Hailing from Carryduff and Dundrum, Dea Matrona formed in 2018. Their mutual love of classic rock and bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Prince and The Beatles, sparked a musical chemistry between the three that continues to blossom into their own originals.
The band consists of sisters Mollie McGinn and Mamie McGinn as well as life-long friend Orláith Forsythe. All three members are multi-instrumentalists and started playing together after deciding that busking would be a happier alternative than getting a part time job. The success of their busking videos reaching up to 60K views on Facebook encouraged them to take things more seriously
Their infectious enthusiasm for churning out hard hitting guitar riffs whilst being able to strip their music down to the core with glistening acoustic guitar lines and soulful melodies, has captured the hearts of audiences across Ireland, earlier this year, the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. Get your Out to Lunch festival of to a rousing start with this fast-emerging trio.
DJ Yoda’s Tarantino AV Show explores the work of one of Hollywood’s most iconic directors, in a live spectacular.
The multi award-winning producer takes to the turntables for a new spin on Tarantino’s well-loved cult classics.
Expect the unexpected and everything in-between from this preview, as DJ Yoda reinvigorates his craft with wry invention and humorous intent.
Yoda’s AV show is perfect for hardcore fans of Tarantino (Pulp Fiction / Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as well as newly introduced audiences. It’s sure to be a night of epic production from one of the UK’s freshest DJs.
The Vinyl Revival is a 43-minute documentary that follows on from acclaimed Last Shop Standing and directed and produced again by Pip Piper.
It came out on Record Store Day 2019 as part of a gatefold album featuring artists from the Distiller label.
The Vinyl Revival explores the renaissance in all things vinyl. We hear from passionate new record shops owners as well the established die-hards still going and thriving. We speak with musicians and music industry pundits, experts on culture and music history.
The film discusses the importance of the record shop and vinyl as a whole. We answer the why’s of vinyl’s revival, the human need for belonging, the love of history, and the stories of how the humble little record shop has shaped so many lives.
Join BBC broadcaster Cerys Matthews, as she takes us around the world, celebrating her love of food and music.
Song-loving cook or food-loving musician? Either way, Cerys Matthews has been experimenting with music and food ever since she can remember.
From foraging and chewing on knotweed to cooking flapjacks and nettle soup as a young child, her interest in this planet’s edibles has never waned.
A life of touring guaranteed further culinary exploration: thousand-hole pancakes, amlou, roasted artichokes, vermouth with anchovy-filled green olives, death by chocolate, za’atar sprinkled on fresh tomatoes, hot baked soda bread, pineapple with chilli, crispy sage leaves and vegan haggis are just a few of the recipes she’ll be celebrating.
And now, to mark the recent publication of her glorious new book, Where the Wild Cooks Go, she is bringing her culinary, literary and historical learnings, from around the globe to Out to Lunch.
She will indulge us with some poetry readings and a sprinkling of singing, playing a few of her favourite songs from the countries that she has visited.
Cerys Matthews will be signing books after the event.
Nine Below Zero are one of Britain’s most respected R&B bands, famous for their no-frills, punchy and direct approach
Forty years since Nine Below Zero first offered a rhythm & blues alternative to the punk-pop of the mainstream, the south Londoners make a welcome return to Out to Lunch with their Are We There Yet? tour.
Formed in 1979 and named after the famous Sonny Boy Williamson song, in 1980 they signed to A&M Records and released the seminal Live at the Marquee album. By the end of that year, they had moved from selling out the Marquee to selling out the Hammersmith Odeon.
With a reputation as “one of the best blues bands around today” for their scintillating live performances, this show will not disappoint – expect a fearsome, supercharged set from start to finish.
For this massive post-Christmas shindig we are delighted to bring you… The Utopia Strong! Snooker legend Steve Davis and Prog guitarist Kavus Torabi have teamed up with Coil‘sMichael J. York for this amazing new project.
Kavus Torabi, Michael York and Steve Davis have fused Modular Synthesisers with conventional and traditional instruments to create a weird and joyous celebration of all that is good about left field psychedelic music.
Kavus Torabi is an experimental/psychedelic musician with a long history in the field. He has his own band, Knifeworld, and is frontman in the current line-up of Gong. He has been a member in various other bands including Guapo and most notably a guitarist in the final line up of Cardiacs.
Steve Davis was the most successful professional Snooker player of the 1980’s, winning a total of 28 major ranking events including 6 World Championships.
In recent years he has indulged in music related activities, namely collecting left field music from around the globe, co-presenting a monthly radio show on NTS Radio and now joining forces with Kavus and Michael York to form The Utopia Strong, further cementing his growing interest in playing the Modular Synth.
Michael York is a multi-instrumentalist and luthier, working mainly with modular/analogue synths and woodwinds (primarily focusing on bagpipes, reeds and flutes of Europe and the Near East). His piping has seen him work not only in the realm of folk, with the likes of Shirley Collins and avant garde ensembles Coil, Cyclobe, Current 93, Guapo and The Stargazers Assistant.
‘The overall sound was pretty accidental. I certainly didn’t expect the music to sound so ecstatic and positive. Without wanting to puncture the mystery, there really felt like an element of magic at play in making this album’ – Steve Davis
‘A total fucking miracle. In twenty years of making records it’s certainly been the easiest and most enjoyable to make.’ – Kavus Torabi
Well Hello! Deven Green is an award-winning comedic chanteuse based in Los Angeles via Canada.
You know her from the cult series Welcome To My Home and Welcome To My White House parodies, as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, portraying the satirical Betty Bowers – America’s Best Christian, being in Trixie Mattel, Katya, Jinkx Monsoon videos and proudly performing her live music shows at notorious brothels abroad.
Ned Douglas is originally from London now based in Los Angeles as Head of Music for Dave Stewart Entertainment. As a credited music programmer and engineer Ned has an extensive client list: No Doubt, Katy Perry, Steve Nicks, and Celine Dion to name a few. This creative genius now comes out of the studio and onto the stage with the same brilliance you have heard all these years.
