Braid Real Music Club presents Malojian & Robyn G Shiels

Event information

Malojian - Armed only with his father’s battered acoustic guitar and a collection of Neil Young LPs, Stevie Scullion began writing songs in his early teens. Struggling to overcome a fear of singing in front of other people, he spent the next few years making lo-fi home recordings on a 4-track tape machine, before eventually finding his voice with acclaimed indie-folk act Cat Malojian.

The band released two EPs and two albums worth of Stevie’s songs and were invited by Gary Lightbody to support Snow Patrol at Ward Park, Bangor, in June 2010, a performance that saw them play to 46,000 people – the largest ever music audience in Northern Ireland. In June 2011, midway through the recording of their third album, Cat Malojian split. Wasting no time, Stevie embarked on a solo career under the simpler moniker Malojian and soon released his debut solo album, “The Deer’s Cry“. The album gained widespread critical acclaim, culminating in a prestigious session for BBC Radio 2 legend Whispering Bob Harris.

Having spent the last 2 years writing and recording the follow up, Malojian is now ready to release a brand new 10 track album, “Southlands”.

Robyn G Shiels - Over the past 20 or so years, award-winning singer/songwriter Robyn G Shiels has supported Richard Hawley, Snow Patrol and Van Morrison. Listing David Holmes among his fans, his music has been used in four film soundtracks, he is currently working with Therapy? on a super-secret new project and, in December, he won the 2014 Northern Ireland Music Prize.

Originally from Kilrea, and now based in Belfast, Shiels describes his sound as ‘Kilrea Gothica doomtastic Black Country music’, coming from the place most of us try to avoid. Brutally honest, his songs lay bare his soul-searching and willingness to make a connection, but reveal someone continually left wanting by that same search.

His most recent album – The Blood of The Innocents – for which he won the Northern Ireland Music Prize, was completed six years ago and finally released in July 2014 to universal acclaim.

Hot Press’ Edwin McFee described it as “inspired by spirits in all senses of the word, the record is a bruised, at times bleak, and regularly beautiful effort.”

Chris Jones for Culture NI said that the ‘album affirms his status as songwriter par excellence’. He went on: “Shiels is a songwriter of rare talent, with a flair for words both beautiful and brutal, often simultaneously, the brutality often directed at himself.”

Sure to be a wonderful evening of entertainment from two enthralling musicians. Gig starts 8.00pm