Black Stone Cherry return to Belfast this October for a very special headline show at Limelight 1, where the Kentucky hard-rock heavyweights will perform their explosive 2006 debut album in its entirety alongside highlights from across their eight-album career.
Nearly twenty years since their self-titled breakthrough, the band remain a rare example of a true musical unit — four lifelong friends whose chemistry, camaraderie and instinct for each other’s songwriting continue to burn as brightly as ever. With six UK Top 20 albums and multiple US radio hits, Black Stone Cherry have built one of rock’s most loyal international fanbases, fuelled by their signature blend of hard rock, blues, soul and Southern grit.
Their latest release, Celebrate, produced by the band at High Street Studios in Bowling Green, Kentucky, captures Black Stone Cherry at full power. The EP folds happiness, heartache and hope into muscular riffs and raw emotion — six standout original tracks plus a bold cover of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” featuring Tyler Connolly of Theory Of A Deadman.
The songs were born on the road, refined in soundchecks and long tour-bus journeys before being fleshed out in guitarist Ben Wells’ home studio, surrounded by band posters, Star Wars memorabilia and the watchful eyes of his three beagles. As always, collaboration sits at the core: the four members freely swap instruments, build ideas together and chase the best riffs wherever they appear.
Lead single “Celebrate” sets the tone — a heavy, hook-driven anthem about savouring small victories and finding light through the challenges many face today. It’s classic Black Stone Cherry: tough, heartfelt and written with compassion.
Elsewhere, the EP moves through the swaggering rock of “Neon Eyes”, the grunge-flecked haze of “I’m Fine”, and the emotional weight of “Deep” — written just days after Ben Wells and his wife suffered a miscarriage, channelled with honesty and vulnerability into one of the band’s most affecting songs.
Throughout the record, the band’s love of music shines — from blues and roots to early-2000s hip hop nods on “Up Down”, to the soaring, Audioslave-inspired production handled by Chris Robertson alongside longtime engineer Jordan Westfall.
Black Stone Cherry’s connection with their fans runs deep. Whether they’re headlining an arena or tearing up a 100-cap pub, they deliver every show with the same passion and energy. That commitment pulses through Celebrate — an unpolished diamond built on heart, grit and the belief that music should mean something.
LIMELIGHT BELFAST PRESENTS
BLACK STONE CHERRY
29 October 2026 – Limelight 1, Belfast
Tickets on sale Friday at 10 am via Ticketmaster.ie
Performing their debut album in full — plus fan favourites
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