MUSIC
At A Glance JANUARY FEBRUARY
2017
BOOKING INFORMATION TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM THE EMPIRE BAR ALL TICKETMASTER OUTLETS TELEPHONE 24 HR CREDIT CARD BOOKING LINE 0844 277 4455 ONLINE WWW.TICKETMASTER.IE
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ALL PATRONS MUST BE AGED 18 OR OVER.
Kitty Says, It might be cold and it could snow, but you’ll always be assured of a warm welcome in the Empire. We’ve our usual range of high end entertainment, live local music and top quality COMEDY that’s just the ticket to beat the January blues! CC HOULIHAN’S now annual Elvis experience, on what would have been the King’s birthday, needs to be seen to be believed, with one of Ireland’s most sought after Elvises. Elviss. Elvii. Well, you know what I mean! WALLIS BIRD will be presenting her latest album in the music hall and we’ve got lots and lots of local talent across January and February GIFTEDs and wee sneaky NO OIL PAINTINGS headline show. As always ROOTS promises full band live original music every Friday in the bar. We’ll have a wee JANUARY PINT SALE before pay day to tide you over and there’s more gin than you could shake a stick at plus the usual big value, big portion Empire menu! Big screen sport including SIX NATIONS starting February and of course a bucket load of tribute fun from THE ILLEGALS, NEGATIVE CREEPS (Nirvana) and AC?DC. Whilst the infamous RUBBERBANDITS return for another uncompromising concert experience. Winter? Pah, we’ve got it covered.
As always, I remain yours truely,
Kittyxx
Sunday 10pm
ken haddock’s supper club Admission FREE
Monday 10pm
the big empire quiz Entry £1
Tuesday 11pm
DISCOBEARD Admission FREE
Wednesday 10pm acoustic showcase ni
Society sessions singer songwriters
Admission FREE LIVE SPORT ON THE BIG SCREEN
Entertainment
Every Night
Thursday 10.30pm
rab mccullough & band Admission FREE
Friday 5.30pm
JACKIE RAINEY Admission FREE
Friday 10.30pm
ROOTS 100% fresh see page 6 for details
Admission FREE
Saturday 10.30pm
SATURDAY LIVE 7 & 14 JAN 21 & 28 JAN 4 & 11 FEB 18 & 25 FEB
BLACK MARKET ICONS ARMS OF VENUS DE MILO THE PAUL DEAN BAND THE MOONSHINES
Admission FREE LATE BAR EVERY NIGHT / FOOD SERVED MON-SAT
original artists playing their own music & more! 3 FEB The vibes 6 JAN mark braidner blues trio 10 FEB discobeard 13 JAN The vibes 17 FEB THE EL DUDE 20 JAN THE DANDY HORSES BROthers 24 FEB To Be Announced 27 JAN rackhouse pilfer
10.30PM // free admission
Hosted by BBC TV’s Blame Game regulars JAKE O’KANE & COLIN MURPHY (and occasional guests) this world famous night features headline acts from the UK and international Comedy circuit with top supporting acts and open spots from across the country.
house WINE £12 IL JUGS £ A T K 12 COC LIVE STAND UP
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TUESDAY
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Admission £8 (£7 STUDENTS ) // Doors Open 8pm // Show Starts 9pm
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FRI 13 JAN
Sister Ghost Paranoids Wasps Black Chapels
Admit it, you’d forgotten about Sonic Youth, hadn’t you? But they were bloody great in the day. SISTER GHOSTS agree, and have added a slice of Sleater Kinney to the mix to make one of Ireland’s hottest up and coming tickets a reality. Support comes from two-piece wreaking machine PARANOIDS, Math-punk outfit WASPS and Fermanagh natives BLACK CHAPELS. A night dedicated to the harder end of alternative music.
THUR 2 FEB
Anto and The Echoes Runaby Brash IsAac The Mad Dalton
Maturity may be overrated in some ways, but when you’ve got 6 talented experienced musicians playing for you, it’s something to be treasured. Following a chance meeting at Sunflowerfest, ANTO AND THE ECHOS have been cementing a formidable live reputation. Support comes from new Trad types RUNABAY, skewed pop merchant BRASH ISAAC and Dundonian wanderer THE MAD DALTON.