Deven & Ned play their versions of songs from the 1920’s to today in this convivial music show. From mash-ups to sing-a-longs to audience requests to original songs there is no genre these human jukeboxes haven’t mastered.
You never know what they will play or say next on their electric ukulele and guitar. They have been honoured to perform with the top Drag Queens in the world, play Pride and headline shows internationally.
Support will be beautifully provided by the classically chic Lady Portia Di’ Monte, PPI Award winner and Ireland’s 1st Lady of Drag.
Jacqui Dankworth is one of the most highly regarded vocalists in the UK. Her concert appearances and her stylistically diverse recordings showcase her virtuosic, seemingly effortless mastery of a wide spectrum of genres.
Known primarily as a jazz singer, Jacqui’s unique musical palette also draws on folk, soul, classical, blues, and numerous other influences.
For Out to Lunch Jacqui is joined onstage by her husband, acclaimed American pianist-vocalist Charlie Wood, for a unique concert of duet arrangements celebrating a century of song.
Inspired by some of the great musical partnerships, such as Ray Charles & Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn, George & Ira Gershwin, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway and James Taylor & Carole King, this concert features numbers including Alone Together, Autumn In New York, It Don’t Mean A Thing, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, You’ve Got a Friend and other favourites.
“Probably the most flexible and expressive voice of her generation”- The Observer
“One of our finest singers, regardless of category.”-The Sunday Times
“Remember the first time you heard Dylan, or Springsteen, or Costello, or Waits? Charlie Wood delivers that same jolt.” – Jazz Times
Paul Simon is a name that has cemented itself into the hearts of audiences all over the world. As an artist, his name has become synonymous, not only with music, but with cultural history.
In this brand-new show, singer-songwriter Gary Edward Jones not only recites the music of one of his idols, but also tells the unique story of Paul Simon combining visuals, stage design and, of course… the music.
With classic ballads like The Sound of Silence, America and Kathy’s Song, to the more upbeat Me and Julio, 50 Ways to Leave your Lover, Wristband, to the much-loved Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The show will have you both reliving and rediscovering these great songs again.
After years of comparisons, Gary set out on a journey of discovery and for over two years, he lived and breathed all things Simon, creating a show which has received five-star reviews and standing ovations across the UK and at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
Belfast based group Los Dramáticos invite you to accompany them on a musical journey through the cultures of the Latin world.
Stunning arrangements of well-known songs played with soul and bravura from around Latin America and Spain on 10-string charango (Victor Henríquez) and flamenco guitar (Paddy Anderson) are interspersed with surprising and humorous stories from their personal encounters with Latin music and culture.
Joyful melodies, hot rhythms and beautiful harmonies combine with tragic lyrics in music from the melting pots of Cuba, Chile, Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina and those other mysterious places where Africa, Asia and Europe meet.
“Los Dramáticos have captured the imagination with their infectious passion and global outlook, their entertaining musical approach and their incredible musicianship” – Linley Hamilton, BBC Radio Ulster
Eleanor suspects she may have intimacy issues. She always has sex on the first date and hasn’t got beyond a third date in over ten years.
It’s a shame because she’s really good at sex. She’s even crossed a line that many women have probably contemplated crossing on occasion but few have actually done: sex work.
Conway follows up her global smash hit Walk of Shame with a candid look at intimacy, shagging and crossing lines. TMI guaranteed.
For more than 30 years, Ian Saville has been presenting his Marxist Magic and ventriloquism.
Whereas David Copperfield is content with little tricks like making the Statue of Liberty disappear, Ian Saville aims at the much more ambitious goal of making International Capitalism and exploitation disappear. True, he hasn’t quite succeeded, but he keeps on trying.
This is a funny, magical, thought-provoking and topical celebration of alternative thinking.
Fancy a full music festival in 60 minutes? Abandoman’s got your back! Rob Broderick brings his innate ability to craft songs on the spot to the world of Coachella.
Combining hip hop, pop, EDM and more, Rob will transport you to the world’s greatest music festival and leave you high on life – without leaving the Cathedral Quarter!
‘Raucous, expansive and relentlessly hilarious’ **** TIMES
‘A totally unique and mind-blowing musical comedy experience’ ***** BROADWAYBABY.COM
‘An unstoppable force of nature… improv skills bordering on the magical’ **** LIST
Glasshouse are proud to present a re-imagination of David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy in concert at The Black Box, Belfast as part of Out to Lunch Festival. This selection of music from Low, Heroes and Lodger will take you on a journey to what Bowie called his musical ‘DNA’.
Join us on January 10th for an uproarious evening, with rousing performances of this highly innovative work. Featuring an 12-person ensemble, you can be sure this will be a night to remember.
Out to Lunch is proud to welcome Joanne Harris to this year’s festival. Joanne will read from The Strawberry Thief, the compelling new Chocolat novel, published 20 years after her original bestseller.
Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French writer, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy.
In 2000, her 1999 novel Chocolat was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Chocolat has sold over a million copies in the UK alone and was a global bestseller. She is an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, and in 2013 was awarded an MBE.
Since bursting onto the music scene in 1967, Linda Ronstadt’s extraordinary vocal range and ambition created an unforgettable and hugely eclectic back catalogue.
As the most popular female recording artist of the 1970s – with songs like You’re No Good, When Will I Be Loved, and Blue Bayou—Ronstadt filled huge arenas and produced an astounding eleven Platinum albums.
In The Sound of My Voice, Ronstadt is our guide through growing up in Tucson singing Mexican canciones with her family; through to her reign as the “queen of country rock” in the ‘70s and early ’80s. She was a pioneer and champion for women in the male-dominated music industry and a passionate advocate for human rights.
Ultimately, her singing voice was stilled by illness and forced her into early retirement but her music and influence remain timeless.
With moving performance footage and appearances by friends and collaborators including Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is a remarkable film that celebrates a remarkable artist whose desire to share the music she loved, made generations of fans fall in love with her and her music.
