Category: OTL2022

Rescheduled to Saturday April 30, buy tickets here.

Support by Dan Donnelly

Kicking off Out to Lunch in January in some style will beThe Dodge Brothers bringing their exuberant hybrid of country blues, rockabilly and jugband and we couldn’t be happier.

The Dodge Brothers bring to them a freshness that has feet stomping and hands clapping from California to Cropredy, from the Mississippi to the New Forest. Their songs feature vocal virtuosity and heartfelt harmonies underpinned by joyous guitars, thumping double bass and rattlin’ snare and washboard.

The Dodge Brothers features Mike Hammond(lead guitar, lead vocals, banjo), Mark Kermode (bass, harmonica, vocals), Aly Hirji(rhythm guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hammond (washboard, snare drum, percussion).

Their music has an authentically American tang – lead guitarist/vocalist Mike Hammond was raised in Alabama and his youthful musical travels took him all over the southern and western USA – but with a strong British perspective from Culture Show presenter and film critic Mark Kermode.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Rescheduled until Friday 18 March, buy tickets here.

The greatest and most significant British music artist of the 20th century, David Bowie, would have been 75 on January 8th 2022.

To mark this occasion, Snow Water presents ‘Bowie 75’ for the Out To Lunch Festival, a musical tribute to the man who fell to earth and changed it forever.

Joe Lindsay will be playing the hits, B-sides, album tracks, the influences and the influenced upstairs in The Deer’s Head in Belfast.

Doors 8.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Rescheduled until Saturday October 8, 10.30pm, buy tickets here.

With Support from DJ Pete Brady and Gareth McKinnie

Norman Jay is unquestionably one of the most respected and popular DJs in the world today. Co-founder of the legendary Good Times Sound System and London dance music station KISS FM, Jay fostered the ‘Rare Groove’ scene pushing the boundaries of the UK’s emerging club culture.

Awarded an MBE for services to deejaying and music, in 2017 he released Mister Good Times capturing the true spirit of Good Times, and is currently taking his legendary Good Times party to selected venues around the UK, continuing to convert generations of clubbers to the cause, championing new sounds, yet never forgetting his musical roots, thus guaranteeing nothing but ‘Good Times’.

Doors 8.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Andy White gets back home in January to play The Sunflower as part of the Out to lunch festival.

After spending most of the past two years locked down in Melbourne, Australia, the Belfast songwriter can’t wait to rattle out some tunes with his son Sebastian on drums and long-time collaborator Rod McVeyon keyboards.

“It was a tough under house arrest for such a long time, but I was lucky—Sebastian was at home when the borders closed so the two of us played online and made videos. I wrote and recorded while he designed album covers. We watched a lot of European crime drama. I hadn’t ever spent so much time off the road—it was a case of ‘Has guitar wants to travel’—but thankfully the lockdown worked, and we can’t wait to get back home”.

In 2020 Andy released a live recording of his classic album Himself to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary and early this year a second rarities compilation, Rarer. He’ll bring these to Belfast along with vinyl copies of his latest studio album Time is a Buffalo in the Art of War.

In 1985 Andy’s first EP Religious Persuasion and 1986 debut albumRave on Andy White kick-started a career which includes twenty albums, two books of poetry and a novel.

Writing with Peter Gabriel, forming ALT with Tim Finn and Liam O Maonlai, touring the world many times over with his acoustic guitar and winning Ireland’s top music awards, an Andy White hometown show is a special occasion. What could be rarer!

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Armagh born Ríoghnach Connolly (BBC Folk Singer of the Year 2019 & 2020) and South Wales native Ellis Davies have been playing together for nearly 20 years – as long as long as they have been a couple.

Together they have graced stages as far away as Brazil and Singapore, and recorded together under Ríoghnach’s name, in folk-hoppers Honeyfeet and with Mendhi Singh in Beware Soul Brother.

Ríoghnach channels the music of her grandparents and can draw from a breadth of styles and folk traditions across the world. In her voice you can hear equal parts Sean-nós Caoineamh, west African griot ululation and American deep-south belt.

Ríoghnach recently performed at the 2021 RTÉ Folk Awards with The Breath, signed to Real World Records, who are currently working on a 3^rd studio album. Honeyfeet, which features both Ríoghnach and Ellis, also have a new record in the can, due for release next year.

‘A remarkable singer and flautist…who can ease from Irish traditional influences to soul.’ – THE GUARDIAN

‘Within each of Ríoghnach’s music projects there is a welter of ideas and innovations.’ – IRISH NEWS

Doors 1.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Award winning comedian, Robin Ince quickly abandoned science at school, bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations. But, twenty years later, he fell back in love with science and now presents one of the world’s most popular science radio shows and podcasts, The Infinite Monkey Cage, with Professor Brian Cox.

Robin’s new book, and talk based on it, The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity deals with some of the most daunting ideas about our universe and ourselves, charting Robin’s changing understanding through personal stories as well as a remarkable array of interviewees.

Doors 30 minutes before show | Unreserved Seating

by Dylan Thomas
Performed by Guy Masterson
Directed by Tony Boncza (with original direction by George Dillon)
Original music and Soundscape by Matt Clifford.

One of the most successful solo shows of all time with over 2000 performances worldwide!

25 years after its Edinburgh debut, Olivier Award winner Guy Masterson presents the highlights of his globally acclaimed solo tour-de-force Under Milk Wood – SEMI SKIMMED!

The ‘Full Fat’ unexpurgated version lasts two hours. This 60 minute version is an hilarious lyrical romp through Dylan Thomas’s fictional ‘Llarregub’… Skimmed it may be, but it’s so rich and full that audiences would be hard pressed to know what he’s left out!

