We are delighted to present AOIBHA as this year’s CQAF Artist in Residence. The last 12 months have seen AOIBHA begin to make a serious impact with a host of impressive support slots and a sold-out full band show.
A native of Co. Down, AOIBHA’s indie-folk textures pulse with a gothic energy that subtly echoes her love for dusky literary classics like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.
AOIBHA’s music is woven with vivid imagery and soundscapes, drawing inspiration from Irish artists like Joshua Burnside and Lemoncello, whose sublime folk storytelling and haunting harmonies resonate deeply.
Details of AOIBHA’s festival slots and own headline show will be published here shortly.
“AOIBHA is a master at crafting music that exudes serenity… If there was ever music for late night listening while getting lost in your thoughts, this is it.” – Chordblossom
“The singer-songwriter’s lyrics are vulnerable but her sound is still 100% her own. This is only the beginning of AOIBHA’s journey…”–Hot Press
AOIBHA’S APPEARANCES AT CQAF 25
Guest of The Magic Numbers – Monday May 5
Guest of Luca Fogale – Tuesday May 6
Guest of Bernard Butler – Sunday May 11
Headline Show: The Harrison Hotel, Saturday May 10, 8.00pm
Tickets for Headline Show: https://cqaf.ticketsolve.com/shows/873672605/events
Radio 4 favourite, comedy legend, and ‘the 42nd best reason to love Britain’ (The Telegraph) JOHN SHUTTLEWORTH, is back with more hilarious stories and songs performed on his trusty Yamaha organ (with built-in auto accompaniment!) In RAISE THE OOF John celebrates 40 years in showbiz. Yes, it was 1985 when he met TV’s Clarinet Man – next door neighbour Ken Worthington who came last on New Faces in 73 (Tony Hatch crucified him!)
“When I met Ken he was eating a CurlyWurly” recalls John, “although initially I thought it was a packet of sparklers, so I gave him a wide berth”, and the rest, as they say, is hysterical!
“ Actually, I feel rather calm” muses John, “although after forty years and still no chart success, perhaps I should be slightly anxious. My wife Mary says I should get a proper job, but there’s not time – I’m about to retire! Besides, Comet – where I used to demonstrate audio equipment – no longer exists. As for the sweet factory in the Rotherham area where I worked as a security guard in the 1980’s – that’s now an Axe Throwing Centre. Oof!”
But I’m still posting off my songs (on cassette tape with Dolby so it’s not too hissy) to cutting edge pop acts like Chris Rea and the Lighthouse Family, plus I’m still being booked for nostalgic singalongs at the local hospice (for petrol money only) so we have every reason to celebrate my long and illustrious career. Do come along and join me in punching the air, and helping – in an orderly and controlled fashion – to RAISE THE OOF!
“His stand up is second to none, his timing is impeccable, and you can practically warm your hands on his good nature” The Guardian
“It remains a comic endeavour both bittersweet and laugh-out-loud funny”**** The Times February 2025
“A ludicrously compelling night out” Evening Standard
Sublime character comedy – the Guardian
Totally Unmissable – NME
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
A love letter in song, Camille’s new show celebrates her dear friend Shane MacGowan, plus the work of Sinéad O’Connor, David Bowie, Radiohead, Nick Cave and more.
Performing with accompaniment from long-time collaborator Feargal Murray, Camille has created an intimate, heartfelt show capturing the honest response to those much loved and lost.
“Queen of the Edinburgh Festival” (BBC) and original star of Olivier Award-winning LaClique, Camille O’Sullivan enjoys a formidable reputation for her intensely dramatic interpretations of the songs of Brel, Cave, Waits, Bowie and more.
The multi-award-winning singer has stunned audiences around the world with her five-star sell-out performances, including at the Sydney Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, La Clique, Royal Albert Hall, Later With Jools Holland (BBC) and she won the coveted Herald Angel award for her RSC solo performance ‘The Rape of Lucrece’.
Dark, sexy, fierce, amusing and mesmerising, Camille transforms each song she performs into an intense, emotional, and theatrical experience. Expect joy and pure passion.
“When she sings it’s as though her breath is soaked in paraffin – one spark, and the whole room would ignite” ***** Daily Telegraph
“Ravishing, a superb performer and great singer… the star is her singing voice, a deep sultry instrument that might have been created to express desolate love” **** The Guardian
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Réalta, the dynamic Ulster-based Irish traditional group, will be performing on home ground for a special concert of traditional and contemporary tunes and songs.
Formed in Belfast in 2012, Réalta quickly established themselves as an exciting act on the Irish music scene, earning stellar reviews for their live performances and innovative approach to traditional melodies.
Irish Music Magazine described their debut Open The Door For Three as “A full-bodied pipe and whistle extravaganza” and summarised their follow-up album Clear Skies by writing “Réalta have grown bigger, bolder and braver and this is one of the best CDs to have come out of Ireland this year!”.
For their most recent release Thing of the Earth, Irish Music Magazine confirmed “Réalta have a sound all of their own – exciting, dynamic and addictive”.
Réalta have toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia and North America and their unique approach to the genre have made them a festival favourite. Featuring dual uilleann pipes, whistles, guitars, mandolin and bodhrán, the bands’ infectious energy, impressive musicianship, creativity and deep love for the music is evident throughout every performance.
Listeners can expect to journey through energetic reels, rhythmic jigs, soulful airs and thought-provoking songs… blending words and melodies from sources both old and new.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Dublin’s avant-garde punk sensation Meryl Streek brings his hard-hitting mix of protest, spoken word, and electronic influences to Belfast for a powerful live show at Ulster Sports Club.
Following the success of his debut album, ‘796’, which confronted institutional abuses in Ireland, Meryl Streek released his second album, ‘Songs For The Deceased’, on October 25, 2024. His music explores themes of injustice, corruption, and working-class struggles, making for a raw and uncompromising live experience.
Renowned for live performances that are both confrontational and exhilarating, Meryl Streek’s shows are described as a “weird blend, but worth listening to if you want something you’ve never heard before.”– Kerrang
“His biting, coarse Dublin delivery combined with a convergence of electronic textures and punk ethos creates an unforgettable live experience.” – Farout Magazine
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
PULP guitarist MARK WEBBER gives his unique perspective on being a fan and then being a member of the band!
When Mark Webber discovered Pulp as a teenage music fan in 1985, the band was on first-name terms with most of their limited audience. Over the next few years, Mark began to help out with stage sets and light shows, eventually becoming the group’s tour manager and running the fan club. Having been called upon to play guitar and keyboards at live shows, he was asked to join the band in 1995 and appears on the albums Different Class, This is Hardcore and We Love Life.
When Pulp went on hiatus in 2002, Mark devoted his time to curating avant-garde cinema and published several books on the subject. He’s since been part of both Pulp reunion tours and remains in the band as it embarks on more concerts in 2025.
This incredible journey —from fandom to bandom – provides the unique perspective of “I’m With Pulp, Are You?”. In it Mark gathers material from his astonishingly extensive collection of ephemera and objects accumulated over the last five decades.
The book combines images and reminiscences to chronicle an illustrated history of Pulp, told from the inside. It contains photographs, flyers, record covers, set lists, badges, posters, press clippings, and merchandise, alongside masses of promotional material from one of Britain’s most beloved bands.
“I’m With Pulp, Are You?” also features a foreword by Jarvis Cocker, and newly commissioned essays by music writers Simon Reynolds and Luke Turner.
Lisa Hannigan, Gemma Hayes and Paul Noonan have always individually danced between genres as artists. Collaboration is part of the makeup of each of their careers.
Three artists who have predominantly been centre-stage in their careers, while also experiencing the other parts and spaces and instruments that populate a band; Lisa, Gemma and Paul will come together to collaborate and share their stage and their songs with each other.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Beneath the painted hues and infinite prairie skies of Saskatoon — a city in the heart of Canada — lies a soulful, creative spirit that proves there’s much more to the so-called ‘fly-over states’ than grassland and grain silos.
Katie Tupper, an indie R&B musician, embodies that spirit and is determined to show there’s an entire world of boundary-pushing music at work within the often overlooked region.
Tupper’s two EPs of heartland soul – 2022’s Towards The End, and 2023’s Where To Find Me – have amassed 11 million streams world wide, a JUNO Award nomination, the praise of tastemakers like Zane Lowe, and international radio spins from BBC 6Music (UK), FIP (France), and CBC (Canada).
More recently, Tupper’s covers of everything from Hall & Oates to Jazmine Sullivan have gone viral on social media earning nods from superstars like SZA and Joe Jonas.
Katie Tupper returns with “Outside The Gate,” a devastatingly beautiful track about facing the reality of how you show up for someone you love. Reflecting on the song, Katie says, “I think more people need to feel allowed to admit that we will never be perfect in our relationships even when they are everything we’ve wanted.”
And admit she does, with each poignant repetition of “I think I’m broken,” hitting deeper every time, giving a raw and beautiful testament to love’s imperfections.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
“I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True – Songs, Stories and Surprises”
Steve Wynn, leader and founder of the Dream Syndicate, will be touring the UK in May in support of I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True, his debut book, a memoir for Jawbone Press as well as Make It Right, his first solo album since 2010.
The book details the winding path from growing up a music fan and pre-teen bandleader in Los Angeles through the formation and ultimate dissolution of the Dream Syndicate at the end of their first era in 1988.
There are stops along the way for tales of cross-country greyhound trips to track down Alex Chilton to wild, off-the-rails tours with U2 and R.E.M. and the epic heart-of-darkness making of the band’s controversial second album Medicine Show and plenty more.
The album is a similarly, reflective and intimately revealing collection, written and recorded in tandem with the writing of I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True.
Wynn promises a one-man show blending songs from and inspired by the book along with a narrative structure of readings from the book and storytelling, adjunctly extrapolated from those passages.
Fans can expect a selection of evergreens and rarities from the Dream Syndicate’s 80’s catalogue along with illuminating covers and reflective numbers from the new album as well, all adding up to one tall tale of a past revisited.
Steve says, “I don’t see this show as a stodgy reading or as a random selection of songs but rather a tiny play of sorts, a way of giving a flesh and blood companion to the book. I’m looking for that magic place where, say, Lenny Bruce and Spaulding Grey and Ray Davies and Bob Dylan and maybe Hedwig might meet in a dimly lit cabaret on the back streets of Hollywood. I’ve never done this kind of show before but if I can hit all those markers, I’ll be happy.”
Steve Wynn will be selling and signing copies of I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True (book) and Make It Right (CD/LP) after every show.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Anika a.k.a Annika Henderson is a hybrid artist. The former journalist made a name for herself in the electronic music scene, with her experimental sound collages, confrontational texts and unique way of performing live solo.
Her breakthrough came in 2010 with the release of the cult-hit, experimental LP, Anika (Stones Throw /Invada), which she recorded with Bristol band Beak, a wholly unplanned affair, which began her ongoing investigation into the music, film, poetry and arts scenes. One of her most know songs remains “I Go To Sleep,” a cover of The Kinks’ 1965 classic.
The debut was followed by “Change” in 2021, an album full of heightened frustration buoyed by guarded optimism spread across nine tracks.
She is founding member of Mexican psych-band, Exploded View (Sacred Bones) and has worked across the arts with the likes of punk legends Gudrun Gut and Beate Bartel (Malaria!, Liaisons Dangereuses), Tricky (Massive Attack), Jim Jarmusch, Soundwalk Collective, Shackleton, Clark (Warp), PBDY (Brainfeeder), performance artist Melanie Jame Wolf, n.b.k gallery Berlin, Poet Ricardo Domeneck, computer programmer Raoul Sanders/A.I (The Writing Robot. 2017), fashion house Jil Sander and light artist Philipp Geist.
