Co. Down artist Joshua Burnside has been somewhat of an enigmatic force since his debut album Ephrata hit streaming services in 2017. The enigma of Burnside surrounds not the artist himself – he’s not afraid to be vulnerable and honest about his life, especially in his poeticism. Rather, in listening to the alt-folk singer’s self-produced tracks, the listener is often left with the question, how does he do it?

That question is heightened by the musician’s live shows, which carry the power to both silence and fuel his audiences, entirely captivating them with the magic he produces onstage. Burnside moves through the use of various instruments as he brings his songs to life, often juggling between a violin and a guitar. His discography is hard to pin down, seeming to pull influence from alternative electronica and Irish traditional song heritages, with a penchant for looping found sounds.

Working through experimental production, of which Burnside does almost entirely himself, is a route of means for the artist whose folk-style songs are moulded from world music, unorthodox sampling, and inspired by the traditions of Irish folk and alternative music. He chops and blends it all up to produce beautiful, restless music accompanied by a brand of bold, poetic lyricism drawing from his Belfast background and history.

Elements of Irish folk, Scottish folk rock, Americana, world music and electronica can be found in Burnside’s records to date, the most recent of which is Late Afternoon in the Meadow (1887), released last year. Burnside’s debut album Ephrata earned the musician the Northern Ireland Music Prize upon its release in 2017, predicting the promising road the artist would, and has, continued to embark on.

Burnside seems to create art from an entirely authentic, navel gazing perspective, a process which produces songs that bare it all, with sublime sonics that can’t be compared to his other contemporaries. He is entirely unique, his music functioning as a sound collage of his life.

Joshua Burnside will bring that collage to Dublin this November, and it’s a live experience you won’t want to miss.

Tickets for Joshua Burnside’s headline show at The Workman’s Club are on sale now, via Singular Artists. Prices begin at €19.00 including booking charges. Check out Joshua Burnside’s most recent release, Late Afternoon in the Meadow (1887), below, and catch Hot Press’ interview with him here!