Duke Special
+ The Voluntary Butler Scheme
Saturday 31 May : 8pm (Late Bar)
£10.00 adv : £11.00 door
Dynamic, musically ambitious and bracingly eccentric, Duke Special returns to Norwich Arts Centre with his inimitable style and lush musicality.
Book through NAC Box Office on 01603 660352 or Online through UEA:
Hailing from Belfast with a sound that is self-confessed “hobo-chic”, Duke Special - AKA the endlessly inventive Peter Wilson - is once heard, never forgotten.
Blissfully at home in his own alluring genre of beautifully bruised romanticism, Duke Special is a world unlike any other - a world filled with vaudeville-esque sensibility, sing-a-longs and addictive melodies. “My sound is a bit vagabondy, but pure and soulful too,” he explains.
“Before this I was desperately trying to find my voice and the kind of music that really sat well with who I was. I’d been in a couple of rock bands, but I always imagined people of all ages at our concerts, so started working on demos with a friend, producer Paul Wilkinson, and Duke Special was born.”
A fervent performer who harks back to the pre-rock ’n roll era with dashes of Gershwin and orchestral swing, he stands on stage with a white-knuckle grasp on originality.
Gloriously vintage and unlike any other artist, Duke Special is exactly that. He’s also shared a stage with a host of artists including Rufus Wainwright and Van Morrison - a big influence on Duke.
“What I’m trying to put across is something that’s more than just a singer-songwriter playing his songs. I want it to be a show that moves people, but also entertains them too.”
Already in the first 3 months of 2008, he has played with the Dubai Philharmonic Orchestra at the Dubai Irish Festival, picked up a Meteor Award for Best Male in Ireland, and jetted off to LA to wow a select audience at a pre-Oscars party.
He’s now taking some time out from touring, to concentrate on writing his next album, which he will record over the summer.
He will also be performing with the Dublin RTE Concert Orchestra in August, as well as with other orchestras around the UK, and should also find time to squeeze in some more dates in the USA, and hopefully a few UK & Irish festival appearances at the end of the summer, so 2008 is proving to be another hectic year for the ever hardworking Duke.
Listen to Duke Special at Myspace
