FOR Sarah Corcoran of Pillow Queens, revisiting their debut album In Waiting has been a trip down memory lane. As the band prepares for a series of Irish tour dates, including a gig at Dolans Warehouse this Saturday, November 30, the songs from their 2020 breakout release are taking on new life which will form part of the set to promote their new record, ‘Name Your Sorrow’ out on Royal Mountain Records.
“We’ve been re-learning these tracks,” Corcoran shares. “When we released In Waiting during the lockdown, we had no idea the impact it would have.”
Formed in 2016, Pillow Queens features co-lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Sarah Corcoran and Pamela Connolly, lead guitarist Cathy McGuinness, and drummer Rachel Lyons. Their DIY ethos was on full display during In Waiting’s release: “We sold all 1,500 vinyl records through Bandcamp and packaged them themselves.
The album’s timing during lockdown allowed listeners to connect deeply. “The reviews were magical. We wondered if it was just timing—people at home craving new art—but the connection felt real,” Corcoran recalls.
The album’s success opened unexpected doors, including a surreal performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. “We thought it was a prank,” Corcoran laughs.
“We recorded the performance remotely and did an interview on the show. I remember getting a call from Pamela a couple of hours before we were due to go live. She was having a Covid scare so she couldn’t come to the studio and had to do it from her bedroom. I don’t think I’d ever been as nervous. I fell asleep on the couch immediately after filming.”