This show has to be seen to be believed! In an astonishing performance that defies expectation, Masterson whisks the audience into a wonder-world of enchantment. Bawdy and beautiful, sad and sensual, it leaves indelible, unforgettable images. The beauty of Thomas’s wordplay and the mastery of Masterson’s virtuosity will leave you breathless.

‘It’s a feat of multiple characterisation impeccable timing, vocal dexterity and precise physical control, performed with tremendous sensitivity and panache!’ –  THE GUARDIAN

‘Absolutely wonderful, intensely therapeutic, intensely uplifting! Guy Masterson is something exceptional!’ –  BBC RADIO SCOTLAND

By the age of 17, Ruth McGinley had already gained widespread recognition as one of Ireland’s leading pianists, winning countless accolades including both the piano finals of both the BBC and RTÉ Young Musician of the Year awards. Since then, her career has been wide-ranging and daring, collaborating with some of the most acclaimed teachers and musicians working today, and straying from the typical classical-pianist journey.

The Derry native studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Royal Academy in London before being awarded a Postgraduate in Solo Performance from the Royal College in London. She has performed as soloist with many orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra and as a solo recitalist throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Ruth broadcasts regularly for BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, BBC Radio Ulster and RTE, and was honoured to be invited to perform as soloist at the BBC Proms in the Park.

But it is perhaps the spaces between where Ruth’s interests really lie. A determination to walk her own path, Ruth’s love of music goes far beyond the classical world. A highly sought-after collaborator, Ruth works with musicians from many backgrounds including jazz, folk, electronic and other.

This concert programme will feature classical works by Arvo Pärt, Erik Satie, Chick Corea and reimagined folk songs by Neil Martin.

‘Stylistic variety is seamlessly blended throughout in intelligently proportioned playing as sincere as it is supple. More please!’  Michael Quinn, CLASSICAL EAR. 

‘This is a brand new work in progress (WIP) show that will look at my personal struggle and experience with depression, anxiety and intrusive thoughts that I’ve suffered from since the age of 5 and many nervous & mental breakdowns.

For me, I think it’s a subject not properly spoken about enough in comedy, in society, or in the world. I want this show to help smash or at least crack the stigma we all have of mental health.’ – Paul Currie, December 2021

TCOGLIMSKTMTTASITFS is the sister show to Paul’s 2021 Edinburgh Fringe Sell Out show “TEET”

★★★★★ THE SCOTSMAN 

‘He’s fast developing a cult following. Everything Currie does has the spirit of Vic & Bob, The Young Ones and everything surreal that’s come before or since.’★★★★ EDFEST

‘He is simply and without question unmissable!’★★★★★ MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL<

‘Paul Currie is a disturbingly brilliant comic.’ ★★★★★ BROADWAY BABY 

‘I wish I’d seen him sooner. I’ll be back to see him every year. My favourite comedy show of the Fringe this year.’ STEWART LEE

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

The power trio of Crow Black Chicken combine elements of folk, hard rock and the blues rock of bands like Gov’t Mule, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin.

The band was formed in 2009 by Christy O’Hanlon, Stephen McGrath (Bass) and Gev Barrett (Drums). The trio immediately jelled and went on to perform on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury 2011.

The bands second album Rumble Shake was released in 2014 and debuted at number 12 in the Irish album charts. Recorded in Westland Studios Dublin, the album was heavily influenced by the bands work with Texan Americana singer Ray Wylie Hubbard and legendary Austin Producer the late George Reiff.

In 2016 Crow Black Chicken opened for ZZ Top at the Marquee in Cork which brought them face to face with the Texan compatriots whom they often drew so many comparisons to. Always determined to create a sound all of their own the band continues to tour all over Europe and have since released a 4th studio album Pariah Brothers in 2017.

After the release of their latest live record South Roman Street, the Crow Black Chicken’s 5th studio album is already in the pipeline.

‘These guys do the nasty blues like the devil hisself was hurting and rock like they’ll skate come judgement day –  Ray Wylie Hubbard 

‘CBC could save rock and roll’ –  Alvin Youngblood Hart

‘Electric Soup is not only a promising debut, it’s a savage beast of a record: grimy, lean, mean, and soulful.’ –  Allmusic.com 

Doors 2pm | Unreserved Seating

With hits like Digging Your Scene and It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way, The Blow Monkeys epitomised the glamour of mid-80s pop at its most graceful and sophisticated.

In the band’s frontman Robert Howard (aka Dr. Robert), they possessed a tall, charismatic singer who was both camera-friendly and clever, who appeared to be just as much at ease on the catwalk that is pop’s conveyer belt as he was penning witty, incisive songs.

While quite clearly Robert’s band, though, the Blow Monkeys were also gifted three immensely talented musicians in bassist Mick Anker, saxophonist Neville Henry and drummer Tony Kiley.

The Blow Monkeys openly criticised the policies of the 1980’s Conservative government, railing against social injustices and adopting an openly left-of-centre stance on issues of the day.

From openly endorsing the gay community Digging Your Scene to an outright attack on Margaret Thatcher Celebrate (The Day After You) – a duet with the late, great Curtis Mayfield, The Blow Monkeys were always the thinking person’s pop group.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Very much an Out to Lunch institution, 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.

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!

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Following the release of his critically acclaimed album, Heartbreaker Please, Teddy Thompson kicks off a UK tour with a special concert in the Black Box as part of this year’s Out to Lunch.

Recorded in Brooklyn and written and produced by Teddy, Heartbreaker Please sees the critically acclaimed artist at the top of his craft, serving up the medicine of resignation with sweet, catchy satisfaction. “Here’s the thing,” Teddy sings frankly on his new album, “you don’t love me anymore. I can tell you’ve got one foot out the door.” From its opening track, Thompson’s new album reckons with the breakdown of love with a wistful levity as satisfying as it is devastatingly honest.