A hugely revered talent, Ross Wilson (Blue Rose Code) has released his 4th outstanding record The Water of Leith on Navigator Records to huge acclaim.
Ross writes from the heart; eschewing any specific genre but boasting an eclecticism that has become his hallmark – and has seen him compared to John Martyn, Van Morrison and Tom Waits.
Underlining the sense of movement and place in Ross’s work, The Water of Leith is rooted in his return to his Scottish homeland. There, he reconnected with stellar musicians including multi award-winning singer Julie Fowlis and Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman, who feature on the album
‘The Water of Leith is an ode to forgiveness, to letting go of the past and holding on to hope – it’s an astonishingly accomplished, pure and sincere record’ – The Skinny – Album of the Year.
The show will begin with a 45 minute set from Malojian AKA Stevie Scullion. Over the last few years, Malojian has released 4 stunning solo albums, along the way collaborating with some musical legends, including Steve Albini, who earned his chops producing Nirvana, The Pixies etc.
Malojian’s latest album features Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M., Roger Waters), Gerry Love (Teenage Fanclub) and more…But it’s Malojian’s own voice and songs that sets him apart from the crowd.
This will be an amazing afternoon of music by two masters of their craft.
One of Out to Lunch’s favourite ever artists returns. Martin Stephenson’s live performances are an exuberant tour-de-force combining heart-in-your-mouth intimacy with playful humour and warm self-deprecation.
The hugely acclaimed 1986 debut Boat to Bolivia showcased Stephenson’s song writing, poetic romanticism and spiritual depth – so marking him out as a soulful cream of the leftfield crop during the self-obsessed 1980s.
Never pandering to a particular scene, Stephenson’s lightness of touch on a varied mix of musical styles was immediately apparent. His path was destined to be a lifelong journey through the music he loved: folk, ragtime, jazz, rockabilly, show tunes, punk-pop and country.
The NME said of Martin’s song craft that he “builds bridges between love and hate, cradle and grave, folk and pop, past and present.” Stephenson’s restless troubadour spirit has amassed an extraordinary catalogue of some 40 albums and he is a gifted, entertaining and much-loved performer.
This Winter tour comes after a busy period for Martin and the band that saw the 9th Daintees album Chi Chi And The Jaguar released in August.
The album, named after Japanese surf guitarist Chi Chi Nakamura, captures the spirit of the early Daintees, unencumbered by record company pressures and 80s production values. It’s a cracking album made for playing live.
Martin, along with John Steel(guitar), Chris Mordey(bass) and Kate Stephenson(drums) will no doubt also be featuring songs from the classic back catalogue but, as usual, predicting the set list is impossible!
MOBO Award nominated Co. Armagh born drummer/composer David Lyttle has performed around the world, stopping recently in Russia, China, the U.S., Canada, Holland, Spain, the Middle East, Finland and Switzerland.
He has collaborated with a long list of jazz visionaries from Kurt Rosenwinkel to Joe Lovano, and played in the groups of some of today’s jazz icons. David brought jazz to new audiences in his much-talked-about U.S. coast-to-coast residency in 2017, performing for cowboys, bikers and UFO tourists.
His solo show Tapes & Drums features improvised drumming alongside taped dialogue of people collected around the world. In Tapes & Drums, New York, made during his residency there in 2018, he features the city’s citizens’ thoughts on change.
David will also perform with his unique duo project featuring rising star Derry guitarist Joseph Leighton.
Together they make their Belfast debut following performances in the Middle East and ahead of tours in Australia and Jamaica.
‘David represents the best in jazz coming out of Ireland today.’ – THE INDEPENDENT
After a failed relationship with a Swedish girl in the summer of 1971, Klaus Dinger returns home to Düsseldorf. Here he finds solace in the drums and lives out his longing for one day to regain his lost love.
In a repetitive, hypnotic beat, he visualised the feeling of never giving up and let his heartache pulse out through bands like NEU! and La Düsseldorf. The unique beat, “motorism”, quickly got infected in the music world.
Through archival material and personal interviews with musicians such as Iggy Pop, Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Gudrun Gut, Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), Wolfgang Flür (Kraftwerk) and Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order), filmmaker Jacob Frössén captures the shock of the NEU! and the incredible mind that shaped a new musical language.
Doors 2.45pm | Unreserved Seating
This event is supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI FAN Network.
NEWS ALERT……Janey Godley, the Godmother of Scottish comedy and chief Trump annoyer is on tour. So, tell all the Sandra’s, Big Frank and all the lassies fresh from Zumba to grab the soup pot and get ready for the “Queen of Scottish Comedy” coming to a town near you!
Live voice over’s and stand up like you’ve never seen before. Check out some hilarious patter from Big Tereeza (if she’s still around!) and Nicola up on the big screen.
Hot from her recent appearance’s on BBC’s Have I Got News for You and BBC Scotland’s Breaking the News and with over 20 years of performing award winning comedy around the world from Newcastle to New Zealand, Janey is excited to bring her hilarious new show to a town near you.
With over 40 million hits online and regular sold out shows at Edinburgh and Glasgow comedy festivals, book early to avoid disappointment.
Come see the woman who Billy Connolly called “A Fu%king great comedian”
NEWS ALERT……Janey Godley, the Godmother of Scottish comedy and chief Trump annoyer is on tour. So, tell all the Sandra’s, Big Frank and all the lassies fresh from Zumba to grab the soup pot and get ready for the “Queen of Scottish Comedy” coming to a town near you!
Live voice over’s and stand up like you’ve never seen before. Check out some hilarious patter from Big Tereeza (if she’s still around!) and Nicola up on the big screen.
Hot from her recent appearance’s on BBC’s Have I Got News for You and BBC Scotland’s Breaking the News and with over 20 years of performing award winning comedy around the world from Newcastle to New Zealand, Janey is excited to bring her hilarious new show to a town near you.
With over 40 million hits online and regular sold out shows at Edinburgh and Glasgow comedy festivals, book early to avoid disappointment.