Her latest releases include the hopeful pop-indie album, ‘Change’ (2021), a video art experiment called ‘Anika – Alone In The City’ in collaboration with n.b.k gallery in Berlin, and her guitar, synth driven psychedelic experimental live album Eat Liquid.
She has performed extensively since 2009, with and without band, in renowned venues and festivals across the globe, such as the Portishead-curated All Tomorrows Parties in New Jersey and London, Moog Festival, alongside the likes of Suicide, Tangerine Dream, Silver Apples, and Moebius, Mexico City’s Normal Festival, Tehran’s Tadaex, Berghain, Atonal festival, SKIF St Petersberg, and WWWX Tokyo among others.
She interweaves dub, post-punk, and psychedelic, with shadows of dnb and a strong emphasis on the voice. Henderson operates as a writer, composer, musician, DJ, photographer, radio host and video-director.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Yukee’s Garden Party: The Live Show involves live performances of original Yukee songs from the hit CBeebies series, as well as interactive storytelling and simple musical games designed to deliver fundamental music learning and foster positive early connections with music.
At the top of the show lead performer Neve introduces herself to the audience as Yukee’s friend, before our audience is taken on an adventure through Yukee’s musical garden to help Neve (and Stripes!) put on a rockin’ show at the Sunhouse! Along the way, Neve interacts with characters from the show, and engages with on-screen animation and visual cues, helping our audience to immerse themselves in the world of Yukee.
Join us in Larkin’s Square for a family fun day celebrating international solidarity for workers’ rights.
Following the March & Rally departing from Writers’ Square at 12.30 there will be free drop in art workshops, art exhibitions and music from 2pm, including Villers and the Villains, Beyond Skin, CQAF artists, DJ Judas and Chidambaram Samba band.
A full programme of events starts April 22nd and will include a walking tour, film screenings and talks on the trade union movement with its historic connection to Belfast.
Created to commemorate the 20 plus years that have passed since DC-based post-hardcore band Fugazi’s last live appearance (4th November 2002, at London’s Forum), the incediary WE ARE FUGAZI FROM WASHINGTON D.C. comprises crowd-sourced, fan-recorded live shows and rare archive footage of Fugazi curated by Joe Gross, Joseph Pattisall and Jeff Krulik.
Explicitly billed as a “non-documentary”, the film pays tribute to Fugazi’s prowess as a live act – for old fans to remember and for a new generation to discover what they missed. This unique archival assemblage celebrates the fans and their cameras, as much as the band itself – a collision/collusion of the ephemeral moment on stage, and the moments captured on camera.(Photograph: Shawn Scallen)
“Fan-sourced film captures legendary US punks in all their glory!
Even plucked from the archives, these are the best gigs you’ll see in 2025″ Tara Brady, IT Review
“The film shows that live music can be a weapon for change. It’s hard to imagine a better cinematic way to pay homage to the band. Smart, artful, and alive — a remarkable cinematic representation of a band that could only be Fugazi.” LOUDER THAN WAR
Profits from the event will be donated to a local charity
Drunk Women Solving Crime are coming back to Belfast with their chart-topping true crime comedy podcast.
Join hosts Hannah George and Taylor Glenn, plus their special guest, as they ‘solve’ a true crime case, aided and abetted by a few glasses of fizz, as well as seeking justice for your crimes too.
Past show guests have included the likes of Katherine Ryan, Joanne McNally, Shaparak Khorsandi, Lisa McGee and Rosie Jones, and a fantastic time is always had by all.
They were last here in 2023 with two sell out shows, so book now to avoid disappointment!
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Growing up in Los Angeles, Jerron Paxton would sit with an ear by the radio, eagerly absorbing the nuances and history of Black American traditional music that connect him to his ancestral roots in the South.
A songwriter, inheritor of tradition, and a walking, talking jukebox, Paxton approaches his craft with equal part wit and reverence, with a knack for leg-pulling and cracking wise.
Things Done Changed is an album of original songs that sound beamed in from nearly a century ago, when jazz and blues were performed as a means of both personal and cultural survival. Lick by lick, Paxton builds a bridge between generations gone and generations to come, singing the heartaches and joys of the past and present.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Reared on diet of Rhythm & Blues, Funk, Jazz, Pop and Ska, The Tibbs bring a unique blend of garage soul that could be traced back to the Detroit and Philly sounds of the ’60s and ’70s. A retro style infused with a distinctive Tibbs formula.
The Tibbs originally took off in 2012 – fronted by the amazing Elsa Bekman – covering a lesser trodden path, combining special soul classics with rare beat instrumentals. Their increasing popularity quickly led to a natural desire to expand their repertoire, beyond the confines of others’ inspirational endeavours towards their own soulful creations.
The resulting EP Cleaned Out debuted in 2014. Later that year, the German funk and soul label Tramp Records released their debut single – Footprints in the Sand / Cleaned Out – delivering deserved international airplay for The Tibbs. Two years later, famous Italian label Record Kicks released The Tibbs’ first LP, Takin’ Over.
Though the talent was obvious much earlier, the release of Takin’ Over delivered the band far richer rewards. Playing sold-out venues in both Milan and Frankfurt, The Tibbs’ profile rose further still with wonderful festival performances in Germany and Hungary, followed by a successful soldout tour of Spain.
After some deliberation, in late 2018 Elsa decided to follow her heart and focus on a solo career. The Tibbs duly began their search for a truly worthy successor, bringing astonishing vocalist Roxanne Hartog and the band together for the first time. With a selection of incredible new tunes and an album (Another Shot Fired) drawing fantastic reviews, The Tibbs played sold-out shows in The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Spain.
In January 2024 their latest album Keep It to Yourself came out, a true tour de force that left listeners awe-inspired, foot-tapping and heart-soaring. On this 12-track album The Tibbs once again prove that the passionate sounds of the past can have a fresh and vibrant place in the music of today.
Whether you’re a devoted soul aficionado or new to the genre, just get ready for a musical journey that will revive your spirit! Keep It to Yourself was selected by Craig Charles for his ‘Best of 2024 Show’ on BBC Radio 6.
The Tibbs are: Roxanne Hartog – vocals
Henk Kemkes – guitar
Anton Titsing – Hammond / keys
Michael Willemsen – bass
Bas de Vries – drums
Berd Ruttenberg – baritone sax
Frank Stolwijk – tenor sax
Siebe Posthuma de Boer – trumpet
‘Every track blazes with the ferocity of a close-knit band of players in perfect sync.’Uncut Magazine (UK)
‘The Tibbs deliver a Vintage Soul Scorcher.’Clash Magazine (UK)
‘The Tibbs have raised the bar to where it was not thought possible: Roxanne Hartog’s voice soars over a Hammond organ and a breathtaking brass section, the bass grooves like never before.’ ****1/2Rolling Stone Magazine
‘It’s a TUNE!!!’Craig Charles, BBC Radio 6
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Córas Trio presents a live performance to film exploring the intricate lives of natural systems. Through live music, dynamic visuals, and interactive soundscapes, the trio transforms organic processes – shifting landscapes, and microbial networks – into a sensory experience. Their performance blends electronic and acoustic textures, mirroring the rhythms and chaos of ecosystems in flux. Vibrant projections pulse with sound, revealing unseen connections within nature. Inspired by the resilience and fragility of our environment, Córas Trio invites audiences to witness nature’s hidden harmonies.
Córas Trio – Kevin McCullagh: fiddle/electronics, Paddy McKeown: guitar/electronics, and Conor McAuley: drums, question what it means to be an Irish person playing improvised music today. Their sound comprises traditional melodies that weave in and out of compelling textures, and foregrounds fiddle, guitar, and percussion with transcendental electronics; suspending elements of collective free improvisation with proper seisiún style playfulness.
Take a walk on the dark side! Join Alternative Ulstours’ ‘Master of the Macabre’ Andrew Johnston on a devilishly informative and shockingly entertaining walking tour of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter.
Dare you stalk the streets and uncover the grisly secrets of this historic area of the city?
• The day the Albert Clock stopped… dead!
• A ‘bioterrorism’ scare at Belfast’s mail HQ
• Sailortown’s souls that cannot rest
• ‘Spirits’ uncorked at Belfast’s oldest wine merchant
• George and Nora: a love-and-death story
• A harrowing outrage on Little York Street
• Bloody murder in Belfast’s ‘house of ill fame’
• Body snatching in Belfast – a ghoulish business!
• The spectre of Belfast’s music hall ‘Solid Man’
• The Frankenstein Chronicles in the Cathedral Quarter
• Floggings, hangings and beheadings in the centre of town
• Fleeing the flames in the original Belfast Castle
• The forgotten bones beneath Belfast streets
Please note:
• The walking tour starts at the Albert Memorial Clock on Queen’s Square in the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast city centre, where your guide will be waiting for you
• Please arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
• The tour will last three hours and cover around two miles on mainly flat, even ground
• The route is fully accessible, but please inform us in advance of any mobility issues
• The tour ends at St George’s Church on High Street in the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast city centre
• The tour will go ahead in all weathers, so please dress accordingly and stay hydrated
• There are public toilets near the start and end points, and we can make a toilet stop approximately halfway through the tour if required
• There will also be an optional refreshment stop approximately halfway through the tour (refreshments at own cost)
• Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the tour
• Your guide is Level 4-certified and a Visit Belfast industry partner • The tour is fully insured through Tour Guides NI
Very important:
• The tour is open to all ages, but parental guidance is advised due to the graphic nature of some content.
Take a leisurely stroll on a Sunday afternoon to find out a little more about some of the historic pubs of the Cathedral Quarter and Belfast city centre.
Each pub, from Kelly’s Cellars to the Dirty Onion, The Duke of York to White’s Tavern, and The Morning Star to McHugh’s has fascinating tales and links to our city’s history that will be teased out. You’ll learn why several establishments claim the city’s ‘oldest pub’ title, which of them is in fact the oldest tavern, and what precisely the ‘oldest’ claims of some of the others relate to!
Exploring the oldest part of Belfast town before it became a city in 1888, you’ll hear about early merchants and importers, where secret societies met, the pick-up points for mail coaches, old jails, former whiskey warehouses, newspapers of long ago, and more.
The tour will start from outside Kelly’s Cellars at 2.00pm. The tour will end at 3.30pm outside McHugh’s, where you may choose to stay on to enjoy a drink or coffee and perhaps an afternoon traditional music session.
The tour will cover up to 1.5 miles and will take place whatever the weather, so please come prepared. No refreshments are included as part of the tour ticket.
The tour has been developed and was delivered by Dolores Vischer, a Green Badge qualified tour guide, through her company Creative Tours Belfast.
Hit the North Street Art Festival returns to Union Street and Kent Street with some of the world’s finest artists. Artists this year include – Hera, Taxis, Ajax Piper, My Dog Sighs, Jack Lack, Slim Safont, Jo Caslin, Jack Lack, Ona Salvador, Philth, Roo, Sky High, Jo Caslin, Asbestos, Danleo, Ed Hicks, Fesa, Friz, Holly Pereia, KVLR, Wee Nuls and loads more.
And don’t forget to check out our fringe programme on the Seedhead Arts website where there’s more workshops, tours, film screenings, lectures and LOADS of parties.
A founder member of some of the finest bands to emerge from Belfast in the past fifteen years (Sea Pinks, Girls Names), Neil Brogan has been quietly putting out home recorded solo recordings since 2020. Last summer he went into a studio in Belfast with a three piece band, (including ex Sea Pinks friends Davey Agnew and Gary Cummins) and knocked out a new record in a day.
