Burt musician to appear on Jools Holland BBC TV show

A young Inishowen musician is set to perform on ‘Later with Jools Holland’ on BBC Television this weekend, when he will be watched by several hundred thousand viewers across the UK and Ireland.

Alt-folk visionary George Houston will feature on the long-running music show, which also includes the Sugababes, Wolf Alice and folk legend Peggy Seeger on the bill.

The episode is available now on the BBC iPlayer and will be broadcast on BBC2 on Sunday, June 15 at 10.45pm.

Meanwhile, Burt native Houston (23) has officially announced the release of his highly-anticipated fourth studio album, ‘TODC (The Original Death Card)’, which is set to drop this Friday, June 13.

Recorded at Paul Weller’s Black Barn Studios, following a whirlwind year touring with the legendary ‘Modfather’ across North America and Ireland, TODC is Houston’s boldest, most personal project to date.

Houston performs ‘Lilith’ from the new album on Jools Holland, a tribute to protest singers he greatly admires. Inspired by 60s heartbreak anthems and tinged with his signature vintage pop flair, some have described the lyrics found on TODC as reminiscent of a modern-day Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen.

‘The Original Death Card’ is a 13-track record that mourns the hardship LGBT+ individuals and women endured for generations, and it’s a celebration of their resilience and beauty.

Houston explores the phenomenon of the queer community and women turning to spiritualism, paganism, and witchcraft; all highly stigmatised practices, yet all free from the shame and control of patriarchal religions.

This double vinyl album embodies Houston’s signature sound, with a timelessness that holds fans captive to the dark world the artist transports us to.

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Each song, paired with its own music video, is the manifestation of a tarot card.

“TODC has been an incredible healing experience from start to finish. The death card, in tarot, is not only a symbol of death, but the change and rebirth that comes with it,” Houston explains.

“To have a project that is unapologetically feminine, queer, and Irish, all rolled into one, has been a massive step in removing myself from the shame that comes with growing up queer in rural Ireland. Even if I do go to hell, at least I lived honestly,” he smiles.