Come see the woman who Billy Connolly called “A Fu%king great comedian”
Leontia Flynn has published four collections of poetry with Jonathan Cape. Winner of the AWB Vincent Literary Award in 2014, her most recent book, The Radio (2017), was described as “an outstanding book from a poet who is not only one of the best writers of her generation but who seems, more and more, to be the voice of that generation.” (The Irish Times). Shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, it won the Irish Times Poetry Prize.
‘One of the most strikingly original and exciting poetic voices to have emerged from Northern Ireland since Muldoon’ – Fran Brearton
Stephen Sexton
As a boy, video games were a way for Stephen Sexton to slip through the looking glass. His remarkable debut If All the World and Love Were Young was winner of the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. In these poems about the death of his mother, this moving, otherworldly narrative takes us through the levels of Super Mario World. It is a daring exploration of memory, grief and the necessity of the unreal.
‘Every poem in this book is a marvel. Taken all together they make up a work of almost miraculous depth and beauty’ – Sally Rooney
Due to exceptional demand and an array of sold out dates all over the UK, Britain’s leading one-liner comic has extended his brand new tour and is bringing his onslaught of lean, expertly crafted gaggery to Belfast.
A Mock The Week regular and recent star of the new Live At The Apollo series, Gary’s shows are renowned in the business for a near unrivalled volume of high-class gags. You should expect no different from this highly acclaimed show. Please note Coolio will not be appearing.
Due to exceptional demand and an array of sold out dates all over the UK, Britain’s leading one-liner comic has extended his brand new tour and is bringing his onslaught of lean, expertly crafted gaggery to Belfast.
A Mock The Week regular and recent star of the new Live At The Apollo series, Gary’s shows are renowned in the business for a near unrivalled volume of high-class gags. You should expect no different from this highly acclaimed show. Please note Coolio will not be appearing.
A musical lunch-time hour with the NI Opera Studio.
Enjoy a tuneful lunch with a musical repertoire of international operatic highlights and rare gems from the last two centuries.
The young talents of the Northern Ireland Opera Studio will present music from comic opera, operetta and early musical theatre, including works by Rossini, Victor Herbert, Franz Lehár, Donizetti, Johann Strauss and Cole Porter, among others.
Join highly acclaimed local singer and actress Katie Patton for a deliciously, delectable afternoon treat as she brings to life vocal legend Dame Julie Andrews in her very own heartfelt ‘tribute’ performance, Out to Lunch with Julie Andrews.
For generations Julie Andrews has graced the stage and screen, fondly remembered for her roles in the Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and Thoroughly Modern Millie to name but three.
Katie excels in this portrayal of the Grand Dame – in the words of critics “it was like watching the real Julie Andrews in concert, her tone & diction is crystal clear and bell like singing voice simply rings through the audience!”
So ‘Step in time’ and get your tickets booked for this ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ lunch time performance! We guarantee you will not be disappointed & positive you will leave singing your ‘favourite’ tune!
Katie Patton
Katie is a highly skilled vocalist and chameleon of musical genres. She is classically trained with a background in light opera and musical theatre. Swapping a legal career for one as a performer, she secured The Mary (Hammond) & Rosemary (Ashe) Scholarship to Bristol Performing Arts Academy.
Recent roles have included parts in the BBC comedy sketch Border Control, Mrs Darling and Tiger Lilly in Peter Pan and the premier run of Blinkered by Sole Purpose Theatre Company.
Britain’s Queen of Crime Fiction, with more than 30 books to her name and 16 million worldwide sales, comes to Out to Lunch to discuss her new novel How the Dead Speak.
Her work was adapted for the successful Wire in the Blood ITV series starring Robson Green and for the last 20 years she has produced at least one fresh story per year and says she has no notion of slowing down.
McDermid is from Kirkcaldy and is a keen Raith Rovers fan. She also broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 and has become a regular on BBC1’s Question Time panel.
The Cajun Roosters are a multi-award winning band featuring some of the finest and most experienced Cajun and Zydeco musicians in Europe.
The band plays music from the Louisiana swamps and prairies north west of New Orleans. It is a music which instantly appeals to audiences and infuses them with a feeling of bonhomie and good times.
They play with energy, intensity and passion, infusing life into old standards and new compositions. Every gig is a celebration of the richness of a Louisiana musical culture that all the band members love and understand. A non-stop Louisiana party that you won’t want to miss.
Portico Quartet return with Memory Streams, their fifth studio album and one that continues the journey that first started with 2008’s Mercury nominated debut Knee Deep in the North Sea
Portico Quartet has always been an impossible band to pin down. Sending out echoes of jazz, electronica, ambient music and minimalism, the group created their own singular, cinematic sound over the course of three studio albums.
From the band’s 2007 breakthrough Knee-Deep in the North Sea, and the John Leckie produced Isla in 2010, to the self-titled recording Portico Quartet in 2012.
The group released their fourth studio album Art In The Age Of Automation on Gondwana Records in August 2017. It was hailed as possibly their finest album yet, with the band simultaneously delivering both a return to their mesmeric signature sound and fresh new sonic departures in their new music.
Described as ‘a string duo bound for glory’ by Max Reinhardt (BBC Radio 3 Late Junction) Fran & Flora (Francesca Ter-Berg and Flora Curzon) are quickly becoming one of London’s most sought-after bands. A duo with a distinctive improvisatory style and ethereal aesthetic, they draw inspiration for their material from their travels and mentors in eastern Europe and beyond.
The overwhelming response they received from releasing debut album Unfurl has accelerated their growing reputation across the UK, gaining widespread critical acclaim with attention from national radio, magazines, newspapers and many online publications. They have appeared live in session on BBC 4’s Woman’s Hour, Radio 3’s In Tune, Cerys Matthews’ 6 Music show, Soho Radio and Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM.