From a young age, Sam Cooke, Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, and the Everly Brothers made up the bulk of his listening and you can hear that ache in his voice. After releasing his self-titled debut in 2000, Teddy went on tour as part of Roseanne Cash’s band.

Since then he’s released five acclaimed albums, collaborated with good friends Martha and Rufus Wainwright, contributed to numerous tribute projects, and produced albums for Americana singer-songwriter Dori Freeman, Shelby Lynne, Allison Moorer and his mother, Linda Thompson.

Doors 2.30pm | Unreserved seating

John Francis Flynn is a singer and multi-instrumentalist whose work centres around traditional and folk material from Ireland. He is a founding member of the band, Skipper’s Alley, with whom he has toured extensively throughout Europe and America.

While supporting Lankum on their 2019 UK tour he caught the eye of Geoff Travis and Jeanette Lee who quickly signed John to Rough Trade imprint label, River Lea.

John’s debut album I Would Not Live Always in Spring 2021 was released through River Lea in Spring 2021. Produced by highly regarded producer, Brendan Jenkinson. This release further highlighted the enormous talent hidden away in the corners of Ireland’s folk scene.

I Would Not Live Always featured in Mojo’s top ten folk albums of 2021 and John received Best Emerging Folk Artist & Best Folk Singer accolades at RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards.
Moving on Music is delighted to present John Francis Flynn’s debut Belfast performance in association with Strange Victory and Out To Lunch Festival

‘Human experience burns ferociously on this extraordinary debut from the uncompromising Irish artist John Francis Flynn. An extraordinary debut’ – THE GUARDIAN

‘Double Tin Whistle and Tape-Loops. Revelatory new takes on English and Irish folk songs in the manner of Sam Amidon. A singular and striking clarity of vision’ – UNCUT

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

A documentary about the uncommon life of the late storyteller, explorer and chef, Anthony Bourdain, who exploded onto the scene in 2000 with the publication of his restaurant memoir Kitchen Confidential.

From there it was an unstoppable rise to episodic fame, first with No Reservations, followed by Parts Unknown.

Bourdain’s passion for food, travel, and culture tapped into a deeper humanity that resonated with viewers who felt that they knew him. And to those who did know him, “Tony” was an uncommonly sensitive and insightful soul whose friendship left a lasting impact.

Supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from National Lottery.

Acclaimed Irish comedian Tadhg Hickey (outstanding physical and comedic performer – The Scotsman), brings a weird and wonderful part theatre, part stand-up comedy show, In One Eye, Out The Other to this year’s Out to Lunch.

IOEOTO tells the story of Feargal, the downtrodden but cheery man who fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming an alcoholic. Using the Catholic calendar as a roadmap, Feargal leads us on a surreal and hilarious journey with many poignant twists in the hope of arriving at a sort of light at the end of the tunnel for the ‘bright man’.

The show is loosely based on Tadhg’s own journey with alcoholism. During promotion of the show, Tadhg went public with his own story and has since had many mental health and alcohol action groups, as well as sufferers, reach out to him.

Tadhg is one of the brightest and bravest new stars in Irish comedy and theatre. His satirical sketches have amassed several million views online, and earned the admiration of comedy royalty like Armando Ianucci.

‘In One Eye, Out The Other’ is characteristically brave and ambitious, as Tadhg searches for cathartic humour in a surreal retelling of his own battle with alcoholism.

“Great art. A vital catharsis. I laughed until I cried. Go see it.” – Sunday Independent

“Both funny and poignant; a brave, risky performance. This is exciting work” – The Independent

“Illuminating. Affecting in surprising ways. Feargal’s story will stay with you for days” – Sunday Business Post.

Doors open 30 minutes before show | Unreserved Seating

Roddy Woomble is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s finest songwriters. Known for his enigmatic lyrics, warm baritone voice and consummate gift for a tune, Roddy has released five solo albums to date and his first poetry collection Instrumentals was released in 2016.

For the past two decades Roddy has also been the frontman of much-loved Scottish alternative rock band Idlewild, releasing eight studio albums, and touring worldwide as a headline act, but also in support to R.E.M., Pearl Jam and U2 amongst others.

During lockdown, Roddy wrote and recorded a new solo album Lo! Soul to be released on May 21st.

Roddy explains: “I’m a collaborative songwriter, used to working in a room with one or more people, or a band, and I think my songs benefit from that human connection and response. With lockdown last year my initial reaction was not to work on songs. It offered a pause for us all, and like many others I found myself alone and reflecting. Concentrating on reading and writing. Considering maybe working on a book of poems instead. But eventually musical ideas started forming, and six months later ‘Lo! Soul’ was finished – recorded entirely remotely between my home, and the homes of my collaborators Andrew Mitchell and Danny Grant. It’s the most unusual sounding record I’ve made, and made in the most unusual circumstances’

Join us for this intimate, special show by one of our favourite songwriters on January 20.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

The Swing Gals are Northern Ireland’s original and leading vocal harmony trio. The girls have been performing together for over 12 years and are renowned for their innovative vocal arrangements of swing, jazz and a variety of popular modern genres.

They are delighted to return to the Out to Lunch Festival after their successful sell out performance in 2018. The Gals perform with their own band and appearances with the superb 16 piece Indigo Big Band have delighted their audiences.

Today’s line up consists of Ruth Jennings, Clare Galway and Karen Kirby, accompanied by Kathy McKeagney.  They will perform a varied programme of their sophisticated arrangements of songs from the iconic Andrews Sisters, ABBA, Diana Krall and the Sugababes.

