Jude Winter, Debs Trethewey & Emilia  Ballardini (@ballardinix) from  feminist  post-punk  band Siren (@sirenbrighton) met  this  weekend  to record Jude’s new “Song for Mary”, a tribute to Mary Clarke. It will go public on 12th December, which is General Election Day – and also Mary’s birthday. She was born in 1861. 

We think it is fitting that this tribute song should be launched on Election Day because Mary died so women could vote. At her memorial service in Brighton, local suffragette leader Isabella McKeown said others should not “mourn in silence” but should “..take up the torch and light the darkness…”. We hope that the women (and men) of Brighton & Hove will take up the torch and use their Vote. 

The first live performance of the Song for Mary by Jude and the others will take place at St George’s Church at 7.30pm on Wednesday 4th March 2020. It will be performed as an introduction to a fundraising benefit concert by legendary jazz singers Claire Martin and Liane Carroll for the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal. We plan to raise as much money as possible while celebrating International Women’s Day.