Duke Special
SUN 31 MAY 2026
Duke Special
Songs From The Deep Forest
20th Anniversary show
+ Conchúr White
By nature, Duke Special (aka Belfast’s Peter Wilson) is a curious person. He is curious about music, theatre, books, poetry, art, love, life, redemption, death and 78RPM records.
All of this is evidenced by the variety of musical adventures throughout his career. He has released 14 albums and EPs, toured all over the world and has been involved in a diverse array of other projects, including writing the music for Deborah Warner’s critically acclaimed 2009 production of Mother Courage and Her Children at London’s National Theatre and being commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to write a series of original songs based on photographs for their exhibition of the photographers Stieglitz, Steichen and Strand.
In the world of theatre, since Mother Courage, Duke has written music for four shows with Andrew Doyle: Gulliver’s Travels (BYMT, 2015), Paperboy, (BYMT, 2017), Huckleberry Finn (Lyric Theatre, Belfast, 2018), and Breadboy (BYMT 2022) and with Bob Kelly: Breakfast on Pluto (Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival, in development).
Performing live is still one of Duke Special’s main passions, and over the years he has played to captive audiences across the world. Whether he performs solo, as a duo with his long-time friend and percussionist Chip Bailey, with a full band, a string quartet or full orchestra, a Duke Special show is always a unique experience.
Duke will be performing the album in full.
Conchúr White’s debut album “Swirling Violets” was released via Bella Union to critical acclaim. A singer-songwriter from Co Armagh, White navigates the dreamlike and the grounded with blissful fluency. It’s a richly imagined album of multitudes from an instinctive talent, musically referencing the likes of Midlake, Aldous Harding and Bleacher.
With praise from Mojo, Uncut, Hot Press, Irish Times, Under the Radar, Steve Lamacq, BBC6 Music, KEXP and others under his belt, Conchúr has also played radio sessions for Dan Hegarty (2FM), Gemma Bradley (BBC Intro), Stephen McCauley (BBC Radio Ulster) and appeared on Other Voices. “Swirling Violets” was also Album Of The Week on RTE Radio One.
Conchúr has notched up recent touring slots with Elbow, The Magnetic Fields, Margaret Glaspy, Billie Marten, John Grant, Richard Hawley, Villagers & John Cale and will be joining Duke Special for shows in May 2026.
“A gentle gem… You may be reminded of Sufjan Stevens in his soft-sung approach, and the warm, organ-accompanied ‘501s’ is shot through with yearningly nostalgic reference points… Creamy harmonies also enhance the redemptive melancholia of ‘Fawn’ as if he’s bottled up some West Coast air and let is loose in the studio”
UNCUT 8/10********
“His debut has a lyrical sophistication and thematic weight that lends real impact… Exploring mortality, addiction and compulsion, White is adept with mood and dynamics and has a falsetto that recalls Angelo De Augustine.”
MOJO 4/5 ****
“Armagh singer-songwriter Conchúr White has laid down a serious marker for Irish debut album of the year with Swirling Violets, a collection of indie earworms that sound better with each listen”
THE IRISH TIMES 4/5 ****
“A hugely impressive debut that gets better with each listen”
HOT PRESS 9/10 *********
DETAILS
DATE: Sun 31 May 2026
VENUE: The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AA
TIME: 7:30pm
Briana Corrigan (The Beautiful South)