Rory Friers

Rory Friers plays The MAC on Sunday 8 November, the closing event of the 64th Belfast International Arts Festival. It's a one-night-only show on the Main Stage, and it marks the end of his year as the festival's 2026 Artist-in-Residence.

Friers is a composer, producer and immersive artist whose work sits across film, contemporary composition and spatial sound. Many here will know him as the guitarist and songwriter for And So I Watch You From Afar, the award-winning band that built his international reputation for expansive, emotionally driven music. His solo practice takes that in a different direction, covering film scoring, orchestral composition and large-scale audiovisual installation, with commissions from the BBC and Ulster Orchestra and work shown at the Southbank Centre, the London Science Museum and Ulster Museum.

This particular show is built around a bespoke spatial sound system that places the audience inside the music, rather than just facing it from a seat. It also unveils the second instalment of his HOME project, which he's been developing as Artist-in-Residence, ahead of a major new release in 2027. He's not doing it alone: he'll be joined by his live ensemble, composer and pianist Michael Keeney, the Arco String Quartet and The Fully Automatic Model (Jonny Delaney), with special guests still to be confirmed.

It follows a sell-out performance he gave at The MAC last year, so it's a return to familiar ground. Tickets are £22, and the show starts at 7:30pm.