EXCLUSIVE: Buncrana singer/songwriter George Houston will be marking a career highlight in a few weeks as he appears on Later… with Jools Holland.
The BBC Two programme is one of television’s most respected music stages, reaching a huge audience across the UK and Ireland.
George will be on our screens on the Sunday 8th June show, where he’ll perform a track from his upcoming new album, TODC (The Original Death Card), set to drop Friday, June 13th, 2025.
At 23, George is swiftly carving out his place on the music scene.
The alt-folk singer 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.
The Later… with Jools Holand episode has been pre-recorded and, without giving too much away, George said it was a “class” experience.
“It’s a very well-oiled machine, all the crew were really friendly and lovely,” George tells Donegal Daily.
“It was fascinating to see how it all works.”
On meeting his host, George said Jools was a “a really lovely man”.
“I understand where he gets his good reputation from,” he said.
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.
George will be giving a stripped back acoustic performance of Lilith, a song 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.”
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.
TODC (The Original Death Card) out on Friday, June 13th, 2025
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.”
In advance of Later…with Jools Holland on BBC Two on 8th June, George will be releasing Lilith on Friday 6th June. The Original Death Card is out a week later on Friday 13th June.
Find links to George Houston’s Spotify and social media pages here: https://linktr.ee/georgehouston
2025 Tour Dates more dates TBA
- 9th August – Under The Drum Festival
- 14th August – Ghostlight Sessions, Balor
- 4th October – Róisín Dubh, Galway
- 24th October – Bennigans, Derry
- 30th October – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast
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