MUSIC
At A Glance MARCH APRIL
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
SHOULD YOU OR ANY MEMBER OF YOUR PARTY REQUIRE ANY SPECIAL ASSISTANCE, OUR STAFF WILL BE DELIGHTED TO HELP. WE RECOMMEND THAT WHEN POSSIBLE, YOU NOTIFY THE BELFAST EMPIRE PRIOR TO YOUR VISIT. PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME PERFORMANCES MAY USE SPECIAL EFFECTS, SUCH AS STROBE LIGHTING AND SMOKE EFFECTS.
THEBELFASTEMPIRE.COM @BELFASTEMPIRE FACEBOOK.COM/BELFASTEMPIRE
ALL PATRONS MUST BE AGED 18 OR OVER.
Hello my darlings, and what a fun packed couple of months we have got in store for you! As always, March sees the festivites of ST. PATRICK’S DAY, alongside the bi-annual jollies of the 6 NATIONS, shown as always on our big screen in the basement. We’ve a ton of original music on offer as well, with I Am Kloot’s JOHN BRAMWELL, New York Ska Legends THE TOASTERS and Glasgow indie-pop duo HONEYBLOOD for starters. There’s post rock from RUSSIAN CIRCLES and GRAILS, blues from DANNY BRYANT and even our first foray into Polish hi-nrg pop in the form of PIEKNI MLODDZI. Local acts get a look in with THERAPY?, plus new music from the WOOD BURNING SAVAGES, NEW PAGANS and SONGBIRDS, while we’ve got the usual tribute goodness in the form of A FOREIGNER’S JOURNEY, KINGS OF LYON and the omnipresent PLEASUREDOME 80'S NIGHT! It’s a busy Spring, and we haven’t even mentioned the beer garden, optimists that we are!
As always, I remain yours truly,
Kittyxx
Entertainment Every Night Thursday 10.30pm Empire Blues with
rab mccullough & band Sunday 10pm
Admission FREE
ken haddock’s supper club
Friday 5.30pm
Monday 10pm
Friday 10.30pm
Admission FREE
JACKIE RAINEY Admission FREE
the big empire quiz
roots 100% fresh
Tuesday 11pm
Saturday 10.30pm
Entry £1
DISCOBEARD
Admission FREE
Wednesday 10pm acoustic showcase ni
Society sessions singer songwriters
Admission FREE
see page 4 for details
Admission FREE
saturday live
local rock & soul covers
4 MAR THE EL DUDE BROTHERS 11 MAR BLACK MARKET ICONS 18 & STRICTLY NO 25 MAR BALLROOM 1 & ARMS OF VENUS 8 APR DE MILO 15 APR THE PAUL DEAN BAND 22 APR THE MOONSHINES 29 APR THE RECKONERS
Admission FREE
LIVE SPORT ON THE BIG SCREEN LATE BAR EVERY NIGHT / FOOD SERVED MON-SAT
original artists playing their own music & more! 3 MAR RACKHOUSE pilfer 7 APR THE VIBES 10 MAR Teddy charles jR 21 APR TO BE ANNOUNCED 17 MAR HOT SAUSAGE 28 APR rory nellis & MUSTARD band 24 MAR JAWBONE FOLK 31 MAR CROW BLACK CHICKEN
10.30PM // free admission
ppy a H
Saint Patric F riday 17th
ks
DARRAGH FOLK 2.30pm
INGRAM BROTHERS 6pm Thursday 16th
THE HAUL AWAYS
HOT SAUSAGE Saturday 18 & MUSTARD JACKIE RAINEY
th
10.30pm
5.30pm
7pm
RAB MCCULLOUGH
STRICTLY NO BALLROOM
10.30pm
10.30pm ons
ati
6N
D GLAN V EN m D N 5p IRELA
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
0 1 £
* buck
et - 4 for
*3 3
l
es
b
eer
TUESDAY
0m
o lb
Admission £8 (£7 STUDENTS ) // Doors Open 8pm // Show Starts 9pm
tt
THUR 2 MAR
Wood Burning Savages Petty Youth Buffalos Bay Thee Dirt Byrds
One of the great things about a long running local showcase is watching the bands grow up. In this case we’re very pleased to announce the return of the WOOD BURNING SAVAGES, this time for their debut headline slot! The Derry boys’ literary racket has been compared to bands as diverse as QOTSA, DFA 1979 and The Clash, marking them out as genuine contenders. Support comes in the form of garage rock afficiandos PETTY YOUTH, psych-rockers BUFFALOS BAY and THEE DIRT BYRDS.
