Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness

Ken Doherty - like a Duke without dreadlocks. A bit of a curious story this morning.  The Belfast based singer, Duke Special , is to forsake his piano for the green baize.  The forty year old, whose real name is Peter Wilson, has joined the professional snooker circuit. "I've long been an enthusiast for the game", said Wilson, "and over the past few months music has become less and less fun.  It's time to try something new". The performer, best known for his album Songs From the Deep Forest and his energetic stage shows, is not new to snooker.  He was crowned Northern Ireland junior champion in 1988 and is still a dab hand with the cue. "My top break in competitive matches is 135", confirmed the star from Dundonald, "and I regularly get 147s in practice".  The Duke hasn't ruled out a return to music however, "this is a change in direction, and I'm giving up music for a while, but not necessarily for good". Wat...

Duke Special’s warm up acts are often a mixed bag, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. Last night’s show at Belfast’s St George’s Market was no exception. Tim Minchin’s Perrier Award winning musical comedy offered perfectly pitched humour, including his ‘Palestine peace anthem’; sample lyric, ‘You don’t eat pigs. We don’t eat pigs. Let’s all not eat pigs together’. In contrast, Minchin had been preceded by an effeminate young man whose act had consisted exclusively of singing songs in an odd voice. Which was sublime and which ridiculous I’ll let the reader decide. None of last night’s acts were as bad as the guy who’d been chucked out of Snow Patrol (how bad do you have to be?!), who regaled the Duke’s audience with his whinging in the Grand Opera House last year. However much the Opera House crowd’s patience is tried, it remains scrupulously attentive. For much of Duke’s show last night the St George’s Market audience did not extend the performer the same courtesy. W...

I knew that there had to be an advantage (other than convenient access to international matches) to living in Northern Ireland as opposed to the rest of the UK. Availability of Duke Special’s second studio album, whilst mainland Britain must content itself with the equivalent download, finally provides one. My understanding is that contractual issues with Duke’s previous record company have dictated that the CD is not available in the shops in England, Scotland or Wales. Waiting for a few more months to acquire the disc might not seem like a great imposition, but ‘I Never Thought This Day Would Come’ is appositely named. ‘Songs From the Deep Forest’, Duke Special’s brilliant first album, was first released well over two years ago. It has been a long wait for fans, mitigated only by the release of EPs, downloads and regular touring. The ‘tricky second album’ is a well worn musical cliché, so does the Duke’s album fall into this trap? Duke Special is relentlessly creative and the ...

At the risk of losing my readership entirely, I couldn’t resist drawing attention to this confluence of famous TV programme, be-afroed Northern Irish singing sensation and the province’s finest village, Cullybackey. Not only has Duke Special produced the theme tune for Northern Ireland’s version of Sesame Street, alongside children from the Diamond Primary School, his newsletter also details venues where the Duke will record his new album, “London, Chicago and Cullybackey”. The attractions of London and Chicago will pale into insignificance when the Duke samples a chicken fillet burger from the Moby Chip . Although if he fancies a drink in Wylies , there’s a possibility his keyboard skills might be required to play the Queen on the trusty Casio at closing time.

A word about the Duke Special concert which I attended last night at the Studio in the Waterfront. Duke Special is an artist whose performances reward repeated attendance because two gigs are rarely similar. Last night’s show was part of the B elfast Film Festival and as such it was punctuated by a series of cinema shorts. In addition a puppeteer and a suspended acrobat provided quirky entertainment. The short films the Duke and his team had chosen were predictably visually arresting. A Czech animation, ‘Songs from the Prairie’, provided something of a recurrent motif for the evening. The movies which accompanied songs were chosen for appropriate atmospherics. The music was as subtle and textured as ever, overlaid last night with the classical intonations of a harpist. In this show the more established tunes took a back seat to new material, although the pounding anthem ‘Salvation Tambourine’ was a highlight. ‘Monsters in the Dust’ is a stand out new song which beautifully revi...

Duke Special returned to Belfast last night providing the culmination of the Belfast Festival at Queens and reinforcing his reputation as the finest talent to emerge in Northern Irish music for many years. In genteel surroundings and in front of a polite audience Duke Special's music was given space to live and breathe. Fitful support acts failed to undermine the show as the crowd was composed of the Duke's committed following. The Opera House wasn't quite conducive to the call and response participation numbers, but the performer's textured, nuanced songs filled this space in magisterial fashion. Favourites from the orginal release of Songs From the Deep Forest remain the highlights of Duke Special's set with the anthemic rush of Freewheel commanding one of the night's most rapturous receptions. The East Belfast performer also included newer songs and culminated with a celebratory version of recent single Our Love Goes Deeper Than This.

Thanks to Snoopy for sending me the link to Duke Special's new video "Our Love Goes Deeper Than This" .

Last night I was privileged to be present at the last of Duke Special’s 5 themed gigs at the Belfast Empire. I must admit that I’ve rarely been to a more playful or enjoyable concert. Having watched the Duke supporting Divine Comedy some time ago, I knew that live performance brings his wistful songs on the themes of regret, guilt and loss to stunning life. The singer has a delicate touch and good-natured manner which bring fun to these sometimes sombre preoccupations. Surrounding his wonderful music, with its attendant sadness and humour, on this occasion, was a carnival of entertainment, the whole being presented through the device of a vaudeville show and the result was hugely entertaining, extremely funny and it both captivated and involved an enthusiastic crowd. We were treated to a charismatic compere, as well as a series of engaging sideshow acts in addition to the music. Congratulations to Duke Special for producing something beyond the ordinary and putting on a wonderful show,...