Active contributors to London’s vibrant music scene and known as collaborators with many ground-breaking artists including Sam Lee and Talvin Singh, Fran & Flora mesmerise their audiences, selling out venues across the UK. Last summer they were selected by BBC Music Introducing to perform previews of Unfurl at Latitude Festival, which was broadcast live across the BBC network.
With an intuitive ear for melody and a ferociously creative mind, Damon Gough and his music have been loved by fans and critics for over twenty years, with 2020 marking two decades since the release of his Mercury Prize-winning debut album The Hour Of Bewilderbeast.
Following the success of this “lo-fi masterpiece”, Gough went on to pen seven more albums, including the soundtrack to the films About a Boy and Being Flynn.
It’s been a curious, wonderful, inimitable, unpredictable career so far of major prizes and minor incidents, all possibilities and magic in the air. Don’t miss this rare, intimate, solo show.
Doors 7.30pm | This will be a standing show due to anticipated demand.
Marking 20 years since its release, Rachael Boyd, Junk Drawer and Conor Mason will revisit Figure 8, the fifth and final album Smith completed before his death.
Released in 2000, Figure 8 songs have all Smith’s ornate elegance and a sublime mastery of pop hooks.
Rolling Stone placed Figure 8 on their list of the 100 greatest albums of the decade and it was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Tonight’s show is the second outing of Bivouac Comedy Club. Curated and hosted by Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, Paul Currie, Bivouac features the best alternative comedy from across the UK and beyond.
The Delightful Sausage
The Delightful Sausage is a surreal sketch comedy double act created by Amy Gledhill and Chris Cantrill.
The duo have been delighting audiences and perplexing middle class reviewers since 2017. Ginster’s Paradise is their most recent show. It was nominated for ‘Best Show’ at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and is gearing up for a massive 2020.
Despite achieving great fame and a level of personal wealth which would make a pharaoh blush, both Amy and Chris are incredibly humble.
‘Fun and hilariously sinister’ – THE TIMES ‘A Cult Hit’ – THE GUARDIAN
Joanna Neary
One of Bivouac’s favourite acts is Joanna Neary whose skewed clowning is gloriously different and inspired.
Joanna’s forte is superbly off-kilter sketches. One moment she is a sublimely funny Bjork, the next she is a netured cat sporting a boater and a stoic grin. An immaculate Brief Encounters parody encapsulates a lost age of repressed passion, snobbery and lumpy marmalade.
‘A performer who is one of the most naturally funny stand-ups around’ – THE STAGE
Dara McAnulty is 15 year old autistic naturalist, activist and writer. In this special event for Out to Lunch he will be joined by Marie Louise Muir to discuss writing as a form of environmental protest and the importance of nature for mental wellbeing.
Together they will explore nature and mental health and how people in cities can draw upon nature for their own wellbeing.
Dara has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and Springwatch Unsprung. He is an iWill Ambassador and has received awards for his work campaigning for nature and young people’s access to nature.
His debut book, Diary of a Young Naturalist will be published in June 2020 and we’ve been promised some exclusive extracts.
The Darkling Air is Rachel McCarthy and Michael Keeney from Bangor, County Down.
Their music involves voice, piano and guitar and is often wreathed in string arrangements featuring Arco String Quartet. Their work is a channel for melody, song, classical and traditional forms plus a questing, modern aspect.
The band released Ancestor, the second album, in November. It is a significant development on the much-praised 2016 debut, Untamed and Beloved.
As before Rachel’s voice is a singular, resonant force as she explores memory, melancholia and bliss. The songs alternate between quiet, intimate moments and searing emotion.
For this Out to Lunch Belfast debut performance of Ancestor, expect filmic folk-noir coupled with poetic lyrics, strings and a richly emotive and melancholic sound world accompanied by bespoke projected visuals. Expect a very special show.
2020 will be the year that equal marriage finally becomes a reality in Northern Ireland. Similarly, it’s the 50th anniversary of EM Forster’s death. What better way to mark both, than a screening of Maurice, based on Forster’s most personal novel of the same name.
Maurice remained unpublished in his lifetime, for fear of the public and legal attitudes to this powerful homosexual love story. This beautiful, little-seen Merchant-Ivory film follows its main character Maurice Hall (James Wilby) through university, a tumultuous relationship with Clive (Hugh Grant), struggling to fit into an unforgiving society, and ultimately being united with his life partner.
Forster’s own close links to Belfast were forged through a longstanding correspondence with Belfast author Forrest Reid.
Let yourself be transported from Baltic Belfast to the fiery flamenco and tangos of Spain and Argentina.
Warm yourself in the heat of Latin rhythms, Ulster Orchestra style, with musicians from the Orchestra performing music by Piazzolla, de Falla and Turina in this Latino lunchtime treat!
Grammy and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham was born in New Mexico and raised all across Texas and the southwestern United States. He set out on his own, at a young age, shuffling from town to town and performing gigs at local no-frills bars.
Drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan, Marshall Tucker, and Bob Wills, Bingham fashioned a road-weary sound that piqued the interest of a barroom proprietor in Stephenville, Texas. Bingham was offered a weekly residency at the bar; soon after, he began issuing self-released albums like Lost Bound Rails and Wishbone Saloon.
The material was brought to the attention of Nashville heavyweights Lost Highway Records, who signed Bingham and issued his major-label debut, Mescalito. Mescalito was well-received by critics, with Rolling Stone aptly comparing Bingham’s raw, scratchy voice to that of ‘Steve Earle’s dad.’
Later that year, he joined another music veteran, producer/songwriter T-Bone Burnett, in contributing music to the film Crazy Heart. Revolving around the attempted comeback of a down-and-out country singer, Crazy Heart became one of the year’s highest-praised films and won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for The Weary Kind, one of Bingham’s original compositions written with T-Bone Burnett.
American Love Song is the first new album in four years by Bingham and is co-produced by renowned guitarist Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan).
Among the album’s early acclaim, Rolling Stone Country has called it Bingham’s “most personal and political album to date” and “a rolling-blues country workout awash in slide guitar, soaring gospel-roadhouse stomps and meditative folk fingerpicking that takes on his past with a cautious hope for the future.”
