Joby Fox – Songwriter & Musician

Local boy done good - Joby Fox supporting Damian Dempsey at Feile an Phobail 10th Aug 2013.

For Joby Fox this is a kind of homecoming as he was one of the first musicians to play at the inaugural Feile an Phobail / West Belfast Festival in 1988. As it is the 25^th anniversary of the festival it is fitting that he should be performing at the festival. Joby is looking forward to putting on a special show for the community in West Belfast.

Singer/songwriter and filmmaker Joby Fox launched his ‘End of the War’ project in 2012. The album comprises beautifully crafted tracks and soundscapes that reflect on life, love and the complexities of inner and outer conflicts.

“The songs on offer are high on melody and fuelled with human emotion, resulting in each one carrying a powerful, social and political message while at the same time being beautifully wrapped up for mass consumption like an iron fist in a velvet glove.” (John Kearns, The Irish News)

Tickets for the event are £10 and available online from the festival box office

Joby performed alongside Midge Ure, in-the-round on the last day of the songwriters’ festival in King’s Head. Superb gig! Great atmosphere! Midge Ure was a gentleman!

Joby went to London in 1985 and formed Energy Orchard. He managed to land them a 5 albums deal with MCA in 1988.
It was Energy Orchard’s first single ‘Belfast’, written by Fox that really kicked off the band’s career. They worked hard and toured the first album “Energy Orchard” extensively in UK, Europe and North America over 3 years till Joby eventually left the band in 1991. Read the FULL STORY here...

I had this idea 5 or so years ago for a short film called “Lost Commandos”. It was an idea I just could not let go of.  It’s a story about four commandos lost on a mission in Belfast. The idea is that they get lost and then end up back to the place where they started out from. Yes, that is it. Sounds familiar?

There is a twist though, but you will just have to come along and see it when it gets out there.

Imagine four commandos with AK47s running around some of the most politically sensitive locations in Belfast, like Stormont, the Shankill Rd, The Falls.

How did we get away with it? I hear you ask. Well, good planning and a brass neck. Sophie is the master when it comes to planning. She had to clear all the locations and have a police escort with us at all times. The actors were all stoked when they got the parts, though as we came close to the three-day-shoot the emails started coming in to the office: ” Hey have you told the police were going to be running around with Ak47s?” Signed Yours, a bit concerned. Self preservation is a strong instinct, we think…

See the trailer here

Joby Fox