Duke Special, a.k.a. Peter Wilson, is a Belfast artist with an unique sound, often referred to as 'vaudeville'. His songs are shaped by an omnipresent piano, harps, brass, strings and - his trademark on stage - an old gramophone. The result are very romantic and passionate little hymns with the Duke's soft vocals. A quite antique sound, but never old-fashioned.


Music was all he ever wanted to do. He learned piano as a child and sang traditional Irish songs in churches and community centres with his sisters. Soon he began writing his own songs and played in some local rock bands with little success.

Under his pseudonym 'Duke Special' he recorded two limited EPs (Lucky Me, My Villain Heart) and sold them at hundreds of concerts across Ireland, the UK and Germany. He supported Aqualung, Rufus Wainwright, Paddy Casey, Gemma Hayes, cDavid Ford, The Divine Comedy Snow Patrol and many others over the last years. More than 6,000 copies of the EPs were sold, and Duke re-released the two EPs as an album (Adventures in Gramophone). In 2005 the "Your Vandal"-EP was released.

Special credit must be given to his onstage partner Chip Bailey, who greatly amuses with self-made percussions formerly known as kitchenware.

Duke Special's second album (and debut on V2 Records) Songs From The Deep Forest is out now and received very good reviews. A limited vinyl box set with six heavyweight 7" in a wooden box is also available. The first single from the album was "Freewheel".

A special two disc edition of "Songs From the Deep Forest" was released on October 1st 2007. Amongst other bonus live tracks is the latest single "Our Love Goes Deeper Than This" with Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy) and Romeo Stodart (the Magic Numbers).

Duke Special released his new album I Never Thought This Day Would Come in the UK in april 2009.

A more immediate and visceral collection than the previous multi-platinum selling Songs From The Deep Forest, the new album's many moments of beauty and hope are juxtaposed with a dark, brooding edge- the trademark twist of the Duke.

Recorded between Wapping, London; Champaign, Illinois and Culleybackey, Northern Ireland, I Never Thought This Day Would Come was produced by long-time collaborator Paul Pilot and mixed by Nick Terry, best known for his work with The Klaxons and The Libertines.



In a deliberate attempt to push outwards, Duke Special undertook many writing collaborations for this album including sessions with Daniel Benjamin - drummer with German punk band Jumbo Jet, Paul Pilot, Phil Wilkinson and Bernard Butler. The wind, brass and percussion of the RTE Symphony Orchestra, under the stewardship of the inimitable David Brophy, add a swirling carnival flavour to the proceedings.

Since the release of Songs From The Deep Forest, Duke Special has toured across Ireland, the UK and Europe. From headlining a packed-to-the-rafters Shepherds Bush Empire in London to stage diving at Electric Picnic, hosting five nights back-to-back at Belfast's Empire Music Hall to appearing as a special guest performer at the Cannes Film Festival, Duke Special has come further than he ever imagined he might. Crowded House invited him along on their first tour in ten years. He gave a little-known Welsh singer called Duffy her first ever shows, guested for the legendary Ray Davies in London and performed at The Irish Film Boards Oscar Wilde event in LA.

Duke Special's immense creative talents have seen him writing the theme tune for Sesame Tree - the Northern Ireland edition of Sesame Street - where he also got to sing with The Muppets in the final episode. He has hosted a night at the Belfast Film Festival where he performed as a puppet of himself. He recently created a night of song and theatre in the Spiegeltent for the Dublin Fringe Festival and performed his songs accompanied by a 60 piece strong RTE Symphony Orchestra at a sold out show in Dublin's National Concert Hall.



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Hailing from New York City are The Clatty Lads! A few good (HA!) boys playing their Indie rock, folk, pop, country good times right into your ears which are scientifically connected to your brain! What happens next? You sing along and dance to all around great times!

"Unwilling to be restricted by the all too rigid confines of genre, New York City's The Clatty Lads achieve an impressive amalgamation of sounds and atmospheres ranging from breezy summer evening vibes to wistful, introspective hip-hop and moving, thoughtful country. Easy-going groove and effortlessly soulful vocals permeate the infectious, laid-back feel while an uncanny sense of emotion combines with a modern folk-rock sensibility to create a truly eloquent and enjoyable listening experience." - J.A. Burt

"In the world of music a band runs the risk of going to one of two extremes. The first, in an attempt to be artistically diverse they can encompass so many different styles that it leaves your head spinning and you don't know what genre to classify them in. Or the second extreme, they can pigeonhole themselves so that nothing they do surprises you.

The Clatty Lads have struck a perfect balance between the two. They have managed to find a path where it's easy to see the pop/rock vibe they are going for, yet at the same time they will throw you a curveball with a rap song or a tune with a country or folk tinge. The result definitely leaves you wanting more.

They have taken everything that was timeless about acts from the 90s such as Sublime or Everlast and paired it with trends that are popular in music today with acts like Matt Nathanson or Guster to name a couple. In short, it's hard not to bob your head when you're listening to their music. They are a band worth continually checking in on to see what they are up to." - J. Berray

http://www.theclattylads.com
http://www.facebook.com/theclattylads
http://www.youtube.com/theladsnyc


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"a refreshing validation of what a singer/songwriter should be"
-Mike Knightson - NEWSTALK

"impressive....with style" - HOTpress magazine

To call him a singer/songwriter really wouldn't give you an idea of what his music sounds like or where his influences lie. His music spans from acoustic, jazz, and rock all the way to hip-hop, electro, and funk. Such varied influences probably stem from constantly being on the move and changing his surroundings. Kiernan was born in Hong Kong 1986 and in the last 21 years has called America, Australia, UK and Ireland home at some point. The majority of his childhood was spent in Boston which is evident in his music with a lot of influence coming from the songwriter scene in the states.

In 2005 after finishing secondary school he started a course and sound, stage, and lighting and it was during that time he began working on what would be his first unofficial album( "long demo" as he refers to it) "New Age Robin Hood" which compiled 13 songs written and produced by himself. By the time he released it independently he was working steadily in venues around the country and spending all his free time on the road doing shows, interviews, appearances, and promotion. In late 2006 after releasing and touring the album he ran into his band:

-Declan Clarke (drums) who was introduced to him by NY based songwriter Joe Whyte
-Adam Brothwood (bass) an aspiring sound engineer and college friend, and
-Kevin O'Malley (guitar) a long time school friend and fellow songwriter.

So touring then began with the new band, the shows became countless and he seemed to be making a splash in the Irish music scene. So he quit work and took to music full time.

In 2007 he released his first official single in Ireland called "Borderline" which went to number 3 on the Irish download charts and earned him spots on major radio stations all over the country as well as supports with the likes of Cathy Davey, The Blizzards, David Geraghty, The Coronas, Delorentos, top Australian duo Angus & Julia Stone, and many many more.

In late 2007 he stepped into the studio with his band to work on a new full length record. They went to Grouse Lodge Studios which has seen the likes of REM, Muse, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Flogging Molly, Paolo Nutini, and even Michael Jackson record there.

Kiernan's debut on One Eleven Records is available now on iTunes.

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