American Songwriter rated it 4 out of 5 stars, stating the album’s overarching theme “encompasses triumph and tragedy from one moment to the next.”
John Craigie
Americana style folk singer songwriter with engaging & amusing live shows & topical stories galore. Loved by Jack Johnson, Gregory Alan Isakov and Chuck Norris, as well as festival crowds all around the US.
Craigie is starting 2020 with a UK/EU headline tour that includes Celtic Connections,Tradfest and Out To Lunch Festivals. New album due out in the 1st half of 2020.
Emer Maguire flawlessly blends laugh out loud musical comedy, science, and Northern Irish charm. Emer is a TEDx performing musical comedian, an international award-winning science communicator and a double Irish Radio Award winning BBC radio presenter.
Her debut solo show Emer Maguire: Hilarious Humans is fresh from a sell-out run at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Hilarious Humans takes an uproariously funny (and sometimes scientific) look at the oddities of human behaviour through Emer’s ingenious musical comedy.
From the nuances of being a middle child, to social awkwardness and online dating, Emer explores what it means to be human.
‘Emer Maguire is a figurehead for aspiring female stand ups’ – SUNDAY TIMES
‘Emer Maguire is one of the most unique comic prospects in the country’ – DAILY MIRROR
Jonah Tolchin has wrestled with a wellspring of emotions in his 26 years, and in the process, has consistently found the means of integrating his sentiments into his songs. It’s been a relatively brief progression as far as his career is concerned, but the maturity and musical progression he’s tallied in that short time has been shared in sync with his coming of age.
On his new Yep Roc album, Fires for the Cold, Tolchin lays bare the conflicts and quagmires that have engulfed him over the course of the last few years. Indeed, by his own admission, it’s been a difficult time. The ending of a marriage and an upheaval in his mindset left him shattered, confused and struggling to find the solace that had eluded him for too long a time.
“Every record I make is like a record in time,” Tolchin explains. “It recounts the things that I’ve observed and experienced between the last album and the current one. It’s painful for me to talk about the last few years. It’s even painful to write about it. But singing and strumming about it? That’s different. That’s the main way I feel that I’m able to interact with the impossible emotions. It’s the greatest gift that music has given me throughout my life.”
“…the singer-songwriter and bluesman joins forces with an impressive collective of well-regarded names in the modern roots landscape to produce what may be his most ambitious LP to date.” —PopMatters
“Tolchin has delivered a uniquely sounding, deeply memorable recording.” —Elmore Magazine
Tenx9 is back at the Out to Lunch festival for 2020!
Join the storytelling sensation where nine people have up to ten minutes each to tell a true story from their own lives. Entry is free, and there are no tickets – just turn up! (But turn up early – it’s a popular event).
Tenx9 is looking for people to tell true stories from their own lives about The Kindness of Strangers. You might have had a stranger who helped you; you might have helped a stranger; maybe a stranger didn’t help you when you needed it.
You know the story — if you have one true story from your life you can share in ten minutes or less, we want to hear from you. Head to tenx9.com/submissions to submit a story.
Seth Lakeman, recently on a break from the Robert Plant musical juggernaut, released his ninth studio album The Well Worn Path last year.
The charismatic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist visits Belfast for a headline show in his own right in the intimate surroundings of the Empire Music Hall.
It’s a return to a no-nonsense, organic, classic folk-rock approach with hints of Fairport Convention, Neil Young, Nick Cave and Billy Bragg – plus Lakeman’s trademark foot-stomping, fiddle bow-shredding and soaring vocals. It’s a deft collection of mini musical biographies of colourful West Country characters.
Seth has performed everywhere from Libya to Texas, as well as featuring on just about every major festival bill across the UK.
Since the Mercury Prize nominated Kitty Jay (recorded in his kitchen for £300), the follow-up gold selling Freedom Fields and his last, highly acclaimed offering, Word of Mouth, Seth Lakeman has relentlessly pushed his musical boundaries and those of folk and roots music.
Cup O’Joe is a close family trio who have been playing together from their early teens. They were raised in the traditions of bluegrass and folk and it is these traditions that their music is rooted in.
They blend the intricate tones of bluegrass, folk and jazz to tones to create their own progressive acoustic sound. Their mix of original and re-imagined traditional songs sets the ingredients for an energetic and enthusiastic performance, and this is giving them a growing presence on the festival scene in Ireland, the UK and Mainland Europe.
Strong sibling harmonies can be heard throughout their music, harmonies that blend together like only sibling harmonies can.
They are set to release their new album in January 2020, which contains nine original songs and one traditional song with all tracks embodying a fresh original sound.
“Imagine what these young artists will accomplish before they’re done” – Bluegrass Today
“Gorgeous blend of gentle bluegrass picking, beautiful folk melodies and mellow harmonies” – Americana UK
George Xylouris, the Cretan lute player who partners here with the Dirty Three’s preternaturally fluent Australian drummer Jim White, poetically describe their approach in this duo as “Like goats walking in the mountain. They may not know the place, but they can walk easily and take risks and feel comfortable.”
The sound they create is tumultuous, tender and terrifically expressive and testifies their determination to stretch the scope of their instruments and forge something vigorously questing from more traditional roots.
PJ Harvey has likened White’s playing to dancing. Yet if dancers need partners, Xylouris is his, this being a friendship forged over 25-plus years.
Xylouris was touring with his Ensemble when he met White in Melbourne in the early 1990s, when the drummer was in his pre-Dirty Three avant-rock outfit Venom P Stinger. And here they are nearly 3 decades later, on our Out to Lunch stage, to show us just how far their horizons can stretch.
Their new record The Sisypheans is released on Bella Union on 8th November 2019.
‘The chemistry between Crete lutenist George Xylouris and former Dirty Three drummer Jim White makes for a thrilling musical foray into avant-garde folk.’ –THE GUARDIAN
Be an unwitting explorer through a human zoo of pocket-sized people in this witty anthropological study of the human species.