Doors 12.30pm | Unreserved Seating

We’re delighted to present an evening of velvet drone at Out to Lunch! Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes, The Velvet Underground shows just how this remarkable group became a cultural touchstone representing a range of contradictions: the band is both of their time, yet timeless; literary yet realistic; rooted in high art and street culture.

The film features in-depth interviews with the key players of that time combined with a treasure trove of never-before-seen performances and a rich collection of recordings, Warhol films, and other experimental art that creates an immersive experience into what founding member John Cale describes as the band’s creative ethos: “how to be elegant and how to be brutal.”

Following the screening we’ll be serving up a live set from some of our own sonic descendants of the Velvets’ rich legacy.

‘This is a great documentary about people who are serious about music and serious also about art, and what it means to live as an artist.’★★★★ The Guardian

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating 

Supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from National Lottery.

Rescheduled until Friday 6 May, buy tickets here.

Gwenifer Raymond began playing guitar at the age of eight shortly after having been first exposed to punk and grunge. After years of playing around the Welsh valleys in various punk outfits she began listening more to pre-war blues musicians as well as Appalachian folk players, eventually leading into the guitar players of the American Primitive genre.

In 2017 she released her first single Sometimes There’s Blood and released her debut album You Never Were Much of a Dancer in June of 2018 to worldwide acclaim.

What followed was much international touring. Gwenifer headlined shows across much of Europe, debuted at several summer festivals including Green Man, Black Deer, Supernormal, Shambala to name but a fraction. She also played a number of support slots for artists such as Michael Chapman, Michael Hurley, Xylouris White and Charlie Parr.

The release of Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain has been highly anticipated after Gwenifer’s debut album, You Were Never Much of a Dancer, received critical acclaim from numerous publications including The Guardian.

Listeners who enjoyed her unmistakable virtuosity on the guitar and banjo, as well as the adventurous musical journey her debut album travelled through, can expect nothing less from this new release.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

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 lunch.

Meet at Northern Whig, 12.45pm

Aja, taken from the classic and iconic Dan album, is an 8 piece musical powerhouse of a band whose members have over 40 years experience in the business.

They replicate in incredible detail the original recordings of the legendary Steely Dan.  Aja have been performing these classic songs for over 13 years and have grown accustomed to packed houses of music lovers of all ages and genres.  

Original guitar, brass, keyboard solos and vocal harmonies are as true as can be to the original album recordings.  Their 2-hour set generally consists of the entire Aja album in the first half and is a sight and sound to behold.

Aja are Gerard Farrelly – Keyboards, Alan Cunningham – Drums and Percussion, Colm Lindsey – Guitars, Mark Wilde – Saxes, Serge Stavilla – Saxes, Tommy Moore – Base and Vocals, Sinead Stone – Vocals, John Graham – Lead Vocals.

Doors 1.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Described by Ralph McLean of BBC Radio Ulster as “A great songwriter with a voice that can break your heart at 30 paces” Brigid O’Neill from Co. Down is a genre-spanning songsmith whose evergreen music appeals to multiple generations.

The last few years have seen the critically acclaimed artist earn a formidable reputation as one of the most versatile, unique and fearless storytellers on the island. Her latest album Touchstone sees her effortlessly weave elements of folk, country and jazz into relatable tales of happiness, heartbreak and the human condition, with recently released singles Leaving and Prayers from her highly anticipated follow-up album, receiving great reviews.

Brigid has performed everywhere from the world-famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville to the iconic Grand Opera House in Belfast, writing with Grammy award writers along the way. She is a recipient of numerous Arts Council and Music Industry awards and was long-listed for the Glastonbury Festival 2020 Emerging Talent Competition and Northern Ireland Music Prize 2021.

Some time ago she had the idea to write songs about special buildings in Belfast and commissioned by the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, the project grew to include Derry and Armagh. Intangible Heritage a trilogy of songs from this very special project, recorded live at Sonic Visuals Studio, following an award and invitation from the British Council to perform at the online UK-China Festival of Contemporary Culture 2021.

It includes Sisters Born Here inspired by the historically significant Armagh Gaol, Belfast Angel about the Art Deco Bank in Belfast and Window Seat about Austins Dept Store in Derry.

‘An immensely gifted storyteller. Very special indeed’ – HOTPRESS

‘Brigid O’Neill has a voice like a clear cut diamond’ –  BRITISH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL

‘Supremely confident both musically and lyrically’ – GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL

‘Really beautiful’ – FIACHNA Ó BRAONAIN RTE RADIO 1

Doors 1.30pm | Unreserved Seating

One of Northern Ireland’s best loved folk artists Ciara O’Neill launches her new EP La Lune as part of Out to Lunch.

Written during a creative period whilst working frontline in the NHS throughout the pandemic La Lune takes you on a journey through the moonlit streets of Paris to the sunny shores of Saint-Tropez.

A stunning successor to her previous albums, the haunting and ethereal The Ebony Trail (2016) and the beautiful Arrow (2018), Ciara has honed her craft with regular songwriting trips to Nashville where she has written with Grammy winning songwriters, performances at the prestigious ‘Bluebird Cafe’ and also to a US TV audience of 60 million for Music City Roots.

‘A must listen for folk fans’ Hotpress Magazine

‘Timeless, noirish and understated folk’ Dancing About Architecture

“Mesmerising, it takes you away like all good music should” Ralph McLean BBC Radio Ulster

“Ciara and her songs carry everything with such conviction, it makes her almost transparent.” Folk Radio UK

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Rescheduled to Sunday 20 February, 2.00pm, buy tickets here.

Hazel O’ Connor has truly established herself as a concert artist and performer to be reckoned with. From initially catapulting to stardom with the starring role in Breaking Glass and the ensuing hits that followed, Hazel continues to tour extensively delighting sell-out audiences along the way, winning over fans old and new.

