Sara Irvine is Marketing Manager at SJM Concerts in Manchester, overseeing national marketing campaigns for artists in venues across the UK.

Sara's recent work includes UK tours for Little Simz, Sam Fender, Stormzy, Kurupt FM and many more. Previous roles include three years as part of the Sony Music Catalogue team working with Primal Scream, Stone Roses and Carole King before moving to Ministry Of Sound handling dance campaigns for TCTS, Riton, Kideko and releases from Danny Howard's label Nothing Else Matters. 

Our recent chat with Sara discusses her favourite campaigns and discusses the overlaps between visual creativity and music.

I'm currently working on lots of confidential projects coming to arenas next year.

I'M LOVING

Creatively at the moment, I'm loving the return of live music.

After so long in lockdown without any shows, it's been very special to be back at gigs and clubs again. Carl Cox at Parklife and Jungle at O2 Victoria Warehouse have been particular recent highlights, and it's great to see the industry making positive steps towards pre-pandemic levels. 

FAVOURITE VIDEO

My all-time favourite music video is More Than A Woman by Aaliyah which was all over MTV Base constantly when I was home after school and gave me a bit of visual glamour that 00s Belfast unsurprisingly lacked in.

Aaliyah was a groundbreaking talent in so many ways, and this video has everything I want in an RnB smasher – top tier choreography, styling, the hair and makeup, in particular, is absolutely next level and Dave Meyers futuristic vibes- so great. 

BEST ARTWORK

I've always loved the album art for London Calling by The Clash.

Maybe an obvious choice, but it has to be one of the most iconic covers ever. Anything by The Clash I am here for all day long. 

RECENT CAMPAIGN

The most recent campaign I’ve enjoyed working on has been a tie between Dave’s We’re All Alone In This Together Tour and Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under Tour.

I've been lucky enough to do several tours for both artists, and it's so great to see them both selling out arenas across the UK as well as moving up festival billing. Both such dynamic and immensely talented artists with so much to say.

BRAND COLLAB

The most recent brand collab that caught my eye was Nike X Sacai which has been rolling for a while but the VaporWaffle is a game-changer.

I am keeping a keen eye on e-bay for my Sacai dreams to come true soon. 

CREATIVE VIDEO

For me the most creative and original music video of the past year is Up De Flats by Gemma Dunleavy.

Gemma is super talented, brimming with original style and has the most unreal voice. This video is a snapshot of where she grew up but has a much deeper message about the complexities of your home and how that shapes you, which definitely resonates with me. 

LOGO LOVE 

I wish I’d designed the artist logo for Daft Punk.

Something about this is so iconic and speaks to their style in such a simple way as any good logo should. 

GO FOLLOW 

The one artist you should follow on Instagram is Paul Doran, a mixed media artist from Belfast who I only discovered this year.

His recent exhibition at the Zari Gallery in London was full of vibrant pieces with a theme around Hope.

ICONIC

The most iconic music photograph is the shoot for Illmatic by the amazing Danny Clinch.

Nas is so babyfaced in these shots and at such a pivotal time in his career. I think you can really see the thoughtful, intelligent person behind the rap bravado. It’s a real moment in time just before one of the best albums ever was about to disrupt everything.