Van Morrison announces Live At Botanic Gardens gig

Van Morrison is set to play Belfast in June. The gig is part of a brand new summer festival series, Live At Botanic Gardens – a set of outdoor concerts to be held in the picturesque setting of Belfast city’s famous gardens.

One of music’s true originals, Sir Van Morrison’s unique and inspirational musical legacy is rooted in Belfast – but has spanned the world.

Born in 1945, Van heard his shipyard-worker father’s collection of blues, country and gospel records early in life. Feeding off musical greats such as Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson and Leadbelly, he was a travelling musician at 15, and sang and played guitar and sax in several bands before forming Them in 1964. The band, a rhythm and blues four-piece enjoyed chart success with instant hits such as ‘Baby Please Don't Go’ (on the b-side of which was the much-covered Van original 'Gloria') and the iconic ‘Here Comes The Night’.

He struck out on his own in 1967 with the release of Blowin’ Your Mind!. Soon afterwards, he made Astral Weeks, a record which contains copious references to the Belfast of his youth, and which is widely considered as seminal, in terms of the new possibilities it opened up for contemporary songwriters. He made his commercial breakthrough in the U.S. with the follow-up Moondance, which was a Top 30 hit and went on to achieve triple platinum status. Since then, Morrison’s music has continued to span multiple genres, including R&B, Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Folk and Soul. Van’s unrivalled songwriting and musicality continue to evolve with the tireless creation of new material and reinterpretation of older classics.

Since 2016 Van has added five new studio albums to his prodigious catalogue – the most recent, The Prophet Speaks, was released in December 2018.

Van Morrison will perform at Botanic Gardens on June 23.
Tickets go on sale Monday 8 April at 9am from all usual outlets.