DUKE SPECIAL

Glee Club, Cardiff Bay

Mon 21 May

words: ALI TUDOR

One of Belfast’s most successful musical exports has announced that he will be embarking on a UK tour to celebrate his first commercial album, Oh Pioneer, since the 2008 album I Never Thought This Day Would Come. Duke Special, otherwise known as Peter Wilson, is memorable in both image and sound. With striking dreadlocks, eyeliner and a style he calls “hobo-chic”, Special infuses this eccentricity into his music and boasts an eclectic taste of instruments such as timpani, vibraphone, marimba and the glockenspiel.

Despite the somewhat modest name, Duke Special has shown his musical diversity from producing the theme tune to the Irish equivalent of Sesame Street, to writing the music for Deborah Warner’s critically acclaimed 2009 production of Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage And Her Children at London’s National Theatre. This diverse capability is centre stage of his music where he coats a contemporary tune, such as his new single Punch Of A Friend, with a Northern Irish lilt; creating a modern-day fairytale.

As a performer Duke Special is known for putting on an energetic show, being able to transform the tinkling of a piano into eruptions of noise. The artist comes alive in his intimate performances, casting the audience under his spell, treating them to personal stories and adapting well loved tunes to rebrand them with his unique genre of bruised romanticism. Duke Special has the talent and the character to ensure a memorable evening.

Tickets: £12. Info: 0844 811 0051 / www.dukespecial.com