THUR 6 APR
hot cops Hello casanova sleeping outside whale talk
HOT COPS are here to clean up the town, and turn that frown upside down. With a hefty dose of prime Pavement, Folk Implosion and Sugar under their police issue belts, they’re taking names and winning fans nationwide. Support comes from power pop outfit HELLO CASANOVA, guitar manglers SLEEPING OUTSIDE and side project WHALE TALK, it’s a high octane, low price night out. Sure where else can you see them here first?
Date: Thu 2 Mar Date: Thu 6 Apr
Doors 9.00pm / £3 Doors 9.00pm / £3
(I AM KLOOT)
PLUS SUPPORT
DAVE FIDLER & PRETTY CARTEL & DJ
TONY SPENCE (THE BEAT CLUB)
John’s musical career runs like a rich seam through the music goldmine that is Manchester, weaving in and out of the hallowed streets and venues of the Second City. From his early days with The Ignition through to becoming a feature at the seminal Night and Day Café scene, to the mutual support of a nascent Elbow, John’s been there, done that. One of the North of England’s most underrated talents, John’s solo work, alongside that of I Am Kloot show a uniquely Mancunian sense of bruised optimism, alongside a trademark dark sense of humour. Touring in support of forthcoming album Leave Alone the Empty Spaces, this is bound to be a memorable show.
Date: Sat 4 Mar
Doors 8.30pm / £15
SOLID CHOICE & SHIZZNIGH
Believe it or not, the Empire Music Hall has a bit of post-rock history behind it. Who present could forget the night Godspeed You! Black Emperor played, with a then unheard of Icelandic outfit Sigur Ros in tow? GRAILS have a similar pedigree, and we’re looking forward to seeing them shake the dust from the ceiling. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, and touring on the back of their widely acclaimed album Chalice Hymnal, GRAILS are essential listening for fans of the Dirty 3, Red Sparrowes and our own …And So I Watch You from Afar.
Date: Wed 8 Mar
Doors 8.30pm / £14
We love the sort of band you struggle to sum up in a quick turn of phrase, it means we’ve got a great booking on the go. Austin Texas’ WILD CHILD blend Belle and Sebastian with the classic Omaha Oberst scene sound, with a massive dash of roots thrown in for good measure. With every major US festival under their belts, and three well received studio albums to boot, you’ll be well advised to get your tickets in early for what has been described as ‘Austin’s next big breakthrough act…’
Date: Thu 9 Mar
Doors 7.30pm / £13
Date: Sat 11 Mar
Doors 8.30pm / £12
The next best thing to New Jersey’s other favourite son, THE BON JOVI EXPERIENCE come complete with front man Tony, who not only has appeared as his idol on stage and screen (most notably in quirky Brit-Com Kinky Boots) but has performed for the man himself, earning the admiration of Chad Kroeger from Nickleback. Dead or Alive, Blaze of Glory, Always - Bon Jovi’s back catalogue reads like the drivetime play list of your dreams and with Tony at the helm, you know they’ll do them justice in this sure-fire sell out show.
Date: Thu 16 Mar
Doors 7.30pm / £12.50
Jarrod Dickenson Open House has managed to become somewhat a seal of approval when it comes to booking top-notch gigs. Compared to Tom Waits and Gram Parsons, JARROD DICKENSON’S debut Belfast date has been long awaited. In the Texan tradition of the song as story, Dickenson’s work is at times searingly personal, while retaining the universal themes of love, loss and life. Find out why he’s become that very rare beast, a media darling that’s more than just style over substance.
