Duke Special

There were two very different gigs going on in Newcastle tonight. While Girls Aloud no doubt wowed the masses whilst going through the motions at the Arena, something very special was going on across the city. Tucked away upstairs in Newcastle University, a small crowd gathered to see Duke Special, a man being described as 'the new Vaudevillian', and someone this reviewer feels it would be wise to keep your eye on.

With wild dreadlocks and smudged eyeliner, you would be forgiven for expecting emo-tinged goth-by-numbers from Duke, but you couldn't be further from the truth. The music is mellow, often melancholy, and filled with beauty. Tonight was a very simple affair, with just Duke on piano, accompanied by Chip Bailey on percussion.


Opening song 'Wake Up Scarlett' is a heartfelt lament to lost love. Witnessing the man hunched over the piano, it is difficult to connect the voice to the image, but it all comes together, and is wonderful. The rest of the songs are equally good, with 'Freewheel' and 'Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just In Time)' actually managing make the hairs on my neck stand on end.

After ending the set with the glorious 'Salvation Tambourine' there was no chance of Duke getting away without an encore. 'No Cover Up' and 'John Lennon Love' are just two more examples of the pure quality of the songwriting on show here. The audience, however, were still not satisfied, and Duke was required to return for a second time, and this time treated us to a rousing cover of 'Video Killed The Radio Star', before finally saying goodnight.

The great thing about Duke Special is that he is genuinely different. There is no attempt at 'alternative' here, he is simply himself. From the aged gramophone accompaniment, to Chip Bailey and his stumpf fiddle, this is the kind of music that you are simply not going to hear elsewhere. It is very rare to hear an artist doing something unique, but that is exactly what we have in Duke, and long may it continue.

FUTURE GIGS