That record, “Neil Brogan Band”, will be released on April 4th 2025 and Strange Victory, in association with CQAF, is delighted to host the Belfast launch show on May 3rd with the excellent Daisy Chain in support.
Celebrating the iconic MTV Unplugged series of the 90s, where legendary grunge bands like Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam stripped down their powerful & distortion-heavy sound to showcase their raw acoustic talents, join Sister Ghost + friends for a night of classic MTV Unplugged reimaginings. Think candles, flowers, knitted cardigans and the stories behind the songs!
This rare and intimate show will be hosted by Shannon of Sister Ghost (fresh from supporting Snow Patrol on their recent Irish arena shows) and will also include an exclusive unplugged set from her debut album Beyond The Water.
“Beyond The Water is a portrait of the artist as a twenty-something queer woman from a tiny village in rural Ireland – it finds her trying to break past the confines of her hometown, and push at the boundaries of ambition. A hugely accomplished debut.” – Hot Press Magazine
“One of the most talented songwriters this country has produced in a long, long time” – Stephen McCauley, BBC Radio Ulster
“Loud and unapologetic blasts of feminist empowerment” – Louder Magazine
Author John Higgs joins us in conversation about his new book.
On screen, Doctor Who is a story of monsters, imagination and mind-expanding adventure. But the off-screen story is equally extraordinary – a tale of failed monks, war heroes, 1960s polyamory and self-sabotaging broadcasting executives. From the politics of fandom to the inner struggles of the BBC, thousands of people have given part of themselves – and sometimes, too much of themselves – to bring this unlikeliest of folk heroes to life.
This is a story of change, mystery and the importance of imaginary characters in our lives. Able to evolve and adapt more radically than any other fiction, Doctor Who has acted as a mirror to more than six decades of social, technological and cultural change while always remaining a central fixture of the British imagination.
John Higgs is the author of several bestselling books including ‘The KLF’, ‘Live and Let Die: Bond, The Beatles and British Psyche’, ‘Watling Street’ and ‘William Blake v The World’.
‘Absolutely wonderful. The book I’ve been waiting to read since I was ten years old. Full of surprising and piercing insights . . . The first thing I’ve come across that absolutely nails the extraordinary nature of the cultural phenomenon that is Doctor Who’ JEREMY DYSON
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Róisín Lanigan is an editor and writer based in London and Belfast. Her work has appeared in i-D, VICE, The Atlantic, New Statesman, The Fence and Prospect, amongst other publications. She was longlisted for the Curtis Brown First Novel Prize in 2019, and won the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award in 2020.
I Want to Go Home But I’m Already There is her first novel.
Renting is a nightmare.
Áine should be feeling happy with her life. She’s just moved in with Elliot. Their new flat is in an affluent neighbourhood, surrounded by bakeries, yoga studios and organic vegetable shops. They even have a garden. And yet, from the moment they move in, Áine can’t shake the sense that there’s something not quite right about the place…
It’s not just the humourless estate agent and nameless landlord: it’s the chill that seeps through the draughty windows; the damp spreading from the cellar door; the way the organic fruit and veg never lasts as long as it should. And most of all, it’s the upstairs neighbours, whose very presence makes peaceful coexistence very difficult indeed.
The longer Áine spends inside the flat – pretending to work from home; dissecting messages from the friends whose lives seem to have moved on without her – the less it feels like home. And as Áine fixates on the cracks in the ceiling, it becomes harder to ignore the cracks in her relationship with Elliott…
Multi-award-winning ‘magnificent Fringe Legends’ (Time Out) are back. And we’re totally fine! Actually all things considered, we’re ok.
Feeling alright. Thriving, even? That’s a bit far, but we have learnt some folk songs. We’ve got into folk recently and it’s been really helpful. Come and sing some folk songs with us! A swift 60 minutes of classic folk followed by a trip to the bar and then a singaround. Because we need a drink, don’t we? But we’re doing OK.
‘Spine-tingling from the first number’ ★★★★★ Telegraph
‘Few companies make shows that are so consistently, outrageously fun*’ (Guardian). *fun not guaranteed
This show runs at 60 minutes, and is followed by a chance to continue singing* and drinking** together in the performance space. Please join us after the show for the singaround if you would like to.
On Bank Holiday weekend, Sunday May 4th, Belfast Underground/CQAF take over the Deers Head Music Hall with the Belfast Legend Iain McCready , one half of the famous Sugar Sweet duo , digging through 30 years of vinyl House Classics for your listening pleasure.
Support comes from Belfast Underground Records Head Honcho Gary “ Dilly “ Dillon , Eamon Beagon & Marty McAllister. Expect to hear Era defining House Tunes from the mid 80s to the present day.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
To celebrate the launch of their acclaimed new album “Crescent Nights”, The 4 Of Us return to CQAF to perform songs from their latest release, as well as familiar classics from an extensive back catalogue.
Hailing from Newry, Northern Ireland, The 4 Of Us has been captivating audiences for over three decades with their soulful melodies and compelling lyrics. With brothers Brendan and Declan Murphy at the helm, The 4 Of Us has left an indelible mark on the Irish music scene.
Their journey began in the late ’80s, and since then, they’ve evolved into one of Ireland’s most beloved and enduring musical acts. Known for their distinctive sound that seamlessly blends rock, folk, and pop influences, The 4 Of Us has produced a string of hits that have become anthems for fans across generations.
‘As well-crafted and evocative as anything they’ve done before’– The Irish Times
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Formed in 1979 on the borders of Mali and Algeria, Tinariwen are world renowned as pioneers of the assouf style (“nostalgia” in tamashek). They address Tuareg people’s preoccupations in songs that mix traditional West African and Arab music with blues, folk and other influences.
Tinariwen singlehandedly invented a guitar style that has captured the world’s imagination. They call it ishumar or assouf. The rest of the planet has come to know it as the Tuareg blues. Its music that is imbued with sorrow and longing but it’s also music for forgetting our cares and for dancing. Far more than just a rock band, Tinariwen are ambassadors for their people and a way of life in tune with the natural world that is under threat as never before. Their message has never sounded more urgent and compelling than it does now.
Since gaining international recognition in the early 2000s, they have played more than 1100 shows around the world and released nine studio albums, three of them nominated for a Grammy, including Tassili, which won the award for Best World Music album in 2012.
“To say their music is captivating is underplaying it massively; it pulls you in and takes you on a desert journey, the lilting blues trance and the interplay between guitars and bass, percussion and vocals all creating a sensuous and pleasingly hazy mood.” – Louder Than War
A rock’n’roll sensation from the word go, Danish-Brazilian The Courettes are back with their fourth and best album to date – The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes. This time, they’re bigger, wider and deeper than ever before as they add more to the blistering ramalama that’s seen them cause pandemonium across the venues, festivals and airwaves of the UK, Europe, USA and Japan.
Hitting the sweet spot that straddles garage rock, girl groups, doowop harmonies, heartache and all points in between, here The Courettes build on the momentum of predecessor ‘Back In Mono’ with a collection of songs that opens up their sonic scope while confronting dark, emotional matter to reveal ‘The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes’.
Having evolved with each album release, The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes draws inspiration from many of the duo’s numerous idols that have only previously been hinted at. From the glorious opening beats and stabbing fuzz honks of ‘You Woo Me’ to the closing emotional tugs of ‘For Your Love’ via ‘SHAKE!’’s fuzzed-up urgency and ‘California’’s celebratory warmth, The Courettes have broadened their sound with an increased musical instrumentation and overall sophistication that’s evident in both their sound and songwriting.
“The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes blends two things,” explains Flavia. “First, of course, are the nods to the soul music and especially Motown, which is pop music the way we like it. But I think for the first time, lyrically, we actually open up to some deeper topics. It’s not disguised as teenage heartache songs anymore.”
For all that, The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes is an album aimed as much for what’s below the neck as above it, for this is an album that dances through the darkness to celebrate the joy that is living. “Life is so fragile,” smiles Flavia. “But what are you supposed to do? I’d rather dance.” And what better album to do that to?
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
We’re delighted to present UK Rap royalty Farma G (Taskforce) presenting acclaimed new album To Kill a Butterfly on High Focus Records.
Joined by an amazing supporting cast of Belfast Groove Collective, Quinncidental, Chunk Funk and Militant Vinylist, the night will also feature a freestyle competition Farma G’s Five Word Freestyle with a £200 cash prize and meal for 2 (Frankie’s Lasagneria).
Join Ghouls on Film for a spellbinding 8mm screening of Mario Bava’s gothic masterpiece! Witness Barbara Steele’s iconic dual role in this haunting tale of witchcraft and vengeance. A rare chance to see this horror classic in all its grainy, celluloid glory. One night only—don’t miss it.
Nelofer Pazira-Fisk discusses her experience completing her late husband’s book on Middle Eastern politics, his legacy as a journalist and shares her reflections on how Western mainstream media reports on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Nelofer Pazira-Fisk is an award-winning Afghan-Canadian author, journalist and filmmaker. She was based in Beirut for fifteen years working alongside her late husband, Robert Fisk. She reported for Canadian television and radio as well as UK and Canadian newspapers from Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Egypt and Syria.
In 2001, she starred in the film Kandahar, based on her real-life story and has directed and produced several films including Return to Kandahar (2003), Act of Dishonour (2010), and This is Not a Movie (2019). Nelofer’s 2006 book, A Bed of Red Flowers: In Search of My Afghanistan, won the Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize.
‘Robert left me and the world his legacy of accurate reporting and being very truthful, honest and courageous to say it and speak it in the face of power’
CQ Bazaar returns to CQAF with a feast of delights in (where else?!) the Common Market. An eclectic mix of DJs, Independent record labels, second-hand vinyl, vintage clothes, antiques and Retro furniture. The best art, design and crafts.
Common Market Bar and food vendors are open during the market hours. Come and treat your eyes, ears, mouth and pockets.
Presented by QFT, CQAF and Source Magazine. Martin Parr joins us for a Q&A following the screening.
Since the 1970s, English photographer Martin Parr has held up a sometimes tender, sometimes critical and always mischievous mirror to our times, forcing us to take a hard look at how consumer society has shaped our lives. Discover the maverick behind some of the most iconic images of the past century on an intimate and exclusive road trip across England with the uncompromising Parr, whose subjects, frames and colours have revolutionised contemporary photography.
One of the most controversial photographers of his time, Martin Parr’s images often have the power to both amuse and leave us ever so slightly uncomfortable, caught between laughter and the uneasy recognition of ourselves in his uncompromising portrait of consumer society.
Though he’s now celebrated, collected and exhibited worldwide, Parr’s early work did not find an easy public and was highly criticized for trivializing the working class. Yet, in retrospect, perhaps he was just observing what we often overlook – forcing it into the spotlight as an essential topic of discussion. I Am Martin Parr is the definitive portrait of an extraordinary photographer who revolutionized contemporary photography by inventing a political, humanist and accessible photographic language.
Join us as we bring Paul McVeigh’s BBC Radio 4 short story collection, I Hear You, to life on stage. The collection features three standalone stories alongside The Circus—a ten-part series set in Cliftonville Circus, North Belfast, where ten unique voices take centre stage.
In this one-of-a-kind fusion of literature, radio, and theatre, acclaimed actors Tony Flynn (Big Man, Blue Lights), Michael Condron (Coronation Street, Say Nothing), and Abigail McGibbon (Ballywalter, Blue Lights) will perform their radio-recorded stories live, immersing you in the world of The Circus.
