I was delighted to speak to the BBC about the vital role that the Music Venue Trust are playing in highlighting to government the importance of grassroots venues.
I cut my teeth in venues across the country, playing anywhere that offered an opportunity to share my own music with live audiences. It is integral to all artist development & direct fan relationships. Without those venues I would not have been able afforded the opportunities in my career that I have, connected with as many people both locally and worldwide, and on a personal level, I wouldn’t have met my fiancé Nikki (she booked me for a show, it wasn’t great, we didn’t really speak, it’s a long story 😎).
I am in awe of the commitment to this belief in grassroots venues that the MVT are campaigning for as loudly as they possibly can & it is an honour to support it. It’s also gives me a personal sense of pride that Nikki MacRae has worked alongside the MVT on this 🖤 Big day for the parish
SURPRISE! Delighted to be working with The Strand Cinema on the two core elements of my life (outside of dogs & wife) - Performing My Greatest Hits & Writing Smash Hits With/For Other Artists
On June 26th I’ll be running a songwriting workshop & then playing a very special show in the evening @ H&W Staff Club, Belfast
Tickets are now live for both 🖤 go grab them before someone else does (info in bio on IG)
We are delighted to have @ciaranlavery at the Harland & Wolff Staff Club, with a Songwriting Workshop: ‘From Your Thoughts To The Page’ followed by a live gig ‘In The Middle of The Room’.
In the afternoon, award winning artist & songwriter Ciaran Lavery will run an immersive workshop on songwriting and how to capture your own thoughts and speaking voice onto the page.
Over the course of two hours, and as a group, Lavery will walk attendees through essential tools to song creation and lyric writing, as well as putting these tools to practice. Limited spaces for this so booking is essential.
Then in the evening…
In The Middle of The Room
Be immersed in a 360° all-seated show placing you right at the centre of the performance, with Ciaran sharing both the music and the stories behind it.
When: June 26th | Workshop: 3-5pm | Gig: 8.30pm
Where: Harland & Wolff Staff Club
Workshop £25 (£10 gig ticket available on the door for attendees)
Live gig: £16
Head to All Events in our bio to secure your tickets. 🎟️
I Also Write For/With Others #6 - Joel Harkin
When he’s not mastering records for almost every artist from the north of Ireland, Joel Harkin can be found either on the lap steel or playing some of the sharpest & funniest heart-wrenching songs you’re likely to hear.
The Donegal wordsmith is someone I consider a dear friend, so it felt natural to reach out about writing together. We did so via the power and wonderment of technology & the World Wide Web thanks entirely to the state of the world during those early apocalyptic years beginning in 2020 or thereabouts.
The fascinating thing about working with Joel was that from my perspective he has such a definite voice when it comes to his songwriting, so the trick was trying to burrow into his head, if possible, and with little fuss, so that I wasn’t throwing lyrics at him that were wide of his unique thought process & views.
I keep returning to the first song that we wrote together (more on the second down the line) Ho Chi Minh if I sit with a guitar in my hands for long enough. It was a curious one to write & something I’m deeply proud of. Finding these historical giants to utilise & weave in with some personal characters we were familiar with was incredibly fun to do, whilst always making sure we had our destination in mind, that being the overarching message that status & class aside, we all go out the same way. I know that can read as a deeply morbid consideration, but there’s a freedom to this acceptance, and possibly those uncertain times back then led us down the path of what the song wanted to be.
I highly recommend listening to @joelharkin or his fantastic supergroup The @shamrockshowband , or his beautiful instrumental duo @pedalandleversociety , or checking out his mastering services @ayesoundmastering 🖤
Live performance of "Make Me See God" by Sir Jude and Ciaran Lavery, from the new gothic collaboration Trophy Wife Tapes, Vol. 1 #trophywifetapes #altmusic #gothic
I am proud to be supporting Pure Gent campaign set up to raise funds for Women’s Aid NI who provide vital support for women & children experiencing domestic abuse.
Head over to @puregentni to get involved, or make a direct donation to @womensaidni and further support this incredible ongoing work
Live performance of "So, So Good and So, So Bad" by Sir Jude and Ciaran Lavery, from the new gothic collaboration Trophy Wife Tapes, Vol. 1 #trophywifetapes #altmusic #gothic
Due to personal circumstances, our upcoming show in St Pancras Old Church has been rescheduled to Wednesday, the 29th of April. All purchased tickets are valid for the new date 🖤. Grab the last ones while you can. Thank you for all the love for the new record.
Trophy Wife Tapes, Vol. 1, a new collaborative project by Ciaran Lavery and Sir Jude, is out now on all streaming platforms. #altmusic #gothic #trophywifetapes #fyp
I am thrilled to announce I will be playing a very special 360° show at the Braid Real Music Club, Ballymena on June 13th
For context - the stage will be banished & audience will sit around me as I move from station to station playing the greatest hits. It will be a very unique evening for us all
Tickets are out now! (Link in bio)
