Featured photo: BBC Studios / Michael Leckie
Buncrana singer/songwriter George Houston will be performing alongside a thrilling line-up of stars as he makes his TV debut on Later… with Jools Holland.
Excitement is building for the episode, which will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from Sunday the 8th of June, and will be televised on Sunday the 15th on BBC2.
The line-up also boasts Peggy Seeger, Sugababes, Obongjayar, Kae Tempest and Wolf Alice.
It will be a career milestone for George (23), who will perform the track Lilith from his upcoming new album, TODC (The Original Death Card), set to drop on Friday 13th of June.
George has also teased a surprise release of the track this Friday, 6th June, so fans can get familiar with the sound and direction of the new album.
From L-R: George Houston, Peggy Seeger, Sugababes, Jools Holland, Obongjayar, Kae Tempest, Wolf Alice. BBC Studios / Michael Leckie
On Later… with Jools Holland, George will be giving a stripped-back acoustic performance of Lilith, which was inspired by Lifford singer Siânna Lafferty, lead singer with Derry band Tramp.
“I saw Siânna performing live and a line came to me about protest singers and I wanted to pay homage to the protest singers of the world,” said George.
“It’s just me and my guitar in the middle of the room. Hopefully it will be a nice moment in the show.”
The alt-folk singer has already had a whirlwind year touring with Paul Weller across North America and Ireland and was fortunate to have access to Weller’s Black Barn Studios to record his boldest, most personal project to date.
While George counts himself lucky to get this career-boosting opportunity, it came from a combination of his dedication to the craft and friends in high places. Paul Weller, who is no stranger to the programme, recommended his support act as a guest.
Looking back on the episode recording experience, George told Donegal Daily: “It’s a very well-oiled machine, all the crew were really friendly and lovely.
“It was fascinating to see how it all works.”
On meeting his host, George said Jools was “a really lovely man”.
“I understand where he gets his good reputation from,” he said.
George Houston on Later with Jools Holland. BBC Studios / Michael Leckie
Recording and performing since he was 16, George has self-produced no less than four studio albums and he’s looking forward to listeners experiencing a ‘gorgeous’ quality of sound on TODC (The Original Death Card). This will be George’s first album out on vinyl.
Over 13 tracks, he mourns the hardship LGBT+ individuals and women endured for generations, while celebrating their resilience and beauty.
“I would describe myself as sad music for people that use humour as a defence mechanism,” he says.
“The whole album is about women and people in the queer community who maybe have felt they have been banished or disregarded from their communities and their religions.
“I wanted to have a body of work that acted as spiritualism and music for them.”
With a queer, Irish lens, the double album embodies Houston’s signature sound and a timelessness that holds fans captive to the dark world the artist transports us to.
“I grew up in the choir at school, I loved all of the hymns that we would sing but they weren’t specifically for me. This is music for those other people that maybe didn’t feel as welcomed.”
Find links to George Houston’s Spotify and social media pages here: https://linktr.ee/georgehouston
George Houston’s 2025 Tour Dates in Ireland are as follows:
- 9th August – Under The Drum Festival
- 14th August – Ghostlight Sessions, Balor Arts Centre in Ballybofey
- 4th October – Róisín Dubh, Galway
- 24th October – Bennigans, Derry
- 30th October – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast
