one of his songs. Wates’s eclectic set explored themes of love (including “I’m Amazed by Your Love,” “Guinevere,” and “I’ll Never Tire of Looking in Your Eyes”), family (“Nobody’s Man but Your Own”), and life’s challenges (“Days of Mercy,” “After the Rains,” and “Waiting to Begin”). Present-day divisions came to the fore in his dedication of his rousing song “Prayer” (“here’s to all people everywhere”) to slain Minnesota activist Renee Nicole Good. “Music is the best way to bring people together—it’s a kind of communion,” he told his appreciative listeners.
Harvard, Massachusetts–based Sullivan dove into part 2 with heartfelt tunes and tales spotlighting love, marriage, motherhood, friendship, and small-town life. She interwove funny, intimate anecdotes about Christmas pageants, pie-eating contests, and late-night dog walks into her formidably melodic mix. Among her highlights were selections from her latest album, Signposts and Marks, released in 2024. Besides a song of that same name, these included “Nobody’s Business,” “We Walk the Flats,” “Baltimore,” “Before You Go,” and “Eat the Pie”—the latter memorializing an annual town event for which Sullivan won first prize on three occasions!
We would welcome back these two delightful, multitalented artists anytime. Meanwhile, as we slog along through the New England winter, we look forward to hosting the legendary Ellis Paul at New Song on February 21. Tickets are going fast at newsongbedford.org, so hurry to get yours!