Political activist, poet and musician Declan Welsh will bring his socialist brand of indie rock to Ireland next week for a decadent evening in Whelan’s.

The Glasgow artist’s frank and provocative lyrics have led to him being compared to artists such as Jarvis Cocker and Billy Bragg for tackling issues such as the global rise of the far right and the left’s inability to mount a resistance.

Welsh is also pro-Palestinian, but unlike many artists who are simply happy to boycott Israel Welsh has taken his music directly to Palestine as he explained to us in a recent interview:

“I fully support the non-violent BDS movement and the cultural boycott of Israel. I’ve written about it extensively, so I won’t bore you here, but it’s very similar to South Africa and artists response to apartheid there.

And we were invited over as a cultural exchange, I jumped at the chance to go. It’s a place you have to experience. A beautiful, resilient people who despite suffering so much instil you with genuine hope. I’m so glad I got to see Palestine, and I really hope to go out again soon.”

Read the full interview with Declan Welsh here.

Declan Welsh and The Decadent West – Upstairs at Whelan’s October 10th. Tickets €13.00.