Margaret Glaspy

Margaret Glaspy plays The Deer's Head on Wednesday 28 October, as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival. She's an American singer and songwriter based in New York, and this is a headline show, so it's her night.

If you're coming for the new material, you're in the right place. The set will draw from her latest album, I Am Both, which was produced by three-time GRAMMY winner Joe Henry. He's worked with Aimee Mann and Joan Baez, and on this record Glaspy leans into complexity, clarity and emotional directness. It's the kind of album that asks for a room to hear it in, rather than something to have on in the background.

There's a particular way she's been described that sums up the record well: a writer who rejects the noise of an era of excess and endless distraction in favour of something far more essential. It's a good line to keep in mind if you're trying to place her sound — it's less about filling every gap and more about what's left when the noise is gone. I Am Both sits right in that space, and this show is your chance to hear those songs live.

Doors open at 7.30pm, and tickets are £17. One thing to keep in mind before you book: the night is for over-18s only.