And for the first time, Paul McVeigh himself will take the stage to share the inspirations behind his stories.
Paul’s short stories have been in anthologies, journals and newspapers, read onBBC Radio 3, 4 and 5, RTE Radio, as well as Sky ARTS. His ten-part short story series, The Circus, aired on BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Radio 4. He co-founded London Short Story Festival and has edited three anthologies. His collection, I hear You, was published in March 2025. His debut novel, The Good Son, won The Polari First Novel Prize and The McCrae Literary Award and his writing has been translated into eight languages.
****THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO MONDAY 5TH MAY 2025****
All original ticketholders have been notified
Three-time Edinburgh Fringe Best Show nominee, Josie Long tries out ideas and hopes for the best in preparation for a full show next year, but please be reassured that you are in the safe hands of an accomplished professional.
‘Idealism and irrepressible fun are never far from the surface when Long stakes to the stage’ (Guardian). ****
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
We’re seriously excited about this. The Magic Numbers comprise of two pairs of siblings (Romeo and Michele Stodart, Sean and Angela Gannon) who are known for their unique harmonies, melodic hooks, songwriting craftsmanship and timeless sound.
Their Mercury Prize-nominated self-titled debut album was released in 2005 to outstanding critical acclaim, and contained top ten hit singles such as ‘Forever Lost’, ‘Love Me Like You’ and ‘Love is a Game’. It went on to sell over a million copies worldwide, making them one of the nation’s best-loved bands.
They have earned a reputation for their exciting and uplifting live performances, leading them to tour the world, building a loyal fan base, as well as supporting the likes of Neil Young, Brian Wilson, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, The Who, U2, Elbow and Bright Eyes amongst many others. The Magic Numbers have released five successful albums to date, and are currently working on new music.
The band have also become known for their collaborations with a diverse range of artists over the years – from Romeo writing and producing songs for the late Jane Birkin, Natalie Imbruglia, Ren Harvieu to co- writing ‘Close your eyes’ with the Chemical Brothers for their Grammy-Award-winning album ‘Push The Button’, and producing Billy Bragg’s most recent album. His sister, Michele Stodart has released three critically acclaimed solo albums, and is also an award-winning artist and collaborator.
The Magic Numbers’ outstanding musicianship, blood harmonies and skilfully crafted songs, make them a truly unique, exciting and unmissable live band. They continue to tour the world building their audiences and explore new ground in the studio together producing albums.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Declared “the coolest rock star in the world right now,” by UNCUT magazine, Arooj Aftab has earned her position at the vanguard of creative music for her embrace of risk and nonconformity.
In 2024, she released her fourth solo album, Night Reign (Verve), to universal acclaim, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album, while the song “Raat Ki Rani” was tabbed for Best Global Music Performance. The album expands on the musical universe Aftab has created over the years. Night Reign features an all-star cast of musicians (Cautious Clay, Vijay Iyer, Elvis Costello, James Franceis, Moor Mother, Joel Ross), united beneath the steady, brilliant hand of the queen of the night.
As put by the Wall Street Journal, “[Night Reign’s] beauty is self-evident, and it stands on its own” which helps explain its inclusion across so many Best of 2024 album lists. Night Reign’s predecessor, Vulture Prince, ushered Aftab into the cultural zeitgeist, including a place on President Barack Obama’s Summer 2021 playlist. Recognition for the record propelled her to a Best New Artist Grammy nomination in 2022 and a win for the song “Mohabbat.”
The following year she collaborated with Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily on a “masterclass in space,” the improvisational Love in Exile (Verve 2023), also Grammy nominated and winner of a 2023 Edison Jazz award.
Aftab spent her adolescent years in Lahore, Pakistan, the birthplace of her music-loving parents. Her viral cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at age 18 aided in her passage to study jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston, while Brooklyn, New York would be her next and most fertile workshop for creation of her genre-defying music.
Over the last few years, she has delivered “rapturous performances” at major venues and international festivals including Primavera, Glastonbury, Coachella, Le Guess Who? (which she curated), and both Newport and Montreal Jazz.
She has appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, Later with Jools Holland, Brodie and Mahogany sessions. Aftab has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Financial Times, The Quietus, and Time, to name a few. She is a 2023 United States Artists Fellow and recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Music.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
A hallucinatory fever dream of a film, Ebony & Ivory reimagines the fabled first meeting between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder as an absurdist, grotesque, and utterly baffling descent into comedic madness. Think Reeves & Mortimer at their most unhinged, soaked in the sinister weirdness of The League of Gentlemen, all wrapped up in a kaleidoscopic, off-kilter vision from director Jim Hosking (The Greasy Strangler).
Paul (Sky Elobar) welcomes Stevie (Gil Gex) to his remote Mull of Kintyre farmhouse—via rowing boat, naturally—for what might become the greatest plea for racial harmony ever recorded. Between hits of “doobie woobies” and a complete annihilation of Linda McCartney’s vegetarian ready meal range, the two musical legends spiral into increasingly bizarre conversations about sheep, the meaning of true genius, and the terrifying weight of artistic immortality.
What follows is an anarchic, unsettling, and wildly funny two-hander that veers between surrealist farce and nightmarish fever dream. It’s a world where reality fractures, comedy curdles, and the line between genius and gibberish is so blurred you may need your pulse checked by the time the credits roll.
A deranged cult classic in the making—utter nonsense, absolute brilliance.
Ebony and Ivory is absolute nonsense and absolute brilliance, and if you don’t start choke laughing at some stage, get the person next to you to check your pulse –In Session Film
Ebony and Ivory delivers in abundance. It’s an almost theatrical two-hander that gives both actors their time to shine – Starburst
Luca Fogale’s voice is impossible to ignore, elevating songs rooted in the folk tradition to soulful hymns about the human condition.
Influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, Luca’s reflective and sometimes melancholic songwriting pulls listeners into a deeply hypnotic meditation on redemption and transcendence.
The Canadian singer-songwriter is a two-time JUNO nominee (Canada’s Grammy equivalent) and his catalogue boasts over 250M streams.
Luca has released 3 acclaimed full-length albums – Safety (2016), Nothing is Lost (2020), and Run Where the Light Calls (2023). Luca has toured with Dermot Kennedy and Brett Eldridge and has headlined shows across Canada, the US, UK, Europe, Australia, and Japan.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Six years after their last studio album, Taylor Kirk’s Canadian band Timber Timbre finally releases a new record, “Lovage”- his most accomplished and engrossing album to date.
“Lovage” is an album marrying perverted piano ballads and spiritual jazz interludes on islands of exotica and psyche-prog with Spectoresque girl-group cabaret. Recorded in 2022 in Quebec with Mike Dubue (Hilotrons), the album features Olivier Fairfield (Fet Nat, Andy Shauf) and members of the Voices of Praise gospel choir (Howe Gelb).
Since releasing and extensively touring “Sincerely, Future Pollution” (2017), Taylor Kirk has been busy working as a producer on several full-length LP’s, including Joseph Martone’s “Honeybirds” and the sophomore recording “Nightshades” by This Lonesome Paradise.
Timber Timbre have quietly released two cassette-only EP’s, “I Am Coming To Paris” and “The Dissociation Tapes Volume1”. Finally returning with a new full-length entitled “Lovage,” the most accomplished and engrossing Timber Timbre album to date. Which isn’t to say that Taylor Kirk has merely refined his working methods. In fact, “Lovage” is a bona fide masterpiece, as Kirk manages to combine disparate influences that would otherwise seem mutually incompatible.
Together with producer-engineer Michael Dubue, he reconciles Brian Wilson’s rich sonic palette with the amused melancholy of Leonard Cohen. Kirk admits to revisiting Sun Ra, Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, as well as Italian singers such as Pino Daniele and Paolo Conte, which might explain the cinematic lightness of the new album.
Kirk returned to his native Ontario in 2019 after spending a few years in Quebec and Texas. He made it back just in time to sit out the Covid pandemic and regroup. “I moved back to Ontario where I had grown up, a place I left 20 years ago and swore I’d never return to. ‘Holy Motors’ is an homage to this place I love and hate-but also love to hate,” he says of the town where he spent the lockdown. “But it’s a good place to be trapped”.
One could say the same of the sonic landscapes he evokes on “Lovage”. It’s a wonderful album to be trapped on, a modern masterpiece for troubled times one will find oneself returning to again and again.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
On the heels of her critically acclaimed double-album Joan Of All, SBT (aka SarabethTucek) returns to the UK for a short-run of special acoustic shows accompanied by her long-time producer Luther Russell.
Sarabeth Tucek emerged from a decade-long hibernation away from the record business and released Joan of All worldwide in 2023 via her own imprint, Ocean Omen. Lead single “The Gift” was immediately picked up by Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music who championed the single. The adulation for Joan of All culminated in rave reviews from Uncut (9/10), Mojo (four stars ****) and more. Joan Of All became her first record to hit the UK Official Charts, making the Record Store Chart Top 20, The Indie Album Breakers Chart Top 10 and the Official Indie Albums Chart Top 30.
Sarabeth Tucek originally broke onto the music scene in 2003 performing a series of spellbinding duets with Bill Callahan on the acclaimed Smog album Supper. This was followed by an appearance in the award-winning Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary DIG!. Sarabeth’s self-titled debut album hit stores tin 2007, leading to unwavering support at the BBC and even opening for Bob Dylan. In 2011, Sarabeth followed up her extraordinary debut with the raw, uncompromising album Get Well Soon. This release made many year-end lists and the title track was featured on the first season of HBO’s Girls.
The genesis for her current return to the music scene was one magical night in Bergen, Norway in 2019. The primarily acoustic set comprised songs from her powerful back catalogue, plus two new ones which would end up on Joan Of All. Along with Luther Russell and engineer/bassist Jason Hiller, she played the set of her life, unaware it was being recorded. The audience was rapturous and the vibe in the intimate Scandinavian club was thick as a storm cloud.
Live In Norway is being released her label Ocean Omen especially for Record Store Day and features ten tracks which range from a reimagined version of her classic “Something For You” to a maiden airing of “The Living Room” and an emotionally shattering reading of her indelible “Get Well Soon”. This one’s for the fans.
Ben de la Cour
With songs that explore life’s murky corners and shadowy characters, Ben de la Cour’s music occupies the intersection between gothic Americana and dark, gritty folk.
Albums like Ben’s 2012 debut, Ghost Light and 2018’s career-shifting The High Cost of Living Strange chronicled not only that deep sense of restlessness but also his various attempts to wrestle his own vices into submission. The result is a haunting, harrowingly personal version of folk music that earned praise from outlets like American Songwriter and NPR.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Michael Cera Palin are an emotive indie-punk trio from Atlanta, GA. The band are noted for consciously vulnerable lyrics, a cathartically catchy sound, and an impassioned live show, all forged through a decade of cutting teeth in the genre-fluid arts landscape of their home.
MCP released two EPs from 2015-2018 before a premature hiatus. After derailed ambitions for their 2020 return (now to a notably larger listenership than they had previously left behind), the band retreated from the social dimension of the community to begin carving their new chapter, and finding a voice of their own.
They then released 2 singles, before starting toward an accelerating tour ethic since 2022, diligently assuring fans along the way that a debut full-length album would be with them in due time.
Whether owed to or despite their limited output, Michael Cera Palin’s work continues to accrue fervent support, with mounting anticipation of their new material.
A real man. A Bro’s Bro. A macho & Cool man who chops wood. Because chopping wood is what real men do. The world is burning, the birds are gone, and the only solution? More chopping.
But no matter how much wood is split, it’s never enough. The brain won’t shut up. The cracks start to show. And if the chopping stops… then what?