We’re pleased to welcome one of Poland’s hottest properties at the minute, the highly regarded PIEKNI MLODDZI (translation, the Young and the Beautiful) will be bringing their unique live show to the Empire. Firmly in the vein of classic Europop, PIEKNI MLODDZI are an high energy prospect, the band are flying high in the wake of their debut album Disbelief. 40 Million hits on Youtube later, it’s clear that PIEKNI MLODDZI aren’t just a niche draw for our friends in the Polish community, but a sweet pop hit for anyone with a taste for Eurovision!
Date: Sat 18 Mar
Doors 7pm / £22
Glance AT A
Every Tuesday
COMEDY
with Colin Murphy or Jake O Kane & Guests
8pm // £8/£7
Thursday 2 Mar
GIFTED
WOOD BURNING SAVAGES, PETTY YOUTH, BUFFALOS BAY, THEE DIRT BYRDS
9pm // £3
Saturday 4 Mar
JOHN BRAMWELL (i am kloot) 8.30pm // £15
Wednesday 8 Mar
GRAILS
8.30pm // £14
Thursday 9 Mar
wild child
7.30pm // £13
Saturday 11 Mar
the bon jovi EXPERIENCE 8.30pm // £12
Thursday 16 Mar
JARROD DICKENSON 7.30pm // £12.50
Saturday 18 Mar
PIEKNI MLODZI 7pm // £22
Sunday 19 Mar JERRY 'tHE KING' LAWLER 8pm // £30/£75
Thursday 23 Mar
RUSSIAN CIRCLES 8.30pm // £19
Friday 24 Mar
so:Ni class of '17
CIVIL SIMIAN, ALPHA TWIN, SAINT SAPPHIRE, GNARKATS
8.30pm // £5
Saturday 25 Mar
A FOREIGNERS JOURNEY 8.30pm // £12
Saturday 1 Apr
PLEASUREDOME
APRIL FOOLS
8.30pm // £10
Thursday 6 Apr
GIFTED
HOT COPS, HELLO CASANOVA, SLEEPING OUTSIDE & WHALE TALK
9pm // £3
Friday 7 Apr
SONGBIRD 7.30pm // £18
Saturday 8 Apr
these charming men 8.30pm // £11
Sunday 9 Apr
honeyblood 7pm // £11
Thursday 13 Apr
so:Ni EASTER ROCKS!
STORMZONE & SPECIAL GUESTS
Monday 17 Apr
KEN HADDOCK'S SUPPER CLUB WITH AMANDA AGNEW
7pm // ADM Free
Friday 21 Apr
NEW PAGANS
VIA: BARVIKAH, THE CRYING SCENE
8.30pm // £7
Saturday 22 Apr
MACK FLEETWOOD 8.30pm // £11
Wednesday 26 Apr
THERAPY? 7.30pm // £20
Thursday 27 Apr
danny bryant 8.30pm // £15
8pm // £5
Saturday 15 Apr
the toAsters 8.30pm // £8
Saturday 29 Apr
kings of lyon 8.30pm // £11
EROS COMEDY
JERRY 'THE KING' LAWLER The Empire Music Hall has rapidly become the go-to venue to catch some of the greatest stars of the Squared Circle dishing the dirt and talking the talk on the world of sports entertainment. Fans of pro-wrestling will need no introduction to the man, the legend that is JERRY LAWLER. Born in West Memphis, Arkansas, he’s feuded with everyone from Vince McMahon to Andy Kaufman (really!) and found the time to pursue a music career. The rise, the fall, the low blows and stadium shows, Jerry is an entertainer above all else. Get your tickets for what’s sure to be a sellout show.
