Winner of The Voice UK 2013, Andrea Begley needs no introduction to local audiences, especially in her home village of Pomeroy.
Andrea was winner of the second series of BBC’s ‘The Voice’ performed at London’s Union Chapel in 2013, and she will headline her own concert this November 7th at the Burnavon, Cookstown, as she brings her album ‘The Message’ to stage.
Andrea learned to play the piano when she was eight, and later on in her early twenties learned to play the guitar. Whilst studying her Master’s Degree in law, she was performing small gigs around Belfast, and building up a following of fans. Before ‘The Voice’, she had taken part in a few singing competitions but found that her sight influenced her success. The blind audition format of ‘The Voice’ was welcomed by Andrea as this meant that the judges’ decisions were made on her voice alone. As she says, the setup of the auditions stage put her “on a level playing field.” Her rendition of Evanescence’s ‘My Immortal’, won her the majority public vote, crowning her and coach Danny O’Donoghue victorious, and landing Andrea a recording contract with Universal Music.
With a combination of incredible musicianship, a phenomenal aptitude for overcoming challenges and a flawless tone to her voice, it’s no wonder that Andrea became the UK’s favourite in the competition.
Andrea is joined in concert by special guests Anthony Toner and Ben Sands. Anthony Toner has been described as ‘John Prine meets James Taylor – in a second hand book shop’. His single ‘Sailortown’ grabbed the attention of radio listeners in Northern Ireland in 2010, and his music has held public attention ever since. The song was an utterly contemporary, clear-eyed depiction of a doomed teenage romance – set against the backdrop of Belfast’s fabled Sailortown neighbourhood, now undergoing all kinds of transformations. His live performances always feature entertaining stories from the road, peerless guitar playing and thought-provoking songs that stay with you on the way home.
Ben Sands, cornerstone of the fabled The Sands Family, also appears with Andrea and Anthony. While The Sands Family continues to tour and record in their own inimitable fashion, Ben has flourished as a successful solo performer and recording artiste. To his acknowledged accomplishments as a singer, song-writer, instrumentalist, harmony vocalist and arranger, Ben brings a solid reputation as a “great singer of great songs” from a diversity of sources. These days his own compositions are most featured in his concerts as well as in the performances and recordings of a growing number of notable artistes. Ben Sands songs, music and stories paint pictures of an ongoing legacy inherited in those early, influential years on a small farm in County Down and enriched by his colourful, musical, adventure-some journeys through life.
Of course, the highlight will be the performance from Pomeroy songstress, Andrea Begley, whose new debut album ‘The Message’ entered the official chart at number 7, and whose autobiography ‘I didn’t see that coming’ is also out now.
Tickets for this memorable night of entertainment, priced at £15 (£12.50 concession) are on sale now at Burnavon Box Office on 028 8676 9949 option 1 or online www.burnavon.com.