CHOP is a violently stupid and stupidly violent deep dive into fragile egos, environmental collapse, and the absurdity of existence. Expect big laughs, real danger, and at least one existential crisis (probably yours).
Arts Council Ireland, The Visual Carlow, Dublin Fringe Festival
Duration: 50mins
Age Guidance: 14+
Content warning: contains some swearing and partial nudity (and a lot of chopped wood)
Combining physical performance and immersive installation, VARC – Visual Audio Radical Circus transforms a warehouse on Gordon Street into a stage for bodies exploring the possibilities of physical space, giving permission for provocative play on the ground and in the air!
VARC will bring together a cast of multidisciplinary circus artists into a uniquely curated space, each brimming with technical talent in aerial performance, with the ability to evoke within their artform, testing limits and stunning you with captivating execution.
Their work will be complemented by an original score from Belfast sound artist Marty Byrne.
This is a collaborative work, curated and produced by Emmen Jude Donnelly, one of Ireland’s most well-respected aerial arts practitioners. The making of this show has been supported by the 2025 CQAF/FOF bursary for circus.
“A strobe flickers on a dangling body as it twists & writhes in the air, daringly contorting to the pulsating heavy rhythmical beat.”
It’s a welcome return for our 2023 Artist in Residence. Taylor Lally grew up near Donaghadee in County Down. For Christmas 2011 she received her first guitar from her father who hoped she would carry on the family hobby of playing music.
She became enchanted with the instrument and inspired by James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Marley started writing her own songs, eventually attending BIMM (British Institute of Modern Music) in both Brighton and Dublin to study music performance, eventually graduating with a degree in songwriting.
When she returned she became been busy performing in Belfast and the North Down area. More recently she has ventured further afield playing support around Ireland to the likes of Steve Forbert, Mary Coughlan, Joachim Cooder and Teddy Thompson.
She was awarded the coveted Artist In Residence spot at the 2023 Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and since then has headlined in both the recently refurbished Bangor Courthouse and the Crescent Arts Centre, selling out both shows.
In 2023 Taylor released a new song every month with all 12 tracks included in a compilation CD that was in released July 2024 and available at her gigs.
‘‘I am finally just stepping into the world.” muses Taylor “After so many years of playing cover songs in bars, studying and writing, no words can describe how that feels”.
‘The singer from Co. Down has been compared to the likes of Ricki-Lee Jones with the guitar sensibilities of John Martyn. She also strikes a chord with her poignant song writing craft. Dealing with themes of growing up in a changing Northern Ireland and healing from heartache … you can’t help but admire Taylor Lally’s impressive knack for pulling our heartstrings’ – Chordblossom journalist, Elle McGinn.
In 2012 Gruff Rhys embarked on a solo ‘investigative concert tour’ through the heart of America following the route taken by his distant relative John Evans.
Every night he presented songs augmented by a powerpoint presentation that detailed his relative’s unbelievable history, along with any new piece of information that had come his way during the day.
He was ultimately looking for Evans’s lost unmarked grave. Along with many major cities, the tour took him to play shows at the Mandan and Omaha tribe reservations, a Missouri vineyard, villages that no longer exist and lay at the bottom of the Mississippi river and a New Orleans bordello.
What transpired from that ‘investigative concert tour’ was a 2014 album, American Interior, plus a book, film and exhaustive tour of the same name.
‘Revisiting American Interior 11 years later, feels very prescient. In following the unusual story of explorer John Evans (1770 1799) it becomes clear that faked narratives can have profound and unpredictable consequences in real life.
His barely believable journey of verification in searching through continental scale wilderness for a [fictitious] Welsh speaking tribe believed to be living on the Great Plains of North America (an ancient folk tale perpetuated by the Elizabethan court following the subjugation of Wales, to make colonial claims on behalf of the British on the Americas) had a dramatic political effect on the fledgling USA and a devastating impact on himself and some of those who helped him on his way.’ – Gruff Rhys
Hayden Thorpe came to prominence as the lead singer and chief songwriter for the much-celebrated band Wild Beasts who released five acclaimed albums on Domino Records before disbanding.
Hayden has since released three solo albums on Domino; Diviner, a critically adored work of solitude and fragility. Sophomore album Moondust For My Diamond, a work that is galvanising, reassuring, elegant, seductive and oozing in Big Cosmic Energy.
September 2024 saw the release of Ness, an album of rare ambition and singular beauty made in collaboration with best-selling nature writer Robert Macfarlane.
Known for his distinctive voice and sultry compositions, Thorpe’s return to Cumbria marks a new era for his craft reflective of the natural environment he lives surrounded by.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Roll your sleeves up and get floury! Tracey Jeffery from Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen will demonstrate how to make Northern Ireland’s most loved traditional breads – Soda and Potato bread.
Now it’s your turn! You’ll make your own soda and potato breads in the traditional way – no measuring or weighing required!
Your breads will cook on a Griddle and from start to finish they’ll be ready to eat within 15 minutes. You’ll take home 4 farls of Soda and 4 farls of Potato bread, or enjoy them with lunch, hot off the griddle. There’s even a prize for the best breads.
Includes tea / coffee on arrival, bread making experience, followed by dinner (6pm) or lunch (1pm).
Caoilinn Hughes talks about her work and her latest novel ‘The Alternatives’.
From the writer Anthony Doerr calls ‘a massive talent’, The Alternatives is the story of four brilliant sisters, orphaned in childhood, who scramble to reconnect when the eldest disappears into the Irish countryside.
Caoilinn Hughes is an Irish writer whose second novel, The Wild Laughter (2020) won the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award 2021, was longlisted for the 2021 Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize and was shortlisted for three other awards.
Her first novel, Orchid & the Wasp (2018), won the Collyer Bristow Prize 2019, was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award, and shortlisted for four other awards. Her poetry book, Gathering Evidence (2014) won the Irish Times Shine/Strong Award.
Her short stories have been awarded the Moth Short Story Prize, the Irish Book Awards’ Story of the Year, and an O. Henry Prize. She has been Writer Fellow at Trinity College Dublin and Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The Alternatives is her third novel.
A Book of the Year according to The Irish Times & Irish Independent.
‘Surprising and delightful… The Alternatives made me laugh, cry, and think.’ Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses
Perfect for fans of Jonathan Franzen, Maggie O’Farrell and Claire Vaye Watkins.
Join us for a special screening of Poitín (1978), Bob Quinn’s groundbreaking Irish-language film that delves into the world of illicit poitín distillation in the rugged Connemara landscape. As Ireland’s first feature film in Irish, Poitín is a gripping tale of tradition, rebellion, and survival, starring Cyril Cusack, Donal McCann, and Niall Tóibín.
To enhance the experience, guests will enjoy complimentary samples of Ban Poitín, a premium craft spirit that celebrates Ireland’s historic illicit distilling culture. Following the screening, a special talk from Dave Mulligan, owner of Bán Poitín will explore the rich and often turbulent history of poitín-making, tracing its roots from ancient times to its modern resurgence.
This event promises an evening of film, folklore, and fine spirits…
This event is strictly over 18s only.
If you have any access requirements please give Aoife an email at aoife@cqaf.com – we’re happy to help!
Honey, you’ve got a big storm coming. For your safety, please follow this pair of prancing poofs to SHAME SHOW, a sketchy comedy of catastrophic proportions from Skelpie Limmer, the creators of Scaredy Fat and Two Fingers Up.
Adam and Stevie are stuck inside. Storm Seamus is about to strike. The rural fixer-upper they’ve inherited can’t hack it – and neither can their relationship. But through the static of Aunt Mary’s old TV comes an offer of salvation asking:
Have you been mis-sold big gay shame?
Wouldn’t it all be better in a different, sunnier, more progressive place?
Will Northern Ireland ever progress if all the progressives leave?
Is there really no place like home?
Channel-hopping their way through programmes of poofy-past, the couple confront home, happiness and heteronormativity as they battle the storm and each other’s beliefs.
A worthy First Fortnight Award winner at Dublin Fringe 2024, Colm McCready & Fergus Wachala-Kelly’s hugely entertaining and poignant SHAME SHOW disempowers the negativity that shaped us and the fear we’ve been force-fed, shaking off the shackles of shame for the climb ahead.
Developed at MAKE, HATCH at The MAC Belfast, and Incubate at Tinderbox Theatre Company.
Award-winning Belfast writer and performer Patrick J O’Reilly brings his captivating new play, Dressed for Space, to a Belfast audience for the first time.
Simon has never felt at home on Earth—because Simon is an alien in disguise. Now, he’s arranged for his extraterrestrial family to pick him up from a Belfast rooftop, and he’s inviting you to his farewell party. A deeply personal and uplifting story of belonging, difference, and the search for home, Dressed for Space blends humour, heart, and sci-fi wonder in a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience.
Originally developed during an artistic residency at Rotterdam Rooftop Festival, the play has toured across Europe but makes its Belfast debut under the open sky.
“To perform on a rooftop is a beautiful experience. Having the sky as a backdrop creates a sense of awe—and I think we should be in awe every day.” – Patrick J O’Reilly
Limited capacity— As this is an outdoor event please dress warm and weather-appropriate.
Accessible entry via CastleCourt.
How to Find the Event at Castle Court
Location: Level 6 Rooftop, Castle Court Shopping Centre, Royal Ave, Belfast BT1 1DD
From the Main Entrance:
Enter Castle Court Shopping Centre through the main doors.
Take the escalators or stairs up to Level 1.
Locate the main lifts near the food court. (Near Argos)
Take the lift to Level 6.
From the Car Park:
Park in the Castle Court multi-storey car park.
Follow signs to the lifts.
Take the lift directly to Level 6.
Once on Level 6:
Follow event signage to the rooftop entrance.
Staff in blue t-shirts will be on hand to guide you.
If you need assistance, please ask a staff member or security. See you there!
40 years after the release of debut EP Religious Persuasion, Andy White is back home in Belfast and touring the UK in May/June in support of new live album The night is approaching though some would say it was morning. The tour starts at CQAF and finishes at Glastonbury, where old chum Billy Bragg has invited Andy to appear on the Left Field stage.
The story of the live album begins with the friendship between Andy and producer John Leckie (The Bends, Muse, Roy Harper, Baba Maal). The two met during one of Peter Gabriel’s recording weeks at Real World Studios and immediately hit it off, with John mixing and producing many of Andy’s recordings. After one of Andy’s concerts, John told him he wanted to buy an album of what he had just heard. A solo album recorded live. No band. No overdubs. “Where are we going to record it?” “The best-sounding room in the world – Studio Two at Abbey Road.”
On July 14, 2023, Andy and John met at Abbey Road. John got his first job there in 1970. His interview was the day the Beatles crossed the road for a photo. Andy had listened to albums recorded there and looked at photos taken there since Revolver played at primary school parties. Giles Martin was driving out as they drove in. Andy brought three guitars and an amp. John organised everything and when he took Andy down the stairs into Studio Two, told him to stop and smell the room. Nothing had changed since those great records had been recorded. You could feel it in the equipment, the fabric, the floorboards.
John had asked Andy to write his best set list. In the afternoon they recorded the first half, in the evening a small group of friends and family arrived, and they recorded the second. You can see what it looked like on the album sleeve, you can hear the room on the record. Everyone went to the café afterwards and sat drinking and talking under the photos of Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren, Cilla and the Beatles. Andy said goodbye and walked across the crossing on the way to the hire car. It was done.