Date: Sun 19 Mar
Doors 8pm / £30/£75 VIP
SOLID CHOICE & SHIZZNIGH
No, not the sort that Donald Trump’s cabinet (allegedly) move around in, rather the Chicago three piece known for their crushing riffs and inexorable build up, pals of Isis (again, not those ones) and Tool and one of the most devastating live outfits on the planet. It’s a rare European jaunt for the reclusive outfit, in support of their sixth studio album Guidance, produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou. Support comes from CLOAKROOM, who are slowly rewriting the book on psychedelic shoegaze.
Date: Thu 23 Mar
Doors 8.30pm / £19
SD ENTERTAINMENT
Have you ever found yourself with just not enough time in the day to attend two separate concerts saluting the giants of Adult Orientated Rock? Us too, which is why we’re pretty hyped to welcome A FOREIGNER’S JOURNEY, a (wait for it) tribute to the music of Journey and Foreigner. Cherry picking the best of both band’s melodic rock mega hits, A FOREIGNER’S JOURNEY have been touring the UK and Europe for well over six years, with headlining slots at some of Europe’s biggest festivals, complete with authentic gear and a desire to bring the house down.
Date: Sat 25 Mar
Doors 8.30pm / £12
MAURICE JAY’S
April Fools
80's tribute night You’re stuck for a great night out, maybe for a special occasion. Maybe you want to dress up and be serenaded with some of the greatest movie hits and chart smashes from the depths of the 80s. Well, as Frankie Go To Hollywood might have said, Relax, as PLEASUREDOME provide the goods - alongside some top notch drinks promos. It’s cruising down Hill Valley main street in a souped up DeLorean. Its being launched off the flight deck of the USS Nimitz with Goose and Maverick. It’s the time of your life, and it’s all courtesy of PLEASUREDOME.
Date: Sat 1 Apr
Doors 8.30pm / £10
Songbirds Two Belfast sisters are doing it for themselves, with Jolene and Phillipa O’Hara, (both QUB alumni, so we’re sure they’ll have darkened our doors in the past!) and their full six piece band bringing a mixture of their own material and the classics to the Empire Music Hall. With a wealth of live experience and a CV that encompasses an impressive amount of musicals, including Phillipa’s appearance on BBC’s Over the Rainbow talent show, SONGBIRDS bring a verve and professionalism to the stage you’d struggle to see in many a more established act. With their show in the Black Box sold out, this is their largest Belfast show to date. Be there.
Date: Fri 7 Apr
Doors 7.30pm / £18
PERFORMING THE MUSIC OF THE SMITHS & MORRISSEY
THESE CHARMING MEN CELEBRATE 30 YEARS OF THE FINAL ALBUM "STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME"
The Smiths fans’ go-to tribute band, THESE CHARMING MEN have toured the globe paying tribute to the Pope of Mope and his Merry Men. Whether it’s at Morrissey fan conventions or Japanese festivals, there’s always a draw for this authentic tribute. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Smiths’ final album, Meat is Murder, the band will be performing the gristly masterpiece in its entirety, alongside a greatest hits set that encompasses the rest of a career that helped define the 80’s. Two light ales please!
Date: Sat 8 Apr
Doors 8.30pm / £11
There’s something in the waters of the Clyde that seems to spawn indie bands like a Mogwai soaked in water. From the heady days of Orange Juice and the Sound of Young Glasgow, through to Belle and Sebastian and the output at Chemikal Underground, if you’re cute, lo-fi and a bit of a misfit, there’s a place for you there. HONEYBLOOD slip into this scene like a well worn plimsole, and with two albums under their belt, their Belfast debut is long overdue. Darlings of 6 Music, the band were described as Taylor Swift performed by two Scottish Goths in a tomb, pretending to be the Jesus and Mary Chain. High praise in our eyes!
