Down Arts Centre is
recognised by performers and audiences alike as a great venue for live music,
and are kicking off another fantastic season of music with a
performance by Duke Special,
supported by Derry/Londonderry-born singer, Soak, on Saturday 7 February
at 8pm.
In 2014 SOAK released
the beautiful single 'Blud’ and toured
with the likes of George Ezra and Tegan & Sara. In the same summer that
most of her friends got their A-Level results, SOAK signed an album deal with
Rough Trade Records and aired the beautiful song, 'B a noBody'. Her forthcoming album will cement Bridie
Monds-Watson's ascent from a raw talent to a unique artistic voice for 2015.
Those
who know Duke Special for the
platinum album, Songs from the Deep
Forest, and the hit song Freewheel,
may be surprised by the breadth of his work. His journey so far has seen him
taking on projects as diverse as writing the theme tune for the Irish Sesame
Street to writing the music for and
appearing in Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children at London’s
National Theatre; from presenting a documentary on the life and times of 1950’s
megastar Ruby Murray to being
commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to write a series of
original songs for an exhibition; from performing with orchestras such as the Ulster and RTE Concert orchestras, to making the first recording of an
unfinished musical by Kurt Weill, based on the novel Huckleberry Finn.
Duke Special has once again decided
to work with Pledge Music to help
fund and promote his new album. Audiences can look forward to hearing some of
the new material for the first time during his current tour performances, as
well as a selection of songs from his back catalogue.
Duke will be
supported by SOAK, an experimental
young folk singer-songwriter from Derry. SOAK has won widespread
praise, and comparisons ranging from Laura Marling to Cat Power, for her
textured tales of adolescence, family and friendship. Still just 18 years old, SOAK
(aka Bridie Monds-Watson) has been performing in her home of Derry since the
age of 14, where she’d split her time between studying, the local skate-park,
and her burgeoning songwriting, touring in the school holidays, and launching
Derry’s City of Culture hours before a GCSE exam.
To purchase tickets (£14 / £12) and for further information on any Down Arts Centre events, please contact the box office on 028 4461 0747 or visit their website. For offers and updates, like Down Arts on Facebook