The double-CD set has both evening and afternoon sessions, one on each disc. The vinyl LP has the evening session and a download code for both sessions. The live show will feature songs from throughout Andy’s songwriting career from ‘Religious Persuasion’ and ‘James Joyce’s Grave’ to ‘Italian Girls on Mopeds’ and ‘Good Luck I Hope You Make It’. The Belfast troubadour has come home.
Niamh Bury is one of the most exciting new voices on the Irish folk scene. Her debut album, Yellow Roses, was released in March 2024 – quickly stirring hearts, receiving wide critical acclaim and earning #3 on Mojo’s Best Folk Albums of 2024 list. Niamh’s richly-textured folk sound and singular vocals has lead her to share the stage with acts Ye Vagabonds, Flyte, Maddison Cunningham, Dermot Kennedy and Martin Hayes.
Nominated for Best Emerging Artists at the 2024 RTE Folk Awards, Niamh is one of the chief organisers of the iconic traditional singing session ‘The Night Before Larry Got Stretched’, which famously takes place in The Cobblestone pub, and whose founders include members of Lankum and Landless. Along with ØXN and Lemoncello, she is one of the first new artists in almost two decades to be signed to Ireland’s most culturally important record label, Claddagh Records.
Praise for Yellow Roses:
“Think folky Cat Power or sun-drunk Weyes Blood and prepare to be transported.”Mojo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Bury’s vocal style is reminiscent of Laura Marling and Lisa Hannigan’s, her diction highly distinctive and her phrasing impeccable.”The Irish Times ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“‘Yellow Roses’ poses itself as an immaculate debut album from quickly rising folk wonder Niamh Bury.”Golden Plec ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The effect of immersing yourself in the record is holistic, like gazing up at a sweeping fresco, the detail so magnificent it’s impossible to decide where to lay your eyes first.”Hot Press – 9.5/10
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
20 years in stand-up for the ‘Taskmaster’ cheeky texts icon, multi-award-winner, YouTube cult figure, Radio 4 favourite and recently ‘Baby Reindeer’ actor, Watson returns after seasons at the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Edinburgh comedy festivals.
A recent encounter with a stranger caused Mark to spend some time pondering the uncertain future facing humanity. He explores this – along with equally pressing matters like the worst word he has ever said in public, the current state of the UK sausage industry, and much more – in a typically frantic and fun-packed new show.
★★★★★ ‘A genius-level comic doing what he does best’ Time Out Melbourne
★★★★★ ‘Quite unlike anything else I’ve seen in almost 20 years of covering the Fringe…witty, warm, perfectly judged’ Telegraph
★★★★ ½ ‘An hour or two of our limited span on Earth in his uplifting, witty company is time excellently spent’ Chortle
★★★★ ‘One of the most genuinely joyous presences in comedy’ The Times
★★★★ ‘This is a stand-up operating at the very top of his game’ Independent
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Noah Gundersen has been writing and recording music since he was 13, working his way from teenage hardcore and indie rock to the creation of his own distinctive strain of bold, genre-busting songcraft.
Noah takes vulnerability to a new level on brand new full-length studio album, If This Is The End. Gundersen’s first offering since 2021’s A Pillar of Salt. Born out of a soul-searching period in Gundersen’s life where he was working a construction job after having enjoyed a fruitful career in music, the songs on If This Is The End detail the regret and failure of those years, but it also highlights his new found outlook on hope and the transformative power of love.
“I found myself disillusioned with the industry and no longer knew my place in it,” Gundersen recalls. “The world around me has changed rapidly and I sometimes have difficulty grasping it. There were moments when I felt I had lost the wind from my sails, but I still love creating music and I love these songs.”
Along with his recorded canon, Gundersen – who also maintains membership in Seattle indie rock heroes Young In The City and the all-star Americana collective known as Glorietta – has spent much of his adult life on the road, performing as headline act and support to like-minded artists spanning Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Beck, City & Colour, and Josh Ritter.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Join us for a rehearsed reading with music of a vibrant new play by acclaimed playwright, Brenda Winter Palmer.
Cast
Santa Lucia Forza: Libby Smyth
Fortuna: Maggie Cronin
Musician: Rod McVey
It is 1937. In Italy, Mussolini is at the zenith of his Fascist powers. In Belfast, the celebrated chippy, Lucy’s, is gearing up for the usual Friday night rush. Its owner, Santa Lucia Forza, is not happy. It is fifty years since she escaped hunger to find a better life in Belfast. But, now that Il Duce has made Italy great again, she longs to go home. Her husband, street musician Antonio, has other ideas.
Santa Lucia’s widowed daughter Fortuna is refusing to help in the shop. Nor will she find other employment. Fortuna’s son Pietro, to his Nonna’s dismay, is more interested in hurling than in learning Italian. All Santa Lucia’s woes come to a head when she tries to set her daughter up as a fortune teller. In 1937. it is probably best not to see too far ahead.
This play pays tribute to the Italian economic migrants who flocked to Ireland from the 1880s onwards. They have contributed richly to cultural and economic life here as vendors of fish suppers, ‘99s’, pokes and sliders as well as bringing us their skills as musicians and exquisite terrazzo tilers. They were ill-rewarded when Mussolini entered Hitler’s War in 1940 and Italian residents became enemy aliens overnight.
Brenda Winter Palmer is the author of the First World War drama, Medal in the Drawer, and the highly successful ‘show band wives’ story, Keep Telling Me Lies. Her most recent play, RSVP: Typhoid Mary, is slated with Brassneck Theatre Company for production in 2026.
Running time: 70 minutes. There will be an opportunity for discussion and questions after the performance.
Age: 14+
Photo: La Famiglia Marcantonio (Marken). With thanks to the Marken family for permission to use the photograph. Thanks too to the members of Victor’s Cafe Facebook page for all their help.
With special guests: Barbara Dickson, Nick Holland, Eilidh Patterson, Ronnie Greer, Brigid O’Neill, Ciaran Lavery, *Ken Haddock, Clive Culbertsonand superb house band, MD – Matt McGinn
In the early 2000’s, much-loved and missed BBC presenter Gerry Anderson began to play a song called ‘Sailortown’ on an almost daily rotation. This beautifully simple song quickly found a home in the hearts of Anderson’s audience as each listen brought them on a wonderful journey of love and nostalgia with the backdrop of the Troubles and a thriving music scene.
A love affair had begun between the people of Northern Ireland and prolific songwriter and singer, Anthony Toner.
‘Without Gerry’s support at that early stage,’ says Anthony, ‘I’m honestly not sure if I would ever have been able to create an audience. Certainly not as quickly as I did, with that song.’
Some decades, and over a dozen albums later, Anthony has reached milestones in his career, and now his life…
…Anthony Toner turns 60.
Reflecting on this incredible journey Anthony is incredibly proud of not only his vast body of work but the friends and musical collaborators he has met along the way.
‘As a teenager, I watched bands at work and dreamed of being part of a musical ‘family’… so the relationships I’ve built with so many immensely talented musicians has become a joy to me.’
On this very special evening we will celebrate the work and the relationships with Anthony, an outstanding house band and a vast array of special guests who will enjoy exploring and interpreting the immense Anthony Toner catalogue.
Join us for this special one-off event and celebration like no other.
*Due to scheduling, Ken Haddock will be replaced by Ciara O’Neill on the Saturday 10 May performance
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
With David Johansen’s recent passing, we felt it fitting to screen this 2023 film by Martin Scorcese, a wonderfully intimate film which is both a testament to a lost New York and to an artist who remained fresh and exciting to the end.
Following the screening, local rock ‘n rollers Sabrejets will be channelling the spirit of David Johansen, the New York Dolls and Johny Thunders in a specially commissioned festival show.
For the past 30 years, James Lavelle has been at the forefront of global club culture. Known as much for his eclectic DJ sets as for his production work with UNKLE, Lavelle has been lauded as a highly influential tastemaker and musical curator.
Alongside a successful DJ career Lavelle continues to produce albums under his UNKLE moniker, working with a myriad cast of musical collaborators including Thom Yorke, Michael Kiwanuka, Mark Lanegan, Massive Attack, Brian Eno and Josh Homme.
The most recent full length UNKLE album, The Road: Part II / Lost Highway topped the Billboard Electronic Album chart in 2019. With UNKLE, Lavelle has won the MPG Award for remixer of the year four times in the past seven years and has reworked tracks for artists as diverse as Beck, London Grammar, Radiohead and Wu-Tang Clan.
In 2014, Lavelle was asked to curate the iconic Meltdown on London’s South Bank, joining a long list of musical luminaries such as David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Massive Attack, Nick Cave and John Peel, amongst others, something he described as one of his career highlights.
Lavelle’s long interest in the visual arts led him to create the ‘Daydreaming With…’ exhibition series back in 2010. This celebration of creativity and innovation in all its forms, aimed to create a unique and multi-sensory experience pairing music with art in a wide range of disciplines, including film, photography, fashion, performance, painting, street art, sound, and sculpture combined under one roof to create the ultimate multi-sensory environment. One such incarnation saw Lavelle curate ‘Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick’, a blockbuster exhibition at London’s Somerset House in 2016, that featured contributions from artists such as Anish Kapoor, Sarah Lucas, Gavin Turk, Thomas Bangalter and many more.
2018 saw the release of ‘The Man from Mo’Wax’, a critically acclaimed documentary film about Lavelle’s career, that saw a major release with the BFI, as well as showings at several international film festivals.
March 2021 saw UNKLE release the first in a two-part mixtape project, Rōnin I, which featured the singles ‘Do Yourself Some Good’ and ‘If We Don’t Make It’, both A Listed at BBC Radio 6Music. 2022. UNKLE followed this up in August 2022 with the release of Rōnin II, the second part of the project.
2023 saw UNKLE return to touring following the pandemic, with shows across Europe. Lavelle curated, DJed and performed the UNKLE Rōnin show with bespoke visuals at Hydra’s closing party held at London clubbing institution Printworks before it shut its doors at the end of April. Autumn saw UNKLE take the Rōnin show across the Atlantic returning to the USA and Mexico for a tour as well as DJing across the globe.
Throughout 2024 the UNKLE Rōnin show went from strength to strength with dates across the world. 2024 has seen UNKLE perform to massive crowds in China at Bubbling & Boiling Festival in Tianjin and at Kiloglow Festival in Hangzhou, a headline slot at the infamous Secret Garden Party festival, dates in Latvia, in Germany, and a hugely successful UK tour culminating in a packed show at London’s Outernet in the autumn. Lavelle continues to DJ with shows in Europe and the UK as well as DJing at and curating a special “Invites” night celebrating Fabric’s 25th anniversary.
As we head into 2025 James is back in the studio writing a new album, continuing touring and excited about what the next chapter for UNKLE will bring.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
“The Morricone Experience” is a tribute to the late maestro of film music who wrote over 400 film compositions in his lifetime, including the scores for audience favourites “A Fistful of Dollars”, “The Good the Bad and the Ugly”,” Cinema Paradiso”, and “The Mission”.
The ensemble comprises acclaimed solo international artists residing in Ireland. These include Dundalk locals Annemarie McGahon (viola), Francesca De Nardi (violin), Davide Forti (cello) and Annalisa Monticelli (piano) and Dubliners Katy Kelly (soprano) and Morgan Crowley (tenor).
Featured on RTÈ’s Arena, this ensemble played to a sold-out crowd in the Pavilion Theatre & Castletown House and are touring theatres throughout Ireland until the end of 2025.
Following on from last year’s unforgettable performances at The American Bar and a year that has seen him bring his joyous, uplifting sound to many rooms, festivals, and dancers across Europe, Moving On Music is delighted to welcome Irish based Kurdish/Syrian singer and Bouzouki player, Mohammad Syfkhan, back to Belfast.
