aaamusic | On 22, May 2011

Duke Special among guests acts at unique double-location gig on June 11

Rootsy folk pop band Katie and the Carnival are set to officially launch their debut single at a unique double-location gig involving over a dozen of Northern Ireland’s top live acts.

The new single – entitled ‘Went to the Fair‘ – will be available for download on itunes from June 11. Coinciding with that release date, Katie and the Carnival will play The Black Box and The Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast, and they’ll be joined by a number of special guests including: Duke Special; The Lowly Knights; Cara Cowan; and The Inishowen Gospel Choir. A limited edition EP has also been produced and it will be available to buy exclusively from gigs, and from The Rusty Zip and Head Records shops.

Along with the single and EP (entitled ‘The Places We Go; The Darkest Depths’), Katie and the Carnival will be unveiling their all-new line-up.

“We’re really excited by the launch event on June 11. Not only is it a chance to debut our single and line-up, but it’s also going to be a great celebration of the huge talent Northern Ireland can claim right now. More than a dozen big-name acts have been brought together and it’s going to be real treat for music fans of all genres. We’re so grateful to them for agreeing to contribute and to help create a really memorable day for everyone who comes along,” said Katie.

Supported by Third Bar Artist Development, seven-piece band Katie and the Carnival has been characterised as like the love child of Lou Reed and Darlene Love. The single and EP promises to offer a dark concoction of musical pleasures – lots of upbeat yet melancholy songs intertwined with gutsy and whimsical lyrics.

A classically trained singer, Katie has previously worked alongside The Jane Bradfords, Cara Cowan, Colenso Parade, Master and Dog, Eilis Philips and The Delawares. She has played regularly alongside Duke Special – the first time being when she joined him onstage for a performance at the Irish Meteor Music Awards in 2009.

Looking ahead, Katie said: “Ultimately, we’ve set out to create original music and to present it in an original way – and I hope people will agree we’ve achieved this!”

The band has also made a 45-minute long film – called ‘The Places we go‘ – with local filmmaker Will McConnell from Bandwidthsessions.com It’s a conceptual film of ad hoc live, acoustic performances at a range of locations around Belfast. The film will be played during intervals at the launch event.

The single ‘Went to the Fair’ will be available to download for 79p from itunes and bandcamp.

Tickets for the June 11 event are available via The Black Box (www.blackboxbelfast.com) and The Rusty Zip (www.therustyzip.com) fashion outlet in Botanic, Belfast. Tickets are priced at £10 for the entire day; or £6 for The Black Box show and £6 for the evening show in The Oh Yeah Centre. Anyone with information or ticket queries should contact davy@thirdbar.co.uk