Stripped Down: Jealous of the Birds | Aqua Tofana

Stripped Down at The Crescent is a series of gigs that brings together some of the most talented original acts currently working in Northern Ireland, performing stripped down versions of their songs.

Usually, a song starts life in a bedroom, a living room, or a rehearsal room, and it grows over time. Eventually by the time it gets performed by a full band or recorded in the studio it has matured and developed. Stripped Down hopes to bring some of these songs back to that early, genuine stage of life.

Stripped Down has been programmed by The Crescent’s Music Associate 23/25, Donal Scullion, who has been collaborating with our Technical Manager, Gareth Doran, to curate this series. Over a number of shows you will discover a mix of established acts, rising stars and emerging talent, representing Northern Irish Hip Hop, R&B, Soul, Funk, Pop, Rock, Indie and more.

For April's edition of Stripped Down, we welcome to The Crescent Jealous of the Birds and Aqua Tofana.

These events are BYO; bring along a bottle, sit back and let the music take over, and enjoy these two incredible acts perform in an intimate setting.

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Hailed by NPR for her “remarkable gift for converting spare and common ingredients (voice, acoustic guitar, a bit of whistling) into a sound that’s dense, gently hypnotic and utterly her own,” Naomi Hamilton has recorded and toured as Jealous of the Birds since 2015, earning worldwide critical acclaim for her intimate lyricism and dynamic musical approach.

Born in Portadown in County Armagh, NI, and now based in Belfast, Hamilton’s first release as Jealous of the Birds was 2015’s Capricorn EP, followed the next year by her acclaimed full-length independent debut, Parma Violets. The album “shatters any preconceived notions,” raved The Irish Times. “Parma Violets progresses from whimsical folk-pop to atmospheric indie post-punk of real substance…Hamilton rises to the occasion time and time again." Her latest album, Hinterland, was released in 2023 to much acclaim; "The album boldly meanders from soulful folk to scuzzy alt-rock to psychedelic pop. It’s a sonic journey of Alice in Wonderland proportions, a work that is simultaneously carefully considered and gleefully unrestrained." Dig with It. 

Click here to check out the sound.

Aqua Tofana is the alias and songwriting project of Eva Kearney. Singing and making music since her early teens, and after developing a taste for theatre and a flair for showmanship with a background in performing arts - Eva ‘cut her teeth’ performing in a cover act, busking and hosting karaoke nights.

By 2018 she moved on to writing and playing original material, seeking oppurtunites in the form of support slots in Belfast venues like Voodoo and Fibber Magee’s in Dublin. Her debut EP, co-written with Michael Mormecha and Nolan Donnelly at Tree Song Studios addresses Eva’s issues with epilepsy, mental health and her experiences of love, heartbreak and trauma. The ups and downs, the sweet and the bitter.

Click here to check out their sound.