Date: Sun 9 Apr
Doors 7pm / £11
SHIZZNIGH
SUPPORT
DEANY DARKO & DJ CUSHLA (SKA, REGGAE, 2TONE, DUB, PUNK)
Ska is a universal language, and THE TOASTERS speak it fluently. Formed in NYC in 1981, when the rest of the Big Apple was in the grips of electro-Breakdance fever, THE TOASTERS brought a little bit of Kingston, via Coventry, to the dive bars and concert halls of a edgy metropolis. With a massive nine studio albums under their pork pie hats, the band have come a long way since displaced Englishman Robert ‘Bucket’ Hingley brought the outfit together. Still in their original form, a rarity amongst Ska acts, THE TOASTERS maintain all the verve and energy of a band half their age.
Date: Sat 15 Apr
Doors 8.30pm / £8
Ken Haddock’s Soul & Blues
easter monday supper club Free Admission & Free Nibbles support from Amanda Agnew
Date: Mon 17 Apr
Doors 7pm / Free Admission
SHIZZNIGH
NEW PAGANS
NEW PAGANS is the latest vehicle for Derryman Cahir O’Doherty (Fighting With Wire, Frank Turner) and the sort of song writing that saw his best known band become a massive live draw across Ireland. Joined by such notable alumni as Lyndsey McDougall, Claire Miskimmin and Conor McAuley, NEW PAGANS are an essential draw for fans of Fugazi and Sonic Youth. Support on the night includes former PigsAsPeople’s front man Chris Lecky’s new outfit VIA;BARVIKHA and hotly tipped grunge rock two piece THE CRYING SCENE
Date: Fri 21 Apr
Doors 8.30pm / £7
The supergroups of the 70’s defined the decade in a way that’s never been rivalled since, the Eagles, Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac ruled the world. With enormous budgets, enormous albums and enormous tours, they walked the earth like golden gods. Revisit that era with MACK FLEETWOOD, the world’s premier tribute to the classic Lindsay Buckingham/Stevie Nicks era of Fleetwood Mac. With over two and a half hours of the greatest hits and a few fan favourites thrown in for good measure, MACK FLEETWOOD are the next best thing to the real thing!
Date: Sat 22 Apr
Doors 8.30pm / £11
THERAPY? Acoustic Tour 2017
If you were about in the 90’s you probably felt some sort of a thrill watching Therapy? tearing up the stage on Top of the Pops or the Word, the Larne lads kicking the door open when the only mention of Northern Ireland in music was the Cranberries’ Zombie. Sad times indeed. Known as much for their black humour as their literate racket, THERAPY? have sold over 2 million albums over the course of their career. This rare concert give you a chance to see the songs stripped back to the very core, with an intimate acoustic show.
Date: Wed 26 Apr
Doors 7.30pm / £20
D AN N Y B RYAN T
BIG
B A N D | A L B U M | TO U R
Following in the footsteps of his father Ken, Danny picked up his first guitar at the age of 15. Three years later, when most of his friends were considering their A-Levels, he was on the road as a professional musician. One of the best regarded UK Blues players, DANNY BRYANT has shared a stage with everyone from Carlos Santana through to Joe Cocker and Nick Taylor, his power trio have toured the continent and beyond, gaining the acclaim of all of the serious music magazines.
Date: Thu 27 Apr
Doors 8.30pm / ÂŁ15
It’s been a while, but there’s been whispers that arguably the biggest rock band in the world are emerging from their slumber. With a series of massive gigs and a rumoured studio album in the bag, the time is right to reacquaint yourself with the Kings of Leon’s glittering back catalogue. The KINGS OF LYON have been touring their tribute since 2010, and with that much live experience under their belts you’re guaranteed a great night. From the early garage rock of Youth and Young Manhood, through to the Springstonian highs of Only by the Night, it’s an open top excursion straight to the heart of modern America.
Date: Sat 29 Apr
Doors 8.30pm / £11
match burger £5 BEEF / CHICKEN / PULLED PORK with FRIES
burger & pint combo £8 beer bucket £10 COORS LIGHT / SAN MIGUEL (4 x 330ml) T & Cs apply, Offers subject to change
BOTANIC AVENUE BELFAST BT7 1JQ 028 9024 9276 WWW.THEBELFASTEMPIRE.COM