Duncan Maitland plays the Alternative Sunday Social Club in The Wild Duck

Originally from Stoke on Trent in England, Duncan Maitland formed his first band, The Flood, in 1985. After the band dissolved, producer Ronnie Stone (The Pixies, David Gray and Mansun) suggested Duncan as a replacement for the guitar player who had just left Irish band Picture House. By the end of 1993, Duncan was a full-time member and one of the band’s principal songwriters who was responsible for two of their biggest hits, Heavenly Day and Sunburst.

After he departed the band Duncan began playing with acclaimed Irish band Pugwash and he also began recording his own material at home and enjoyed several successful solo gigs across the country. 2001 saw Duncan gigging solo and with Pugwash, as well as playing on their second album, the highly praised Almanac and he secured his first film soundtrack addition when Sunburst was featured in the comedy, The Most Fertile Man in Ireland. In 2004 he commenced work with Pugwash on their third studio album, playing alongside XTC’s Dave Gregory and the Section Quartet at the infamous Abbey Road studios. He also found time to compose soundtrack music for the film Detained - which gathered great reviews for both film and music.

The beginning of 2005 saw Duncan returning to song writing, co-penning the song Anchor with XTC’s Andy Partridge and Pugwash’s Thomas Walsh in time for the completion of the Pugwash album, Jollity. Leading on from this involvement, Duncan was asked to contribute keyboards to the XTC song Say It for the band’s Apple Box release. He has also toured with Anny Celsi and Nelson Bragg, of the Brian Wilson Band and in 2010 recorded first solo album Lullabies For The 21st Century, to huge critical acclaim and it made many ‘best of’ end of year top tens. In the past decade he has been in demand as a producer and session musician, producing among others Slumberjet, Colin Hare, Gavin Mee and the new upcoming album by Jack Lukeman.

Duncan is currently finishing his new album with Leslie Keye at Arad Studios and will be debuting new material alongside ‘golden oldies’ at The Wild Duck gig. “Folks can expect some new stuff being played for the very first time, some stuff from Lullabies for the 21st Century and maybe some bits from along the way...it's going to be a stripped back and intimate affair which is just the way we like it.”