Her husky voice remains charged with passion and her enthusiasm, love of music, and wicked sense of humour, is ever present. Having now returned to her Celtic soul and folk roots, live and on-stage for this very special set of shows, she performs in a captivating line-up with Cormac de Barra on Irish Harp, her musical partner for some 15 years, as well as Ruari de Barra, guitar and keyboads and Paul Jarvis on cajon.

This Out to Lunch Festival highlight will feature some great newly-composed songs celebrating 40 years of song-writing and performance. No O’Connor show is complete without her original classics Will You, D-Days and Eighth Day or her new classics Rebecca, Driftwood, I’m Still Breathing and Acoustically Yours. Un-missable!

‘The expressive power of her singing, her songwriting craft and warm, strong personality shine through here with Cormac De Barra’s expert playing of the Irish Harp.’ – THE TIMES

‘Simply stunning’ –  Janice Long – BBC RADIO 2

‘Sumptuous songs with a soulful, introspective lyrical depth… seemless forays into pop, blues and soul, and the familiar silken gravel of O’Connor’s voice’ –   IRISH TIMES

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Sam Baker makes people happy. The characters in his songs face many challenges—alcoholism, car wrecks, racism, drug addiction, a mother’s abandonment—but they persevere. Much like Sam himself.

In 1986 Sam got in the middle of someone else’s war. When a terrorist bomb exploded in his train compartment, he went from being a young, healthy, tourist enjoying Peru with friends to a broken man surrounded by death and dying. Given his injuries, he too should have died. But through a series of miracles and coincidences he survived.

When the cranial bleed in his brain healed, he had to relearn nouns, and after his right eardrum was replaced, he regained some hearing. With the top of his left hand gone, it seemed that his formerly skillful hands had been transformed into blocks of wood, but eventually those hands learned how to play an upside-down guitar.

Physically, Sam was recovering, but his life was filled with pills, booze, and rage. Then came the voices and messengers that helped him see that the greatest gift is life itself. He learned about forgiveness. He needed to tell his story. Songs started to come from that upside-down guitar. Before he knew it, there were CDs, tours around the world and awards in Rolling Stone.

Sam feels compelled to tell his story—through his music, art, or any means possible—to one person at a time, or to thousands from a festival stage.

A Sam Baker show is a celebration. Some songs tell of everyday people who survive life’s daily challenges; others are stories of growing up in a small Texas prairie town. All his shows are an acknowledgment and appreciation of the pure joy that comes with people gathering to listen to live music. Out to Lunch is delighted to welcome Sam to Belfast.

The legendary ‘black Woodstock’ finally gets its due when a newly restored and digitally remixed Wattstax, Mel Stuart’s documentary of the epochal 1972 concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, receives its first-ever cinema screening in Belfast.

Featuring incendiary performances by Isaac Hayes, Albert King, Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Staple Singers, the Emotions, the Bar-Kays, and other greats of soul, R&B, and gospel – plus biting humour from a then little-known Richard Pryor — Wattstax is more than just a concert film.

It also captures a heady moment in mid-1970s, “black-is-beautiful” African-American culture, when Los Angeles’s black community came together just seven years after the Watts riots to celebrate its survival and a renewed hope in its future.

Supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from National Lottery.

The town of Blaine, Missouri may be small, but eccentric stage director Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest) always dreams big.

Determined to get back to the bright lights of “off-off-off-off-Broadway,” he casts a ragtag group of amateur actors in Red, White & Blaine, a musical celebration of the burg’s 150th anniversary — and when word gets out that New York talent scout Mort Guffman will be in the audience, Corky’s hopes of stardom just might come true.Shot in 29 days in a small suburb near Austin with one Super 16 camera and no script, director-star Guest’s cult-hit mockumentary was created entirely in collaboration with a superstar cast of improvisational talents, including Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Parker Posey, and, supremely, Catherine O’Hara, as travel agent–cum–theatrical hopeful Sheila Albertson; her audition duet of Midnight at the Oasis with her husband Ron (Willard), performed in matching windbreakers, is so marvellously painful you can’t wait for the mainstage production.

The film that no less than Meryl Streep once as named as her favourite, Waiting for Guffman is both hilarious and heart-warming. Join us in the Green Room for the perfect antidote to the January blues.

‘A superb send-up of small-town amateur dramatics’ – Empire

‘…the unmistakable delusions of grandeur that are shared by amateurs and professionals alike. All that, and we are treated to the sight of The Remains of the Day lunch boxes. What more could you want?’ –  The Independent

Doors 7pm | Unreserved Seating

Supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from National Lottery.

From Johnson City, Tennessee, Amythyst Kiah is a massively talented singer-songwriter who is creating powerful waves on both sides of the Atlantic. 2021 has been a huge year for her with a new record, major live shows and festivals, multiple award nominations and superstar collaborations. 2022 is set to be even bigger still, kicking off with a short European solo tour, long awaited by her fast-growing legion of fans.

Released in June to universal acclaim, Amythyst’s debut album for Rounder Records, Wary + Strange is a glorious and completely organic collision of two very different worlds: the iconoclastic alt-rock that first sparked her musical passion, and the American roots music scene, where she has now firmly established herself as an artist of real significance and distinction.

She earned 3 prestigious Americana Music Awards nominations in September, including Emerging Artist Of The Year and one for Black Myself as Song Of The Year. It was also nominated for a Grammy and won Song Of The Year at the2019 Folk Alliance Awards for the version by roots supergroup Our NativeDaughters, of which Amythyst is a member.

Following her summer radio hit with Moby and Gregory Porter on a reworking of Natural Blues, Moby returned the favour with a transformative remix of Black Myself, perfectly illustrating the vast reach of Amythyst’s sound and appeal.