Mohammad Syfkhan’s own brand of ecstatic music takes elements from Middle Eastern and North African music to create an atmosphere of joy, love and happiness.
Since arriving in Ireland, Mohammad has used the language of music to integrate into the local community by playing at private parties and concerts. He has been playing music since the 1980’s, while living in the city of Raqqa, Syria where he began working as a professional singer and started his own band, The Al-Rabie Band, which played concerts, parties, weddings and festivals all over Syria.
His debut album ‘I Am Kurdish’(“A record that truly slaps” – The Quietus) came out through Nyahh Records in February 2024 and led to performances at Lankum’s ‘In The Meadows’ festival, Other Voices, the Venice Biennale, and on the Tommy Tiernan show, to name but a few.
“Syfkhan takes his domestic influences and fuses them with music from beyond those regions, from North African folk rhythms to Turkish psychedelia. It’s a glorious alembic not bound by borders, where Mohammad himself brings a cultivated exuberance to his playing that belies his vintage.”– The Quietus
”No one could be left sitting to this” – Klof Mag
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
This will be special. Andy Irvine is one of the great Irish singers, his voice one of a handful of truly great ones that gets to the very soul of Ireland. He has been hailed as “a tradition in himself”.
Musician, singer, songwriter, Andy has maintained his highly individual performing skills throughout his over 50-year career.
Andy has been at the helm of legendary bands like Sweeney’s Men in the mid 60s, to the enormous success of Planxtyin the 70s, and then Patrick Street, Mozaik, LAPD and recently Quilty. Andy has been a world music pioneer and an icon for traditional music and musicians.
As a soloist, Andy fills the role of the archetypal troubadour with a show and a travelling lifestyle that reflect his lifelong influence, Woody Guthrie.
To quote the Irish Times, “Often copied, never equaled”, his repertoire consists of Irish traditional songs, dexterous Balkan dance tunes and a compelling cannon of his own self-penned songs.
Between the achievements of his solo, group work and collaborations, he is a highly revered troubadour of the Irish music world. Andy never fails to deliver a pulsating, heartfelt performance.
‘Andy Irvine’s solo stage show is a musical travelogue through time and space. His right hand dexterity on bouzouki was nothing short of amazing.’ – FRETS MAGAZINE
‘His artistry is quite simply unique.’ – THE INDEPENDENT
Join us for an afternoon of sharp wit, radical history, and political insight as Tariq Ali discusses his latest memoir, You Can’t Please All: Memoirs 1980-2024. Spanning over four decades of activism, journalism, and cultural commentary, Ali’s book is a sweeping reflection on his encounters with revolutionaries, intellectuals, and political upheavals across the globe.
From his days as a Trotskyist firebrand to shaping leftist discourse in the pages of New Left Review, Ali remains an unrelenting critic of power. Expect anecdotes that range from the humorous—like his theatrical intervention at Private Eye—to the harrowing, including his firsthand account of police brutality at the 1979 Southall protests. He will also revisit his collaborations with the late Darcus Howe on The Bandung File, his dialogues with Hugo Chávez, and his take on today’s global crises, including Gaza.
Ali’s memoir is engaging—equal parts score-settling and brilliant political analysis. In conversation with Joe Nawaz, he will unpack the ideas, controversies, and contradictions that have shaped his life and work, and we’ll find out if The Rolling Stones’ political anthem ‘Street Fighting Man’ was written about him.
CQAF and Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s welcomes Theresa Lola to Belfast to read from and talk about her latest collection.
In Yoruba culture, newborn babies are welcomed into the world, and ushered into the social fabric, through naming ceremonies filled with songs of praise. The names bestowed are communicative both of where the baby has come from – the circumstances of its birth, the atmosphere in the home – and of where its future will take it. Both are forms of destiny.
Far-reaching and musical, Theresa Lola’s second collection explores the act of naming and its role in shaping our identities, our aspirations, what we carry and how we belong. Lola conjures and questions the realities of her dual Nigerian-British identity; traces the lineages of names; asks why some deserve to be named while others are treated as though invisible; and explores the ways our journey through life might require us to cast off old expectations – both others’ and our own – just as at other times it can bring us back, strangely and unexpectedly, to where we first began.
In lyrical, joyful and moving poems, Lola breaks down the complexities of the diasporic experience and the way it is woven through family life, history and memory.
The poems in. Ceremony for the Nameless. are suffused with a beautifully intimate energy.that belies an insistent transformative power- always at work in seducing us into seeing the world through a different lens – personal and cultural, fascinating and enriching – Bernardine Evaristo
There is a bold immediacy and striking grace to Lola’s writing, rendering it accessible and memorable… this book assures her place asa trailblazer for a new wave of poets The Guardian
What a joy to see a new sun rising in the poetic sky! We all will enjoy this collection,Ceremony for the Nameless, following the questions and answers with which Theresa Lola struggles. She offers here a wonderful book to add to your collection. – Nikki Giovanni
Whether writing about the British Occupation of Nigeria, Immigration, or her family, Theresa Lola is relentlessly inventive and often stunning.She owns the English language – Ishmael Reed
An immaculate and moving collection about the divisions and vulnerability of identity from a divine writer – Candice Carty-Williams
About Theresa Lola
Theresa Lola is a British Nigerian poet and writer and was appointed the Young People’s Laureate for London in the year 2019-20. In 2018 she was awarded the Brunel International African Poetry Prize. She holds an Mst in Creative Writing from University of Oxford. In 2022 the poem ‘Equilibrium’ from her debut poetry collection,In Search of Equilibrium, was added to OCR’s GCSE English Literature syllabus.
For anyone who’s ever been young and dreamed of going to a festival and finding Nirvana…
Lisdoon Nirvana is a dramatic monologue with live music, written and performed by Frankie McCafferty and directed by Charlie Bonner.
Based on the last music festival at Lisdoonvarna in July 1983, the piece follows one young guy, Macker, and his friends making the Odyssean trip from Donegal to Clare. Travelling on the pillion of his friend’s two-stroke motorbike, they encounter 80s Ireland and young people from all over making the same pilgrimage.
Laden with camping gear and cheap alcohol smuggled across the border, wearing a converted Garda riot control helmet stuffed with bin bags, and a pair of swimming goggles, our hero undergoes a rite of passage as he ventures out into the big bad beautiful world.
Through his eyes we see the Folk and Rock glory of the Irish Glastonbury – and a country in transition, with a backdrop of recession, church oppression, emigration and Troubles. But right now Macker’s 17. There’s Smithwick’s in the rucksack. And rumour has it that the girls from the North are bringing hash and condoms. So that’s alright Mama…
Written and performed by Frankie McCafferty. Directed by Charlie Bonner
Tá clú agus cáil tuillte ag Taylor Swift ar go leor cúiseanna. Tá bua na cumadóireachta aici, gan amhras, agus í thar a bheith cumasach ag insint scéalta grá: an lúcháir, an briseadh croí agus an meascán mearaí a bhaineann le grá na ndéagóirí; an bhá a bhí aici lena máthair nuair a buaileadh tinn í; amhráin ghreannmhara faoi dhíoltas a bhaint amach ar lucht a cáinte; na fuaimdhreacha áille in folklore agus evermore agus na beathaisnéisí atá fite fuaite ina chéile i mbaile beag Meiriceánach.
Is é atá in SREANG DHOFHEICTHE ná cnuasach speisialta dá cuid amhrán agus iad traschruthaithe i nGaeilge ag Gabriel Rosenstock agus Róisín Seoighe. Is iad Róisín Seoighe X IMLÉ agus Jessie Dingle a chuirfidh i láthair iad. Mar chuid den seó, beidh íomhánna ar scáileán le Margaret Lonergan.
SREANG DHOFHEICTHE is a special weave of songs from Taylor Swift’s critically acclaimed albums, folkore and evermore, with their intertwined narratives of life and love in a small American town.
Translated into Irish by Gabriel Rosenstock and Róisín Seoighe, the beautiful aural landscapes of these albums will be recreated live by Róisín Seoighe X IMLÉ. And expect some surprise greatest hits selections too from special guest Jessie Dingle! Lyrics on-screen with beautiful images created by artist Margaret Lonergan.
Léirithe ag IMRAM Féile Litríochta Gaeilge | Produced by IMRAM Irish Language Literature Festival
The Bluebells enjoyed a whirlwind career spanning the early 1980’s with a recording output including three U.K. hit singles. “I’m Falling”, “Cath” and “Young at Heart” made with a procession of producers including Elvis Costello who became a mentor and teacher to the band.
Guitarist and ex-fanzine publisher Robert Hodgens (aka Bobby Bluebell) wrote instantly memorable classics in collaboration with the two McCluskey Brothers who completed the Bluebells’ essential troika and Kenneth McCluskey sang them in a likably unaffected voice, making every track count.
With the release of their debut album “Sisters” in 1984 on London Records ,the band toured widely in Europe and North America developing their live sound and signing to Seymour Stein’s Sire Records in the U.S.
Robert and the brothers parted company amicably in 1986 with Ken and David forming and releasing records as the McCluskey Brothers while Robert concentrated on song writing duties for various other artists including Texas and the late Sinead O’Connor as well as his own group The Poems.
In 1993 when “Young at Heart” hit the U.K. No 1 spot following its use as a T.V. advert for Volkswagon the chaps met up for some fun Top of the Pops appearances.
The Bluebells are delighted to be playing again having recently received two premier Scottish Music Business Awards including “The Tartan Clef Award for Song Writing” at the star studded Nordoff –Robbins charity annual fund raiser at Glasgow Barrowlands.
Following the re-release of the Classic album repackaged “Sisters” album on the Last Night From Glasgow The Bluebells were encouraged by the label and fans to record new material which has manifested itself in the excellent new album “The Bluebells In The 21st Century” released in April 2023.
Bobby, Ken, and David are currently performing a variety of acoustic gigs as a three piece.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
The Spitfires are a UK band known for their high-energy performances, sharp melodies, and dynamic sound. Originally formed in 2012, the group quickly gained a reputation for their distinctive style, combining punchy guitar riffs, infectious rhythms, and socially conscious lyrics. Their early releases caught the attention of both critics and fans, earning them a loyal following across the UK, Europe and beyond.
Over the years, The Spitfires released a series of well-received albums – Response (2015), A Thousand Times (2016), Year Zero (2018), Life Worth Living (2020) and Play For Today (2022). The band toured extensively, building a reputation for their electrifying live shows and ability to connect with audiences through their raw, honest music. Their songs have always reflected a deep connection to the themes of personal and social change, often exploring the complexities of modern life.
After a decade of working together, the original line-up announced they were to split up in 2022, bowing out at their final performance at a sold out Electric Ballroom, London in February of that year.
But the band’s story is far from over. In 2025, The Spitfires will be reforming with an exciting new line-up, ready to share fresh material with fans old and new. With a renewed sense of purpose and a bold new direction, the band is poised to make their return with a sound that promises to be just as powerful and relevant as ever.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
BONE MACHINE are a band of internationally renowned touring and recording musicians that perform a rebrand, melancholic, and punk jazz set of Tom Wait songs.
The band comprises Jack Healy on vocals and social strategy, Conor Brady on guitars and sonic sculpting, Julyo D’Agostino on bass and positive vibes and Des Harrington on drums and rhythmic karma, Dario Rodigherio on keys and spirituality.
Whether or not the songs and music of Tom Waits play a central role in your music collection, you simply have to experience this show live to feel the heaven-opening maelstrom of beauty scarcely captured by a live band.
