Quick Facts
Biography
Sarah Blackwood (born 6 May 1971, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England) is an English recording artist. She came to prominence as the lead singer of Dubstar, and as Client B in Client.
Career
Blackwood attended a local school, and went to Newcastle University to study interior design. She lived in Manchester when operating exclusively within Dubstar, but now lives and works in London.
In Dubstar
Formerly known as The Joans, Dubstar were initially a two-piece band, with Chris Wilkie playing guitar and Steve Hillier singing and playing keyboards. Sarah Blackwood was invited to join the band in August 1993. Blackwood replaced Hillier on vocals in early 1994, though Hillier remained a key member of the group.
The band released three albums with Blackwood on vocals: Disgraceful (1995), Goodbye (1997) and Make It Better (2000). A compilation, Stars: The Best of Dubstar was released in 2004. "Stars" remains the best known single from the band.
Blackwood moved on to other projects but kept in touch with Dubstar members as her debut solo EP in 2008 called Acoustic at the Club Bar & Dining features Wilkie on guitar.
- Revival
On 12 April 2010, the band released a cover version of The Passions hit "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" for an Amnesty International project. Interviewed by Andrew Collins on BBC 6 Music, Blackwood confirmed that the band were back together and would be going into studio to record tracks for a new Dubstar album, although she would also continue to record with Client.
In Client
Blackwood joined the band Technique to replace Xan Tyler as singer for a European tour with Depeche Mode in 2002. Shortly afterwards, Kate Holmes, the other member of the band, and Blackwood decided to write together and formed the new group Client. She used the stage name Client B since the band preferred not to highlight the names of its members, rather identifying each as "Client" plus a letter from the alphabet.
Other appearances
She has also worked with Volbeat, William Orbit, Soman, Die Krupps, Pete Doherty, Douglas McCarthy, Gary Numan, Ian Broudie, Martin Gore, Sacha Distel, Tim Burgess, Carl Barât, Robert Görl, bandmate Chris Wilkie on non-Dubstar projects, Moonbootica, and Mark Nevin of Fairground Attraction, among others.
Discography
Albums
- in Dubstar
- 1995: Disgraceful
- 1997: Goodbye
- 2000: Make It Better
- 2004: Stars – The Best of Dubstar (compilation album)
- in Client
(Sarah Blackwood credited as Client B)
- 2003: Client
- 2004: City
- 2007: Heartland
- 2009: Command
EPs
- in Dubstar
- 2000: Self Same Thing EP
- as Client B
- 2007: Client B Acoustic at the Club Bar & Dining
Singles
(For details of singles, refer to tables in the discography sections in article of Dubstar and of Client)
- Solo singles
- 2010: "I'm in Love with a German Film Star"