A commanding live performer blessed with an unforgettable voice, Kiah combines the political and the deeply personal in a spellbinding examination of grief, alienation, healing and self-respect.

“A masterful blend of lonesome folk and neo-blues”  Rolling Stone

“Thrilling… her rich sound blossoming around her fearlessly honest songwriting” Paste

“A raw, crystal-clear statement of black power and gay pride” Billboard

“A bold record in both sound and content” 8/10 Uncut

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Dir. Philipp Reichenheim, Germany/U.S.A, 2021, 82 mins.

FEATURING: J Mascis, Lou Barlow, Kim Gordon, Henry Rollins, Bob Mould, Thurston Moore and many others.

Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr is a feature documentary homage to one of the most influential bands on the American East Coast, which greatly inspired the burgeoning alternative rock scene – including Nirvana and Sonic Youth – in the 1990s.

Their unique style and unmistakable sound, later referred to as Grunge, laid the foundation for the entire “Slacker” culture of Generation X. It’s also the story of the eloquent and eccentric guitarist and bandleader J. Mascis, the bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph and a band that funnily does not talk to each other.

Communication takes place exclusively through music. Director Philipp Reichenheim nevertheless skilfully encourages the three introverted and shy icons to shoot the breeze and unpack their fascinating story.

The film offers exclusive rare insights into the crazy everyday life of the band across three decades, and illuminates the inner workings of a cult band from its embryonic beginnings in the 1980s and 90s to the present day subculture icons.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from National Lottery.

Starring real-life friends Annie Clark (a.k.a. Grammy-winning artist St. Vincent) and Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney), this is a mischievous, metafictional and frequently laugh-out-loud funny account of banding together to make a documentary about St. Vincent’s music, touring life and on-stage persona. 

But they quickly discover unpredictable forces lurking within the subject and the filmmaker that threaten to derail the friendship, the project, and the duo’s creative lives. 

From first-time filmmaker Bill Benz (Portlandia, At Home With Amy Sedaris) comes a densely woven and increasingly fractured commentary on reality, identity and authenticity. 

A music documentary like no other, this is the story of two close friends who attempt to wrestle the truth out of a complex subject before the hall of mirrors that is their artistic lives devours them completely. 

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Supported by Film Hub NI, part of the BFI Film Audience Network, awarding funds from National Lottery.

Awarded a CQAF Creative Bursary for Music in 2020, Belfast-based Junk Drawer’s loose brand of indie rock mines anthems from their crate-digging tendencies. Drawing on post-punk, krautrock, psychedelia, experimentalism and art rock, Junk Drawer are not an outfit easy to pigeon hole.

Featuring multi-instrumentalists & vocalists Stevie Lennox, Jake Lennox, Brian Coney and Rory Dee, the band has built a must-see-live reputation, playing stages all around the island supporting Built To Spill, Mclusky and Temples, and performing at Other Voices, Spilt Milk, and Hard Working Class Heroes to name but a few. Their hardworking, DIY attitude is paying dividends, securing regular airplay on BBC Radio 1, 6Music & Ulster, RTÉ 2fm, and increasingly from US college radio.

A 4-piece band, but also part of a larger musical community, Junk Drawer have helped spearhead the grassroots Irish music scene with their role in releasing sold-out vinyl compilation series A Litany of Failures which features many well-known artists from the island.

Winners of Best Single at the NI Music Prize 2019, their debut LP Ready For The House was released through Art For Blind Records in April 2020. Across eight tracks, the band deliver a brutally honest, yet sardonic exploration of personal malady and redemption.

Met with widespread acclaim, it placed in The Quietus’ Best Albums of 2020 and its quarterly Best Irish Music column. It was nominated for the 2020 NI Music Prize.

A.O. Gerber is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in LA. She released her debut album Another Place To Need – co-produced with Madeline Kenney – in May 2020.

The album has picked up widespread acclaim from the likes of NPR, Gorilla vs. Bear, NYLON and The Line Of Best Fit, who gave the record a glowing 9/10 review and aligned her with the likes of Angel Olsen and Julia Jacklin. An anticipated follow-up is expected in 2022.

‘there’s real beauty at work here, with smart arrangements, judicious use of brass and an overwhelming clarity of thought that gives the album a real cohesion.’ – BITTER SWEET SYMPHONIES

Doors 7.45pm | Unreserved seating

Myles McCormack is a multi-instrumentalist from Belfast who writes powerful songs with a delicate touch. In 2019 he released his debut solo album with a sold-out show in Belfast’s Duncairn Arts Centre.

It’s a sublime and carefully crafted debut from an artist who effortlessly bridges the gap between ruminative and blissful.

This past year has seen Myles work on a batch of new songs at home. By Demons, the first of this new material to be released, is a great example of his unique song-writing style and atmospheric sound and has been receiving praise across Irish and UK radio.

Myles will be supporting artist for a host of shows across the Out to Lunch festival, details of which will be released in the coming weeks.

“It’s a gossamer and quietly emphatic first gambit from an artist who continues to set himself apart” – THE THIN AIR

“You couldn’t bring yourself to turn away even if you wanted to” – CHORDBLOSSUM

“He carries within his work an effervescent tenure to unravel mysteries and turmoil” – FOLK&LORE

Hailing from the archipelago of Orkney, composer and multi-instrumentalist Erland Cooper explores the natural world of landscape, memory, people and place. Cooper believes music often reflects the landscape a musician is surrounded with, be it rural, urban, real or imagined.

His second solo album, Sule Skerry, was released last year as the second in a triptych shaped by Orkney’s air, sea and land, as it was celebrated by Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown.

