Glasgow singer-songwriter JOESEF announces headline Belfast show at Limelight 2 on Saturday 7th May 2022

Glasgow singer-songwriter JOESEF announces headline Belfast show at Limelight 2 on Saturday 7th May 2022

Glasgow singer-songwriter, Joesef is pleased to announce a headline Belfast show at Limelight 2 on Saturday 7th May 2022. Joesef ended 2021 playing to thousands of fans at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom for his right-of-passage homecoming show and a “f***ing mad” moment, having blizzarded the city with flyers a few years before for his first pub gig in his home city of Glasgow.

Now, the rising soul-pop talent releases his ballroom ready first single of the year “It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately” out on February 04th, with tongue in cheek lyricism that addresses the moment you let your standards slip, and a sample from celebrated queer director Gregg Araki’s seminal film Totally Fucked Up. The track follows Joesef’s blistering single ‘Fire’, praised by the likes of Clara Amfo and BBC Radio 1, which became a fan favourite on his biggest ever UK headline tour, playing three sold out shows at Hoxton Hall, and supporting Mercury winning Arlo Parks at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. From one high to another: now Glasgow’s golden boy with the golden pipes is preparing for an even more stellar 2022, Joesef will be headlining Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 12 May 2022, today announcing his biggest ever UK tour, returning home for a 2500 capacity show at Glasgow’s O2 Academy.

Having relocated to London at the end of 2020 ­– fleeing lockdown #2, an ex- and the memories – Joesef has been intent on “expanding my horizons”, musically and emotionally, and spent most of last year hunkered down in The Dairy in Brixton, working with producer Barney Lister (Joy Crookes, Celeste), with “It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately” an example of the exceptional collaboration.

“I wrote It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately about how I tend to make bad decisions when I’m down, and to be more specific it was giving into the advances of someone I’d been with previously, while they were in a new relationship. I wanted the song to feel like a bad trip, there’s a lot of different textures; the tempos are higher, and the drums are slightly swung. It also features a sample from the film Totally Fucked Up by Gregg Araki: the stories he tells, and how he portrays them visually inspire me every day, and fit the context of the song so well, I had to write to him for the sample clearance and he said yes which was fucking mind blowing to me, he’s a hero of mine.” – Says Joesef

From pulling pints to being catapulted into the public arena in 2019 with his immaculate, critically acclaimed debut EP Play Me Something Nice, and included in the BBC Sound of 2020 longlist, whilst being lauded by Sam Smith to Mark Ronson for his “sad boy bangers”, the 25-year-old has a talent for capturing soul. His new music shows the astounding development of a self-taught artist, exploring new realms with production, but always centred on the vast emotional weight of his lyricism, self-described as “pure working-class torch songs”’.

Not coming from a musical family, but owing his musical references to his mum’s kitchen radio, with Al Green, The Cure, and The Mamas and the Papas playing all day in the background, Joesef grew up surrounded by the community in the East End of Glasgow, where everyone knew everyone’s business. Understanding he was queer from an early age, but “the kids made fun of my trainers more than my sexuality,” he was raised to celebrate his identity and understand it. Parallels have been drawn between author Douglas Stuart’s experience as a queer man growing up in Glasgow, documented in his Booker Prize winning novel “Shuggie Bain”.

This exploration of Joesef’s past is apparent in his deeply personal songwriting, having released his critically acclaimed second EP Does it Make You Feel Good? in 2020, which featured the lauded single ‘I Wonder Why’ with Loyal Carner. Garnering over 30 Million global streams, Joesef released a cover of Sister Sledge’s iconic ‘I’m Thinking Of You,’ showing the breadth of his soul, and stylistic influence of Northern Soul ballrooms.

Writing with such full-force candour as he enters 2022: “My motto” says Joesef, is “What else am I going to do?”

Joesef & Guests 

Limelight 2, Belfast 

Saturday 7th May

Doors 7 pm

18+ Only

Tickets on sale Friday, February 04th at 10 am from ticketmaster.ie.

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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