The Alison Curtis Show will be live from Whelan's Upstairs on Thursday February 12 for a special Valentine's edition, with music from Duke Special and more.
Duke Special tops the bill on March 9 when Belfast’s refurbished Ulster Hall opens for business with a celebratory Do You Remember The First Time? knees-up.
There's another Belfast, an alternate dimension populated by C.S. Lewis, Van and your host and spirit guide, Duke Special, who's just released his latest album.
The Duke will be treating fans to two signings this Saturday, first in HMV Grafton Street, followed by an afternoon appearance in HMV Donegall Arcade, Belfast
I Never Thought This Day Would Come is a confident, big-hearted and ebullient record, which sees Peter Wilson tell his truths from behind the mask of Duke Special.
As we eagerly await the release of Duke Special's I Never Thought This Day Would Come, we thought we'd cheer up your Wednesday with a special preview of the album artwork.
Newly signed to Universal, the Duke will release his new 'Sweet Sweet Kisses' single next month, followed by a nationwide tour taking in no less than 12 counties.
A one-night stand entitled Orchestral Manoeuvres In Belfast in which the Ulster Orchestra gets its oh-so-refined freak on with three of Ireland’s most popular performers.
Belfast boy Duke Special is to perform at the Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and Culture Ireland reception, to celebrate new Irish cinema at the 60th Cannes Film Festival.
That the Duke is one of the most exciting talents to emerge from these shores in a long while is now a given. What is of more interest is what the rest of the world will make of him. ‘Freewheel’ is a fine place to start, a record imbued with such a classic feel that you swear he’d been doing this stuff for 20 years. Absolutely stunning.
Few inside or outside the Duke Special camp could have predicted that 2006 would be quite such an astonishing year. Yet here he is, rubbing shoulders with the elite and being praised from all quarters. Well deserved it is too and ‘If You Go Down To The Woods...’ is a good example of the attention to detail that has helped along the way. Four tracks, all up to his usual standard and featuring yet another jaw dropping cover, this time of Razorlight’s ‘Stumble And Fall’. Most excitingly, you have to feel that this is just the beginning.
As Duke Special set off for a jaunt around Europe with the Divine Comedy, our correspondent hitched a ride on the tour bus. In between the sound-checks and the motor-way pitstops, he received a unique insight into the life of the touring musician.
It’s so confident, accomplished and comfortable in its own skin that you feel like you’ve happened across a long-running serial that’s bubbling along mid-season.
Poetic and rather sweet, Duke Special’s first release on V2 sweeps the listener back to the music halls of the ‘20s. There are shades of, among others, George Gershwin. But witty and charming lyrics add a modern appeal. The result is a record that will appeal to fans of The Divine Comedy. Throughout, Duke’s saving grace is his ability to inject some fun into his playing.
Duke Special has the tunes, the talent and the charisma to carry it all off. He’s also possessed of one of the most gorgeous voices in Ireland, and he’s not afraid to use it to its full potential.
Here’s the deal: Snow Patrol have worked with Iain Archer, Iain Archer tours with The Amazing Pilots, The Amazing Pilots produce Duke Special. Which, I hasten to add, is not a spurious attempt on my part to link Peter Wilson to the current head boys in Ulster rock, but merely my way of showing that there’s a loose and creative network currently at play in the North, whose members are, at various levels, producing music of a staggeringly high quality.
