He's not a Duke but he more than makes up for it in specialness. Dynamic, musically ambitious and charmingly eccentric, Duke Special is wowing the world with his lush but intimate musicality.

Hailing from Belfast he can, and does, rhyme the words clown and Frankenstein. He calls his sound 'hobo-chic'; we say once you've heard it you'll never forget it.

'My sound is a bit vagabondy, but pure and soulful too,' explains Peter Wilson, as he's known to his friends. 'Before this I was desperately trying to find my voice and the kind of music that really sat well with who I was. I'd been in a couple of rock bands, but I always imagined people of all ages at our concerts.' Growing up with a large family, 'I used to listen to their records. I recall a box of singles that contained things like Joe Jackson's Different for Girls, The Goodies and my Dad's suspect Country & Western records,' he says. 'We sang in church too, and I remember trying to get the bass lines and harmonies before my voice broke. As I grew up I also listened to traditional music, which influenced my melodic senses.'

The result is a vaudeville extravaganza. You can generally find Peter surrounded by an old gramophone, a velvet-encased piano, Stumpf fiddles and a collection of makeshift instruments. He is often joined by a small coterie of equally eccentric musicians including show-stealing percussionist Chip Bailey. The Duke has also shared a stage with a host of artists including Rufus Wainwright and Van Morrison - the latter a big influence.

'What I'm trying to put across is something that's more than just a singer-songwriter playing his songs. I want it to be a show that moves people, but entertains them too.' Originally with Ireland's Hag Records, now signed to V2, Duke Special maintains a feverish touring schedule, currently promoting his latest release I Never Thought This Day Would Come, so we're pleased and proud that he continues to return to Greenbelt. And who could fail to warm to someone whose describes his musicial ambitions like this: "I want to capture something dusty and beautiful on record, something that sounds like Christmas smoking through an old wooden radio." Beats mistletoe and wine every time.

Duke Special - Our Love Goes Deeper Than This