CQAF is delighted to host this performance by Alt-folk alchemist Seamus Fogarty to celebrate the release of his new album Ships on Scottish label Lost Map Records, in partnership with Swedish label Sing A Song Fighter.

Packed with poignant and funny slice-of-life vignettes touching on everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to DIY coffins, and existing in a wonderful new sonic realm where songs and stories coexist peacefully with fragmentary electronics, drones and field recordings, Ships is his most expansive and uplifting collection of music to date.

Born and raised on the west coast of Ireland but living in London since 2010, Seamus released his debut full-length ‘God Damn You Mountain’ on cult Scottish label Fence Records (King Creosote, Jon Hopkins) in 2012.

This was followed by a pair of exceptional albums released via Domino Records – 2017’s The Curious Hand (“magical amplified folk journeys through modern life” ★★★★★– The Guardian) and 2020’s A Bag Of Eyes (“a gloriously trippy journey” – The Sunday Times).

His most recent release, the Hee Haw EP, was released on Lost Map Records in 2023 with the lead single ‘They Recognised Him’ receiving high praise from a range of DJs and personalities across the BBC and beyond including Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy who singled it out for recommendation on his Limited Edition show on  6Music (‘just brilliant’).

He has maintained a busy live schedule through 2025 opening two sold-out shows for Portishead’s Beth Gibbons in London’s Roundhouse &  Luxembourg’s Neumünster Abbey and sharing the stage with Mike Heron in  Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank, and at End of the Road festival, as part of an all-star band assembled to celebrate the music of The Incredible String Band.  He also completed a sold-out Irish tour to celebrate the vinyl reissue of his debut album in the spring.
He has toured extensively around the UK, Ireland & Europe, both solo and with a range of artists including Lisa O’Neill and This Is The Kit,  and has appeared at many notable festivals including the main stage of Green Man, Eurosonic, Latitude, Electric Picnic, Mosely Folk & Haldern Pop. He has also appeared on  Other Voices in Ireland and recorded live sessions for Mark Radcliffe on  BBC Radio 2 and Cerys Matthews on BBC 6Music.

Recorded at studios in London, St Leonards-on-Sea and Margate and fine-tuned in his own home studio in Walthamstow, Ships boasts an incredible list of collaborators and musicians including string-arranger and multi-instrumentalist Emma Smith (Pulp, Beth Gibbons), drummers Chris Vatalaro (Anohni, Radiohead) and Aram Zarikian (Grasscut), and horn player Joe Auckland (Madness, Oasis).  Additional production and engineering comes from by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins) and Mike Lindsay (Tunng, Lump).