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 UK 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 UK tour in May:
Tue 15 May Birmingham Glee Club
Wed 16 May Nottingham Glee Club
Thu 17 May Stockton ARC
Fri 18 May Edinburgh Pleasance Theatre
Sat 19 May Glasgow Oran Mor
Sun 20 May Leeds The Wardrobe
Mon 21 May Cardiff Glee Club
Tue 22 May Colchester Colchester Arts Centre
Thu 24 May London Union Chapel
Fri 25 May Manchester Deaf Institute
Sat 26 May Ely St Peter’s Church
Sun 27 May Norwich Open
Mon 28 May Exeter Exeter Phoenix
Tue 29 May Brighton Komedia