From bourbon soaked ballads to evocative Godliness and anarchic elegance there has never been a show that has captured the golden thread of what makes Waits such a legend until now! BONE MACHINE are the crusading dark horses that keep the mysteries of life alive, offering an escape route and destination to anyone seeking liberation from the norm.
A night (day) out with BONE MACHINE will reinforce your belief in the songs of Tom Waits. From Martha to Downtown Train this band bring the heart, atmosphere and sweat to performances brimming with a ramshackle sophistication and honesty as well as the Waitsian monologues and funny anecdotes that Mr Waits is universally celebrated for. Ladies and gentlemen let us present… BONE MACHINE.
Hold Yer Tongue is an engaging hybrid of poetry and storytelling. O’Neill is an award winning writer and performer who has won two Fringe firsts at the Edinburgh Festival. He won Best actor Off Broadway for his portrayal of Nathan Cassidy in his one man play Absolution which also won The New York critics award for best play.
He has published three volumes of poetry, written plays for the stage and screen. His novel TOM JOAD AND ME was published in June 2024. ‘A carnivalesque, rockabilly narrative with a profoundly moving conclusion.’ said Patrick McCabe
He adapted the Shawshank Redemption for the stage and it is currently on a UK tour of Britain and North America.
‘O’Neill’s poems and stories are both poignant and hilarious. The highlight of the festival.’– Culture Northern Ireland.
‘O’Neill’s poems are like an emotional ambush’ – Toronto Sun
‘I was simultaneously completely helpless with laughter and moved to tears.’ – The Scotsman
Rachel Sermanni is a Scottish based singer/songwriter that makes the mundane moments mystical: shock-positive pregnancy tests in train-station toilets, coffee machine breakages, cold river swims, the regret of not saying ‘I love You’, the moon & how it pulls, bare feet on wood floors, the soft glow of a house plant, ‘what even is consciousness?’, strange dreams lingering in quiet mornings…
She brims with dreamy indie-folk pop that speaks of the struggle and desire to Flow, to love, to live, to feel. Sometimes, her songs speak of the rare moments of quiet-still, found in the midst of this struggle & desire.
Rachel’s most recent offering is her 4th studio album : Dreamer Awake. An in depth assortment of playful and candid vignettes, peeping into life: after birth, after separation and in the wake of recognising the internalised conditionings of patriarchy. She seeks to be honest with herself and her environment. She seeks to express from this raw place. She seeks to speak from the descent, the plateaus, the dream-catchings and contemplations of womanhood.
There are no conclusions to be drawn. It is a call to arms, of sorts, to wake up and dream the future, to dismiss the external for a minute and tend to the inner landscape of heart and mind. To not be distracted. To focus on the light and the shadow in equal measure.
Since the release of Dreamer Awake, Rachel has become a mother for the second time and continues to explore this experience while offering her songs and also her insights into creativity.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Roll Bus Roll spotlights the life and art of Jeffrey Lewis, one of the most prominent musicians associated with New York City’s anti-folk scene.
It opens with an exploration of anti-folk, offering a look at a unique movement that challenges traditional folk conventions. We meet Lewis, a self-deprecating genius, on tour across cities and continents, and come to see him via contrasting narratives: his own modest self-assessment, and the views of fans and fellow artists such as Adam Green.
The film reaches its emotional climax as he talks about lost love, revealing the impact of his mental health struggles on the relationship.
Lael Neale’s minimalist drone pop draws inspiration from the Transcendentalists, the high lonesome sound of primitive American gospel music & the alienation of modern life. Since signing with Sub Pop in 2020, she has split her time between rural Virginia and Los Angeles in addition to extensive touring throughout Europe and select shows in the U.S.
In collaboration with producer and accompanist Guy Blakeslee, Neale has created two internationally acclaimed home-recorded albums. They have recently completed a third which is slated for release in 2025.
“A unique, boldly weird proposition, and one that proudly carries the faint hint of tractor grease. Half of it comes on like cult 70s folk artist Karen Dalton hanging out with the Velvet Underground and Suicide, while the rest offers somewhat more modern balladry, placing her more in the world of Angel Olsen and Cat Power.” – THE GUARDIAN
“Neale is imaginative, but she’s steeped in songwriting craft and she knows her way round a whopping chorus.”★★★★ – MOJO
“The simplicity is part of what makes her record so beautiful; just her voice, her words, her electric guitar, and her omnichord are enough to put the listener in a trance.” – SPIN
“She’s managed to infuse a very done old female singer-songwriter, emotive approach with fresh abandon. She abandons a lot of the traditional instrumentation and doesn’t often bother with a beat and just kind of lets the whole feeling of the thing go into a place that suddenly doesn’t sound like it’s of the industry. And I like her record.” – Iggy Pop (BBC Radio)
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
Bernard Butler is a Brit and Grammy Award winning musician. In 1989 he formed Suede releasing the Mercury winning debut Suede. The era-defining Dog Man Star was followed by his collaboration with David McAlmont on the anthem ”Yes”.
Two solo albums on Creation yielded a Brit nomination before producing seminal releases by The Libertines, Tricky, Black Kids, Kate Nash, James Morrison, Texas, Mark Eitzel, Paloma Faith and Duffy – spawning her Grammy and Brit Award winning debut Rockferry.
He has played guitar for Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Ferry, Roy Orbison, Bert Jansch, The Libertines, Neneh Cherry, Robert Plant and Ben Watt. Butler is Patron to the Bert Jansch Foundation and Generator NE and lectures in songwriting for the Abbey Road Institute.
In 2022 a collaboration with Jessie Buckley “For All Our Days That Tear The Heart” resulted in the shortlist to the 2022 Mercury Prize. Currently he has completed albums by Sam Lee, The Clockworks and a new solo album a solo album for 2024 release.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
A quarter of a century since his self-inflicted coronation, and self-released debut solo album, Kenny Anderson – DIY pop voyager, ancestral seaside home restorer, Fife for lifer, diamond miner, hijacker of hearts, and the man also known as King Creosote – has released over 100 records, collaborated with the likes of Jon Hopkins, KT Tunstall, Beta Band’s Lone Pigeon, and had his songs covered and performed by artists including Patti Smith and Simple Minds.
A note from Kenny –
2024’s springtime tour “Any Port in a Storm”- a mix of modular synth, I DES tracks and KC ‘classics’ was such a success that we are delighted to announce 2025’s follow up “Any Storm in a Teacup” from April-June.
This show is strictly for audiences aged 18 and over.
If you have access needs, feel free to email Aoife at aoife@cqaf.com for more info—we’re happy to help!
An exploration of memory, place, and the echoes of past dwellings.
The spaces we inhabit shape us as much as we shape them. Longitude of Longing traces the delicate connection between home and identity, where memory and geography intertwine.
Mark McGreevy: Zona showcases a compelling new series of drawings and paintings created over the past five years, reflecting the artist’s fascination with sentient landscapes as a repository for materials and ideas – sites which hold their own agency.
Through this new body of work, McGreevy summons a vivid terrain marked by borders, liminal boundaries, implausible structures, and sites resonating with ominous energy. The works guide viewers into an unrecorded zone of edgelands, dumps, burial grounds, and the remnants of a fantastical industrial collapse.
Anchored in an obsessive drawing practice, the imagery unfolds like a storyboard for a volatile and magical realm. From these landscapes, ruins and effluence spill outward, forming a surreal “anti-archaeology.” Rather than unearthing the past, McGreevy’s paintings reveal a landscape erupting into the present, exposing fractured histories and precarious futures.
Infused with the atmospheric intensity of Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, and René Magritte, and echoing the eerie, speculative narratives of Quatermass and the Pit by Nigel Kneale, McGreevy’s work bridges the familiar and the fantastical.
Zona invites us into an “uncanny realm” where imagination, decay, and mystery intersect, offering a profound meditation on the landscapes we navigate and the narratives they conceal.
Biography
Mark McGreevy is a graduate of Ulster University, Belfast. His exhibitions include shows at The MAC, Belfast; VISUAL, Carlow; The F.E. McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge; The Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast; The Lab Gallery, Dublin; Third Space Gallery, Belfast; The Crawford Gallery, Cork; Katzen Art Centre, Washington, DC; The Glucksman, Cork, among others. McGreevy is the recipient of many awards including the Suki Tea Prize, Arts Council of Ireland Bursary Awards, Arts Council NI SIAP and The Freeland’s Foundation. He has been shortlisted for prestigious art prizes such as The AIB Award and BOC Emerging Artist Award and has participated on artist residency programmes at Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, and The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin. His work is held many public and private collections.
Co Curated by Dr Louise Wallace and Feargal O’Malley
This exhibition, created by artist and University of Ulster researcher Brónagh Corr McNicholl, explores the evolving landscape of young masculinities in Derry/Londonderry following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. In a city straddling the echoes of conflict and the potential of peace, young masculinities find themselves in a liminal space—caught between the remnants of traditional gender roles and the emerging fluidity of self-expression. Here, masculinity is no longer fixed or singular; it is diverse, evolving, and deeply shaped by the city’s complex history and social transformations.
This exhibition illuminates how these young people negotiate their place within this transitional space. Through photography, oral histories, and exhibition, the artist explores the complexities of their identities as they challenge established paradigms of manhood. The process of photography is complemented by digital post-production, where images are further manipulated and layered to reflect the fluidity and complexity of these evolving masculinities. Digital techniques allow for an engagement with the liminal nature of this journey, pushing the boundaries of traditional portraiture to reflect the internal and external transformations at play.
By focusing on these young people, the exhibition showcases the diverse, inclusive ways in which masculinity can be reimagined—capturing the liminal space where tradition meets transformation, and where new, more inclusive identities are being forged.
Samar Nezamabad (She/Her, b.1999) is a Belfast- and Limerick-based artist and curator exploring time, memory, and grief through analogue photography and installation.
Her work Phantasm reflects on losing her mother, portraying a home that feels both alive with memory and hollow with absence. Using expired film, she captures the physical remnants of grief, drawing from gothic influences to contrast the house’s decay with her own emotional landscape.
Aisling O’Beirn’s exhibition explores the relationship between art, science, and environmental change. Using sculpture, installation, and animation, she examines the impact of artificial light on ecosystems and humanity’s disconnection from the night sky. Featuring newly commissioned and reworked pieces, the exhibition highlights the celestial as an ecologically vital force.
Gabija Jocyte (b. 2003) is a Lithuanian and Belfast-based, installation and performance artist. Exploring the relationships that can exist between a viewer and exhibited object, her practice manifests through a hybrid of sculpture, found objects, writing and lens work to delve into these themes within immersive spaces.
With the persistent surveillance we are under, the work aims to invite self-reflection in the questioning of the performative. Building to bring awareness in how and why we look, while examining the methods in which creative practice can bring voyeuristic, emotive or intimate experiences.
Belfast Met End of Year Student Show 2025, a celebration of emerging talent and creative excellence. This year’s theme—Festivals, Community & Creativity—explores the power of artistic expression to unite, inspire, and transform.
The exhibition features exciting work in a variety of media work from students of Art Foundation and BTEC Levels 2 and 3. Through a fusion of visual arts, design, and mixed-media, students present thought-provoking works that reflect the vibrancy of cultural gatherings, the strength of collective identity, and the boundless possibilities of creative collaboration.
We’ve got a limited number of special passes offering access to all events (excluding shows in The MAC).
Golden Tickets cost £125 and contribute to the ongoing development of the Festival.
For any queries please contact info@cqaf.com
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The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and Out To Lunch are annual festivals of music, comedy, theatre, art and literature which take place in January and May in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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