Belfast-based songwriter and performer Duke Special has forged a reputation for his refusal to be boxed into any easy categorisation – embarking on a series of diverse musical adventures throughout his remarkable career. He released his latest album, Hallow, in 2017.

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"Part of what makes him so special is the fact he is singing about places I know in a vernacular that I understand. Part of it is his incredible voice and the amazing musicians he surrounds himself with. Part of it is sensing that he is channelling something spiritual, something soulful, something he feels compelled to communicate. He is standing up to his neck in the river. I am currently getting my feet wet.

"I wanted to do something from Avalon Sunset, the album through which I first became aware of Van. ‘Orangefield’ is so close to where I live now, so I chose it for that reason, as well as the fact that I have loved the song since I first heard it 31 years ago."

Read more in the upcoming Van Morrison Special Issue of Hot Press, and watch Duke Special's performance below:

Take a look at the spectacular line-up for the next week of 'Rave On, Van Morrison' below:

Mon Aug 17 Duke Special Orangefield (7pm); Junior Brother Dweller on the Threshold (8pm)
Tue Aug 18 Damien Dempsey Tupelo Honey (7pm); Carrie Baxter Out In The Cold Again (8pm)
Wed Aug 19 Camille O'Sullivan Avalon Of The Heart (7pm); Joshua Burnside You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River (8pm)
Thu Aug 20 Gemma Hayes Comfort You (7pm); Little Hours Streets Of Arklow (8pm)
Fri Aug 21 Gemma Bradley Sometimes We Cry (7pm); Jess Kav Vanlose Stairway (8pm)
Sat Aug 22 Mick Flannery Linden Arden Stole the Highlights (7pm); The Henry Girls These Are The Days (8pm)
Sun Aug 23 Martin Hayes Moondance (7pm); Cara Dillon Memory Lane (8pm)

Each 'Rave On, Van Morrison' performance premieres every night on the Hot Press YouTube channel. To make sure you don't miss out on any of our upcoming videos, subscribe to our YouTube here!

Hot Press is also publishing a Van Morrison Special Issue, to coincide with ‘Rave On, Van Morrison’, featuring written contributions from the legendary likes of Sinéad O'Connor, Gary Lightbody, Tim Wheeler, Una Healy and David Keenan – who reflect on Van's music and influence. The issue will also look back at five decades of landmark Hot Press interviews with Van, in which he discusses everything from Ray Charles and his other musical heroes, to the inspiration behind the seminal Astral Weeks. Plus, you can expect exclusive photos from the archives, ten ways Van has changed the world, and much more. This historic publication is set to be a must-have for Van Morrison fans all over the world, and is available to pre-order now.