News

New Album and Tour For Duke Special

• 6th Mar 2012

From The Muppets on Sesame Tree to Mother Courage at the National Theatre.

From Huckleberry Finn and silent movie stars to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

From Belfast to the British Expo in Shanghai, via live performances around the world, the career of the inimitable Duke Special has been, to say the least, a varied and unpredictable one. Duke Special will now be embarking upon a tour to celebrate his first “mainstream” album, entitled “Oh Pioneer” since “I Never Thought This Day Would Come” in 2008.

Duke is still in the studio but has this to say: “Standing on the edge of recording a new album is a daunting task. Behind you are the sessions and songs you have recorded previously, some popular, some well known, some dear to your own heart but not celebrated, some completely overlooked… ahead are other peoples' expectations, your own hopes for the record, the worry of shitty reviews, paying the bills and so on but… I love the adventure.

“Wooden Fingers Puppet Theatre Company, The Bank of Ideas, a banned Iranian children's book about a fish, a pirate who wants to retire, a bar man who hears people's stories whether he likes it or not, the human condition and late night conversations with friends on the roof of the 'Oh Yeah' building about your dreams are just a few of the ingredients to go into “Oh Pioneer”.”

One of Ireland’s most successful musical exports, Duke Special follows a set of stunning and intimate shows in 2010 with a massive tour of Ireland and the UK in May:

1st – Carrick on Shannon, The Dock
2nd – Bray, Mermaid Arts
3rd – Tullamore, Thatch
4th – Galway, Roisin Dubh
5th – Limavady, Roe Valley Arts
6th – Killarney, INEC
8th – Limerick, Dolans
9th – Cork, Cypress Ave
10th – Wexford, Arts Centre
11th – Dublin, Crawl
12th – Belfast, Waterfront with Ulster Orchestra
13th – Kilkenny, Set Theatre
15th – Birmingham, Glee Club
16th – Nottingham, Glee Club
17th – Stockton, Arc
18th – Edinburgh, Pleasance Theatre
19th – Glasgow, Oran Mor
20th – Leeds, Wardrobe
21st – Cardiff, Glee Club
22nd – Colchester Arts, Centre
24th – London, Union Chapel
25th – Manchester, Deaf Institute
26th – Ely, St Peter’s Church
27th – Norwich, The Open
28th – Exeter, Phoenix
29th – Brighton, Komedia