Ulster University opens its foyer as an anthropological museum exploring a world of tiny people in their various habitats captured in a series of terrarium-like display cases.
Members of the public are invited to observe these miniature humans and reflect upon how they behave under the various conditions they are placed. At the beach, in the city, even at an apocalyptic rubbish dump, we are aided by an Attenborough style commentary on headsets and get to explore these little people’s behaviour as if they were a different species.
Studio McGuire deliver astonishing worlds sculpted out of anything from paper and wood to glass and fabric enhanced by miniature projections. They have delivered work worldwide in 60 countries including collaborations with Royal Shakespeare Company, Hull 2017, Barney’s of Madison Avenue and Swedish Museum of Performing Arts.
‘Magical and exquisitely crafted, Davy and Kristin McGuire’s universe is full of visual wonders’ The Guardian
Jim ‘The King’ Brown’s own story is as steeped in legend as the good lord Elvis himself.
Born in Belfast and married with five children, the young King was reluctantly hauled on stage at a works karaoke.
When the crowd went berserk he realised he might be on to something. He took a two-year sabbatical from his job at the Post Office and headed out on the road.
Swiftly picked up by EMI, he released the Gravelands album to rave reviews. It was a marvel. The King stamped the indelible mark of Elvis across the songs of the latest and the greatest, belting out tunes like Nirvana’s Come As You Are and Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart as if they were written for the boy Presley himself.
The King takes the Elvis legend and builds on it. Where jobbing impersonators merely mirror Elvis, The King becomes him. Every gesture, every smirk, every vocal nuance is the purest Presley, but at the same time he’s so natural you’d be forgiven for thinking you were watching the great man himself.
As Out to Lunch draws to a close, this will be a night to be savoured featuring the best of Irish Soul, Reggae and Ska.
Supertonic Sound Club are an 8-piece Dublin based band influenced by old school soul-funk and authentic reggae. They have performed in session on both RTÉ and BBC and have received national airplay throughout Europe. Members of the band have performed with a diverse range of leading international acts including Oasis, Sinead O’Connor and Tony Allen.
The Skallions are an 8-piece Ska Reggae powerhouse based in Belfast, bringing bags of energy and stacks of attitude. The Skallions are as fresh as they come, bursting onto the Belfast music scene in late 2017. They have wasted no time spreading their unique brand of big brass, high energy, 2Tone and Ska.
One of the finest bands of the last two decades, Turin Brakes continue to produce powerful new music as their journey continues. This Out to Lunch show is a chance to see the band in their first full stripped back acoustic tour since way back in 2002.
Turin Brakes comprise of founder members and former primary school friends Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, along with longtime bandmates Rob Allum and Eddie Myer. Formed in Balham, London in 1999, the band signed to French label Source in 2000 and released their Mercury Music Prize nominated debut album The Optimist in 2001.
This show will feature a range of songs spanning Turin Brakes 20 year career – which includes seven top 40 singles and 6 top 40 albums with sales over a million worldwide.
Tim Burgess started collecting records at the age of 13 and hasn’t quite finished yet.
At 21 he joined and fronted The Charlatans, one of the UK’s most venerated and respected indie bands. Twelve albums in and still making incredible records, The Charlatans continue headline festivals around the world and getting an insane amount of coverage in the media.
He has written and released two books, programmed festival arenas under his Tim Peaks event, designed a breakfast cereal and has one of the most irreverent and entertaining social media accounts in the twitterverse.
As A DJ, Tim was resident at the infamous and zeitgeist changing Heavenly Social, which helped launch the careers of both the Chemical Brothers and Norman Cook’s Fatboy Slim alias and Tim has DJ’d at some of the globe’s best clubs and venues.
Tim is a proper DJ, no pre-prepared sets, no pre-prepared mixes, just a man with a huge record collection at the centre of the room & at the centre of the dancefloor. A club night like no other.
Thirty years of playing together, new single River Flows shows that the creativity of brothers, Brendan and Declan Murphy, shows no sign of abating.
The pair have forged a unique musical identity, producing original and award-winning recordings and building a loyal fan base along the way.
With an enviable catalogue of timeless songs including Mary, Washington Down, She Hits Me, Sunlight and Sugar Island, expect some beautiful songs, stunning interplay and great stories from the road.
The 4 Of Us have been a steadfast part of Irish music for three decades and gained some glowing reviews along the way.
‘Never before have I been to a gig where the atmosphere has been so electric’ – THE IRISH NEWS
Kaidi Tatham’s ability to mix soul, jazz and dance all together harmoniously is legendary. He makes his Out to Lunch debut, in the intimate setting of the Sunflower Bar and it will be spectacular. The Neighbourhood nights have been energetic dancefloor focused sessions and with Kaidi at the controls this one will not disappoint.
Although this will be a DJ set, it is worth noting Kaidi is an accomplished flute player and pianist, he’s also in demand on drums and percussion as well as excelling on bass, guitar and writing for strings and orchestral arrangements.
In addition to Kaidi’s own great solo releases including his dance production alias Agent K his performance, production, writing and remix credits read like a who’s who of contemporary jazz, soul, neo-soul & hip-hop including artists such as: 2000Black, 4 Hero, Afronaught, Amp Fiddler, Amy Winehouse, to name a few.
THE DEFINITVE stop motion movie. Gods, monsters and a whole load of skeletons!
To celebrate the legendary pioneer of animation Ray Harryhausen’s centenary, we’re not only screening the timeless classic Jason and the Argonauts – but we’ll also have a stop motion workshop afterwards with top animator Joel Simon.
Bring your own phone camera or tablet (if not, devices will be provided) and make your own stop-motion monster come to life!
Doors 10.15am
Recommended age range 7-13
(NB Screening is free. Ticket price goes towards Stop Motion Workshop)
Looking out over the lush green mountains of Kingston, Peter Webber’s vibrant documentary captures a remarkable group of reggae legends (including Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, Cedric Myton and Judy Mowatt) as they gather to record an album of hits in an unplugged style that harks back to their roots.