Date: Friday 13 Jan Date: Thursday 2 Feb
Doors 9.00pm / £3 Doors 9.00pm / £3
G
IN K E H T O T E T U IB R T A
CC Houlihan’s
Elvis It might be January outside, but up in the Music Hall it’s pure Viva Las Vegas, baby, as CC HOULIHAN brings his annual Elvis spectacular back into our lives. It’s to celebrate the King’s birthday and it’s hard to believe he’d have been a whopping 71 years old, had he preferred fruit and veg to the deep fried peanut butter sandwich.
Date: Sat 14 Jan
& his
TCB Band
The winner of several Elvis impersonator competitions, (including Best Gospel Elvis and the Elvis Four Nations) CC Houlihan’s show adds authentic costumes from Elvis’ own designer and the sweet soul sounds of the TCB Band and the Sweet Senasation Backing Singers it’s an un-missable night of tunes and showmanship.
Doors 8.30pm / £11
Date: Sat 21 Jan
with
Doors 8.30pm / £5
Pixie Saytar, Heliopause & Sonja Sleator
WA L L I S B I R D
When WALLIS BIRD first took to the stage she was dismissed as a flash in the pan and soon to be forgotten. What her detractors didn’t count on was the sheer effort she put in to back up her raw talent. There was hardly a venue in the country that hadn’t been graced by the diminutive songstress. Five albums in and with support slots under her belt with the
Date: Wed 25 Jan
likes of The Gossip, Rodrigo Y Gabriella and Billy Bragg, Wallis is confirmed as one of the island’s leading talents, spoken of in the same breath as Cathy Davey and Gemma Hayes. Following a mammoth 12 hour show in Berlin, Wallis is ready for anything, and we at the Empire can’t wait until she joins us.
Doors 7.30pm / £15
Glance AT A
Every Tuesday
COMEDY
with Colin Murphy or Jake O Kane & Guests
8pm // £8/£7
Friday 13 Jan
GIFTED
SISTER GHOST, PARANOIDS, WASPS, BLACK CHAPELS
8.30pm // £3
Saturday 14 Jan cc houlihan’s elvis 8.30pm // £11
Saturday 21 Jan
no oil paintings
PIXIE SAYTAR, HELIOPAUSE, SONJA SLEATOR
8.30pm // £5
Wednesday 25 Jan
wallis bird
7.30pm // £15
Saturday 28 Jan
the illegals
8.30pm // £11
Sunday 29 Jan the wonder years 7pm // £16
Thursday 2 Feb
GIFTED
ANTO & THE ECHOES, RUNABY, BRASH ISSAC, THE MAD DALTON
8.30pm // £3
Friday 3 Feb
the rubberbandits 8.30pm // £15
Saturday 4 Feb CELEBRATING THE GENIUS OF
gary moore 8.30pm // £12
Saturday 11 Feb
pleasuredome VALENTINES BIRTHDAY SPECIAL
8.30pm // £10
Friday 17 Feb
negative creeps 7.30pm // £14
Saturday 18 Feb rock for alzheimers
AC?DC
8.30pm // £15
Saturday 25 Feb
king king 8.30pm // £15
THE
ILLEGALS
It was in the 70s that music really took off. No longer just the preserve of the teenager, adult orientated bands tapped into a new vein of popularity as the boomers grew up, moved to suburbia and bought records by the tonne. The Eagles found themselves
Date: Sat 28 Jan
vying with the likes of Zep or Mac for the title of biggest band in the world, with egos and drug habits to match. Travel back to that mystic time with THE ILLEGALS, who’ll be taking the work of Henly and Co. to the limit with their two hour show.
Doors 8.30pm / ÂŁ11
ARTS P G IN V O M Y IN T & T A O B TRASH
WITH SUPPORT FROM
One of the true greats of the melodic hardcore scene, THE WONDER YEARS will be coming to the Empire Music Hall as part of a very rare UK and Ireland tour. Best known for the massive 2013 album The Greatest Generation. According to Kerrang!, the album “ripped up the pop-punk
Date: Sun 29 Jan
blueprint” pushing the genre to “new peaks of invention, both lyrically and musically.” Simply put, THE WONDER YEARS have breathed new life into a genre that had become repetitive and hackneyed. For fans of Blink 182 and Green Day.