While his acclaimed first solo record Solan Goose paid homage to Orkney’s birdlife, Cooper turns his attention to the North Sea in Sule Skerry.

Originally part of acclaimed bands The Magnetic North and Erland & The Carnival, Cooper has a diverse musical history. Last year’s debut solo album Solan Goose was an Album of the Year at BBC Radio 6 Music, the Quietus, and more; and Sule Skerry has already been crowned a BBC Radio 6 Music Album of the Day.

Originally scheduled for CQAF 2020 and with hugely acclaimed new album Hether Blether recently released, this promises to be a highlight of our 2021 festival.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved seating

Fairport Convention have been entertaining music lovers for over half a century, with 2022 being their 55th anniversary!

During that time the band that launched British folk-rock has seen many changes, but one thing has remained the same – Fairport’s passion for performance. The performance will present a mix of long-established Fairport favourites and some surprises from albums old and new including their latest album, Shuffle & Go, which was released just before ‘lockdown’ in 2020.

Fairport Convention have won a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award and Radio 2 listeners voted their ground-breaking album Liege & Lief  ‘The Most Influential Folk Album of All Time’. Their story has been celebrated with television documentaries on BBC Four and Sky Arts.

The band features founding member Simon Nicol on guitar and vocals, Dave Pegg on bass guitar, Ric Sanders on violin, Chris Leslie on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, and Gerry Conway on drums and percussion.

‘Stuffing their set with a surprising amount of new material for a vintage act, Fairport are still clearly having fun and brought the house down.’– THE GUARDIAN

“Fairport is an institution, a festival, purveyors of memories, and keepers of the folk flame. But most of all they are a brilliant live band.” – FOLK & TUMBLE

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Support by DJ Sarge

After years of parties in Belfast, Superfly Funk and Soul Club are joining forces with Deptford Northern Soul Club with support from DJ Sarge.

Deptford Northern Soul Club are childhood friends, Will Foot and Lewis Henderson, whose early love of soul developed after discovering Lewis’ Dad’s record collection. After finally bringing their musical heritage to the forefront with their debut DJ set at Deptfords Bunker Club 4 years ago, they have since taken their unique club night around the UK, performing at the likes of Glastonbury festival and Green Man, alongside a residency at Manchester’s YES, their beloved Bunker Club and London’s Moth Club.

Whether behind a turntable, dancing out front or in discussion, their sheer love and passion for soul is infectious, as is the spark of friendship and mutual musical appreciation between the two of them. 27-years-old but with old heads on their young shoulders, they have emerged as the new face of Northern Soul, bringing the movement back into the conversation of modern dance music.

Superfly Funk and Soul began as just another regular soul night in the city but has fast become an established brand, combining a popular online radio show with a website packed with interesting content, a range of merchandise and a high energy club night!

Pete Brady’s Radio Show is committed to showcasing all that is great about today’s scene, as well as recognizing some of the amazing artists from the past. Expect to hear sounds from Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway as well as some current day acts such as The Getup and Stone Foundation.

The club nights have proven to be one of the best nights out in Belfast and have continued to grow in both stature and in popularity, especially with the quality of acts who have been over to play, such as The Allergies, Smoove and Turrell and Crowd Company. Local bands such as The Organauts, Freedom 35s and Supertonic Sound Club have all played, helping to play their part in some brilliant nights.

Doors 10.00pm | Limited Unreserved Seating

NI troubadour Malojian and Out to Lunch invite you to a very special afternoon show celebrating the music of the iconic singer songwriter Neil Young.

The show features songs from the huge Neil repertoire, with a focus on the early 1970s including songs from the albums Harvest and After the Gold Rush.

Malojian whose own music has been heavily influenced by Neil Young and his band will present their beautiful interpretations of his songs in an afternoon you soon won’t forget.

“There was a band playing in my head and I felt like getting high”

Door open 1.45pm | Unreserved Seating

Born in Springfield, Illinois, Mirenda Rosenberg grew up outside Washington DC. Raised the daughter of an ordained minister, Mirenda’s musical influences were initially restricted to Christian and classical music.

The discovery of jazz and blues on her older brother’s radio opened up a whole new musical soundscape and introduced her to the likes of Billie Holliday and Bessie Smith – formative influences who remained constant companions on her musical journey.

The charismatic singer has showcased her vocal talents and performance skills throughout Ireland and even opened for the legendary Chuck Berry on two separate occasions and supported seasoned musicians such as Jack L, Bell X1, Cathy Davey and The Commitments.

A dynamic, emotionally provocative singer whose performances channel love, loss, power and desire, expect an unparalleled afternoon of soul, funk, jazz, and blues music.

Doors 2.00pm | Unreserved Seating

Rory Nellis launches his brand new album, Written & Underlined, with a full band show at the Sunflower in Belfast.

Rory is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Belfast. Producing a mix of folk-pop and indie-rock stemming from musings on life, death, relationships and politics he is a natural fit for fans of Wilco, Villagers and Duke Special.

Rory has been writing and performing since he was a teenager, gaining support from the likes of BBC Radio Ulster, RTE 2FM and Hot Press Magazine. Rory has toured all around Ireland and beyond – playing festivals and venues such as The Limelight, The Atlantic Sessions, Other Voices (Dingle), Whelan’s (Dublin) and The Bluebird Cafe (Nashville).