The film is studded with intimate acoustic versions of popular anthems (such as Ken Boothe’s Everything I Own), remarkable personal histories and powerful live performances.
A “Buena Vista Social Club for reggae”, this landmark film recounts the history of reggae music and its continuing relevance, conjuring an unforgettable portrait of truly pioneering musicians as they share stories of success, heartaches and happiness during a lifetime immersed in the scene.
Psychedelic synth-pop emerges from its cocoon and spreads its wings on Jane Weaver’sLoops in the Secret Society tour.
Throughout her career, English singer/songwriter, musician, producer, and label owner Jane Weaver has explored many different styles and approaches, never staying too long in any one spot while showing mastery of each one she attempts.
Fusing sounds from her two most recent albums, Jane Weaver channels a lifetime of experimentation and experience through melodic codes, expanding drum drones and multi-layered synthetics.
Loops in the Secret Society is a glorious sense-stimulating journey that reimagines and combines elements of 2014’s The Silver Globe with 2017’s Modern Kosmology.
In late 2018, Weaver united the two critically acclaimed albums in an expansive experiment; hot-housed into a soundscape to form the imminent album of the same name.
‘Motorik rhythms and ancient technology create music that brims with urgency, and originality.’ – MOJO
‘Startling’ – DROWNED IN SOUND
‘(A) beguiling spiritual medium for immaculate psychedelia.’ – THE GUARDIAN
Out to Lunch and Superfly Funk & Soul Belfast kick off the new year with The Mighty Mocambos flying in from Hamburg to play NI for the very first time.
The band have released dozens of 45’s and several albums on their own label, Mocambo Records and have collaborated with musical legends such as Afrika Bambaataa, Lee Fields, Ice -T and Kenny Funk, as well as putting new talents like Gizelle Smith and Caroline Lacaze on the map.
They have also brought Caribbean steel drums to funk clubs with their alto ego Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and have toured extensively over a number of years.
The Mighty Mocambos deliver their brand of funk through blazing horns, soulful guitars, driving drums and basslines combined with an extra slice of quirkiness.
They play with passion and energy, bringing joy to those who are lucky enough to catch their live performances. Pretty much unmissable.
The legendary video mashups from Cassetteboy have had over 26 million views! Be it Lord Sugar, Downton Abbey or Harry Potter, no one is safe from their editing talent.
Cassetteboy are a cut ‘n’ paste duo from Chelmsford, Essex. They re-edit footage of TV shows to make celebrities talk about sex and drugs, and are somehow trying to make a career of it. They’ve released five albums including The Parker Tapes, which received a mark of 8.7 on Pitchfork, if that’s important.
Their smash hit The Bloody Apprentice, in which Alan Sugar talks about sh*tting frying pans, has been watched five and a half million times. They have also tackled David Cameron, Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, and The Only Way is Essex.
Cassetteboy have over 123,000 YouTube subscribers and 26,000,000 total video views. Their work has been featured on Radio One and regularly appears on Rude Tube. They enjoy long walks in the country and have kind eyes.
Cassetteboy are famous for lying about themselves and recently sailed round the world with Clare Balding.
Described by Irish Music Magazine as “a full-bodied pipe and whistle extravaganza, Réalta carry on the Bothy Band tradition of taking tunes by the scruff of the neck and firing excitement through them like hot flames!”
Based in Belfast, this award-winning multi-instrumentalist group have travelled extensively bringing their unique take on Irish traditional music to international audiences with an enchanting programme of dance music interspersed with the occasional air and song.
While Conor Lamb and Loïc Bléjean pursue the melody on uilleann pipes and whistles, guitarist and vocalist Deirdre Galway explores the harmony and rhythms within the tunes.
All-Ireland champions Dermot Mulholland and Dermot Moynagh complete the line-up with dynamic accompaniments on double bass, bouzouki, banjo, bodhrán and voice, making this one of the most exciting acts on the Irish music scene today.
The release of their second album, Clear Skies, has brought Réalta widespread critical acclaim, with the Irish Times summing things up 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!”.
A performance by Réalta is joyous, energetic, foot-stomping and unforgettable.
Over twenty years Luke Daniels has recorded and produced 20 acclaimed records, had numerous live sessions and airplay on BBC Radio 2 and 3, and performed at many the UK’s top festivals.
The Guardian describes him as “a musical force to reckon with.” Originally from Oxfordshire, though now Glasgow-based, this folk singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist was featured in fRoots and hailed as “a genius” whilst his songs have been described as “future classics” by Songlines magazine.
You may already have had plenty of practice but there is always more you can learn about drinking beer.
Join enthusiastic beer drinker and homebrewer extraordinaire, Jo Facer of The Edible Flower for a journey through the world of beer tasting. Learn how to taste and recognise some classic beer styles, how different ingredients and the brewing process affect the taste and to recognise those funky (wrong!?) flavours in beer.
After you’ve been exposed to Jo’s graphs a quick pint down your local will never be quite the same again!
…and yes beer is included in the price so strictly over 18s.
If you’re the gin, he’s the tonic! Join Craig as he pops his cork to toast his 20th solo show – this is one fun mixer that will keep you fizzy all the way to the bottom!
Fresh from making his solo debut on New York’s off-Broadway, Craig’s in the pink this year, channelling his best Bertie Bassett, turning 50 shades of gay, and proving it takes Allsorts to make the world go around in his bubbly, fun new show. Cheers!
‘Flat-out hilarious… I’ve not heard a room laugh so long and hard… There isn’t anyone better at working a crowd… the audience was in absolute paroxysms of laughter… Genuinely funny’***** MIRROR
If you would like to share the pleasure of OTL and CQAF events with family or a friend, simply buy a gift voucher here and the recipient will be sent a voucher code to enter when purchasing show tickets from our website.
It couldn’t be simpler, will bring much enjoyment and will contribute to the ongoing sustainability of the festival.
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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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