Doors 7pm / £16
Didn’t we just recover from the last time? THE RUBBERBANDITS return with a glue-fuelled, fun filled family friendly (not really) show that’s bound to blow your bags off. The mid point between Flann O’Brian and the Bloodhound Gang, Blindboy Boat Club and Mr Chrome return, with a night of midwinter mayhem. From the masterstroke of Horse Outside through to the Aphex Twin style evisceration of Dad’s Best Friend, the finger pointing of Liar, Liar, Danny Dyer to the call for racial harmony that is Black Man, their back catalogue will have you in traction. The best band in Ireland, and if you don’t believe me I’ll fight your father.
Date: Fri 3 Feb
Doors 8.30pm / £15
wonderland productions
CELEBRATING THE GENIUS OF
GARY MOORE
Belfast born and bred GARY MOORE left for Dublin in the 60’s to pursue his career as a musician. The young prodigy found himself with Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green as a mentor, and before long found himself playing in Skid Row. After a spell with the Gary Moore band he found himself in Thin Lizzy cementing his status as the premier axeman on this island.
Following his untimely passing in 2011 a group of local musicians, friends and people influenced by the rocker’s style come together to mark the man and his music every year. Join us for a unique memorial to the great man in his home town.
Date: Sat 4 Feb
Doors 8.30pm / £12
MAURICE JAY’S
ial
pec S y a d th r i B s e’ n ti n le Va
Who’s your favourite movie couple? Nick and Alex from Flashdance? Andie and Blaine from Pretty in Pink? Goose and Maverick from Top Gun? Whoever floats your boat, Pleasuredome’s Valentine’s special will be channelling the spirit of the 80’s power couples.
Date: Sat 11 Feb
With the greatest drive-time anthems at their disposal, the PLEASUREDOME band will be dragging you along in your own personal Delorean to a time of shoulder pads, ankle warmers and an underqualified celebrity in the White House!
Doors 8.30pm / £10
Quake in terror with the news that it’s 25 years since Nevermind was released. Then buy a ticket for the Negative Creeps and remember what made it so vital that first time around.
Date: Fri 17 Feb
Kurt would have been 50 this year, so what better time for the Newry based Negative Creeps to take to the road spreading the gospel truth of grunge. Music as it should be, loud, distorted and sweaty. Come as you are.
Doors 7.30pm / ÂŁ14
We love a good cause here at the Empire, and we love live music. So when they come together in the form of ROCK FOR ALZHEIMER’S it adds up to an un-missable night. Headlining again are the indomitable AC?DC who are everything you could ever want from an AC/DC tribute. Riffs? Check. Bad words? Check. Uniform? You’d better believe it!
Date: Sat 18 Feb
Support comes from the ARMS OF VENUS DE MILO, one of Northern Ireland’s best known Rock and Indie covers band. From Zepp to the Stereophonics, it’s a Journey through the best of drivetime and alternative music. All proceeds go towards the Alzheimer’s Society - to date this series of gigs has raised nearly 20 grand!
Doors 8.30pm / £15
wonderland productions
KING KING Times change, fashions come and go, but the blues endure, proving that there is something people like about other people’s misery. KING KING have found themselves leading the charge of a new wave of blues-rock, with plaudits form Maverick Magazine and Classic Rock under their belts.
Date: Sat 25 Feb
KING KING aren’t a fashionable band, instead preferring to let the music speak for itself. There’s no smoke and mirrors here, no social media hype or gimmicky videos, just a hardworking, hard rocking band doing what they love the most.
Doors 8.30pm / £15
£3
FRESHLY BAKED 10” MARGHERITA when purchased with a drink Mon-Fri 11.30-9pm
Ken Haddock’s Soul & Blues
sunday supper club Free Admission & Free Nibbles
House Wine £12
BOTANIC AVENUE BELFAST T: 028 9024 9276 WWW.THEBELFASTEMPIRE.COM