Nellis’s second album, There Are Enough Songs in the World, was widely acclaimed, seeing him being heralded as “One of Ireland’s most naturally gifted songsmiths” by The Thin Air. As Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody put it at the time: “the music is sweeping. There’s magic in it”.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved seating

From London, Crowd Company are one of the UK’s top soul funk bands – a modern take on vintage 70s soul funk with unexpected twists and turns. Crowd Company were named  as a ‘Top Release of 2019′ on the Craig Charles BBC Radio 6 show. And also their latest album was featured by Craig as a ‘Top Pick for 2020’

The band is known for rich songwriting combined with catchy hooks and features three outstanding soulful vocalists often blending exquisite harmonies. Coupled with virtuoso musicianship – in-the-pocket heavy grooves , Hammond organ, horns, tasteful guitar playing.With 2 studio albums under their belt to great acclaim their upcoming 3rd album ‘Lowdown’ takes things to a new level with rich song-writing combined with catchy hooks, inventive vocals and tight grooves. The new full-length was co-produced by Alan Evans (Soulive, Ae3) and features the renowned Ryan Zoidis and Eric Bloom from US Grammy-nominated funk band Lettuce on Sax and Trumpet on all tracks. Single releases from the album have met with rave reviews.

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Craig Charles has championed the band, playing songs from the album extensively on his BBC radio show. The single Express 76 was included in his “Best Releases of the year “ show. Craig also selected the new album as one of his picks of “hot  releases of 2020” special, previewing the single ‘A New Direction’.

“Crowd Company are knocking it out of the park. Excellent, top class!”  Craig Charles BBC Radio 6“A fantastic album” Robert Elms, BBC Radio London“ If you want exceptional funk Crowd Company has it!” The Huffington Post“At the forefront of the British modern funk scene.” Music-news “An Instant Classic 9/10 (about new album Lowdown) Blues & Soul magazine

Crowd Company is just as much a powerhouse on stage as they are in the studio. As well as headlining sold out gigs of their own they have toured with/ shared stages with the likes of George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Soulive, The New Mastersounds, Daptone Records’ Saun & Starr.

Doors 8.30pm | Limited Unreserved Seating

With Wendy Erskine, Acoustic Dan, Susie Blue, Paula Flynn and Stephen Sexton. Presented by Stuart Bailie.

Dig With It magazine is a Belfast magazine about music, arts and Nordy culture. The title is borrowed from Seamus Heaney and the aim is to write well about our singular arts family.

Issue 7 will be launched at this special event as Dig With It celebrates its second year as a quarterly read.

Wendy Erskine will talk music and play records. Acoustic Dan and Paula Flynn will reveal new music and collaborative work. Susie Blue will preview an upcoming body of story songs, Caught, while Stephen Sexton will salute WB Yeats and the Smashing Pumpkins in his recent poetry, collection, Cheryl’s Destinies. Expect surprises.

Every ticket holder gets a free copy of the new magazine.

Doors 1.30pm | Unreserved Seating

One of the most ferocious and exciting Irish super groups on the planet, Four Men and A Dog combine the talents of five of Ireland’s most exhilarating musicians. Blending vivacious high energy Irish ‘trad’ with Southern rock, rap, jazz, blues, bluegrass, polka, country, swing and even salsa, their live shows are a fast and infectious, furious musical force.

Four Men and a Dog made their debut performance as a band in Murphy’s Bar, Dungiven, in 1990 before going on to steal the show at the Belfast Folk Festival later that year, with a high-energy approach that combines furious traditional dance tunes with irreverent new music and inimitable covers.

Barking Mad, their debut album, snagged an award for Album of the Year from Folk Roots magazine in 1991, marking the first time that an Irish group had ever won the prize.

From then on, the band went from strength to strength, loved for the spontaneity of their live shows. The band are: percussionist Gino Lupari, accordionist Donal Murphy, banjoist Gerry O’Connor, fiddler Cathal Hayden and, Kevin Doherty as lead singer.

 ‘Once again, “The Dogs” are off the leash and still out there with the very best. What’s more, they’re getting better.’ – IRISH TIMES

Doors 2.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Birmingham composer/saxophonist Olivia Murphy is the recipient of Norther Irish jazz talent organisation Jazzlife Alliance’s first UK-wide Young Composer Award – a mentorship with the iconic Django Bates funded by the PRS Foundation. She will premiere music created during this mentorship. 

A graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Olivia is the only two-time winner of their Jazz Composition Prize and she has received commissions to write for the University of Birmingham Jazz Orchestra and Stone Lane Records. 

She has been the composer for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra for the past two years and her varied work with them has included two sets of reimagined Amy Winehouse arrangements. 

Olivia Murphy – soprano saxophone, compositions, Becca Wilkins – vocals, fx, Olly Chalk – piano 

Doors 7pm | Unreserved Seating 

TV favourite Lucy returns with another fantastic stand-up show.

At Brownies, Lucy thought she’d be prepared for anything as long as she had her emergency 10p for a phone box and knew how to tie a Fisherman’s knot.

Life turned out to be slightly more complicated than Brown Owl let on.

Recent TV includes Would I Lie to You, QI and Impossible, she’s a regular on Radio 4’s News Quiz and The Now Show.

Doors 7.30pm | Unreserved Seating

Myles McCormack is a multi-instrumentalist from Belfast who writes powerful songs with a delicate touch. In 2019 he released his debut solo album with a sold-out show in Belfast’s Duncairn Arts Centre.

It’s a sublime and carefully crafted debut from an artist who effortlessly bridges the gap between ruminative and blissful.

This past year has seen Myles work on a batch of new songs at home. By Demons, the first of this new material to be released, is a great example of his unique song-writing style and atmospheric sound and has been receiving praise across Irish and UK radio.

Myles will be supporting artist for a host of shows across the Out to Lunch festival, details of which will be released in the coming weeks.

“It’s a gossamer and quietly emphatic first gambit from an artist who continues to set himself apart” – THE THIN AIR

“You couldn’t bring yourself to turn away even if you wanted to” – CHORDBLOSSUM

“He carries within his work an effervescent tenure to unravel mysteries and turmoil” – FOLK&LORE