Emerging from a New York’s Transgender cabaret scene, by way of Sussex, Amsterdam and California, anglo-Irish singer-songwriter Antony Hegarty has floated into the musical mainstream as an unlikely but brilliant star.  Though they formed back in 2000, Antony & The Johnsons only came to most people’s attention on the release of their second full length album, I am a Bird Now, in 2005.  Featuring duets with Rufus Wainwright, Boy George, Lou Reed and Devendra Banhart, and channelling equal parts Nina Simone and Alison Moyet, it stunned and delighted fans and critics alike, and went on to win the Mercury Prize of that year.  Antony’s ethereal and haunting vocals, paired with the delicate chamber stylings of his band, resulted in a moving, original and memorable work, marked with sincerity and emotion.
Since then, Antony has collaborated with Bryan Ferry, CocoRosie, Bernard Butler, Joan As Policewoman, Bjork, and most recently, with Hercules and Love Affair, on their eponymous release last year.  In late 2007 he was voted one of Out.com’s 100 gay men and women to “rock” the year.   January 2009 saw the return of The Johnsons, with the release of The Crying Light, their third album.  Featuring musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Milan Symphony, it is in turn epic and immediate, with notable standouts like Epilepsy is Dancing and Another World.
Antony & The Johnsons play Vicar Street in Dublin this Sunday, 31st May, and then Belfast’s Waterfront Auditorium on 1st June.   Do whatever you can to get a ticket to what is sure to be one of the best concerts of the year.

www.antonyandthejohnsons.com

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