ALTHOUGH she's best known for her big screen roles in The Commitments, Pulp Fiction and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Bronagh Gallagher has also been busy forging a successful career as a musician over the past decade.
Currently putting the finishing touches to her third album, Derry-born Gallagher (42) is blessed with a sweet soul voice that's won plenty of acclaim from critics and fellow musicians alike.
Indeed, legendary muso/producer Brian Eno famously praised the actress's musical prowess (she's pretty handy on the drums too), describing Gallagher as “one of the purest, clearest talents” when he collaborated with her for two songs on her well-received debut LP, 2004's Precious Soul, released on her own Salty Dog record label.
The Bronagh Gallagher Band have proved themselves to be a popular live draw since then, touring in support of their leader's debut and the eponymous second album which appeared in 2012.
Now, Gallagher – who also recently starred in the National Theatre hit War Horse and will soon be seen in the new Sky sci-fi drama series You, Me & The Apocalypse alongside Rob Lowe, Jenna Fischer, Megan Mullally and Pauline Quirke – is getting set to take a break from recording her third long player to return home for a very special musical performance.
The Bronagh Gallagher Band's show on September 26 at Derry's premier live venue The Millennium Forum will be a fundraiser for the city's Foyle Hospice, which provides palliative and end-of-life care for cancer patients.
As patron of the Hospice, the Derry talent tells me she is looking forward to helping out a very good cause during her first ever headline gig at the Forum.
She says: "We've done a couple of shows there over the past couple of years, including the Homegrown concert during the City of Culture which was a great success.
"That was myself and Paul Casey and Paddy Nash & The Happy Enchiladas and it was a great couple of nights.
"So now this is my own show and hopefully we can raise as much as we can for the Hospice."
Gallagher explains how she first got involved with the Derry cancer facility about 18 months ago and why it's vital that the north's music fans lend their support to its endeavours.
"They actually approached me about maybe working with them," she tells me.
"I just thought, 'Yes, absolutely' – it was a real honour to be asked. It's such a fantastic organisation and they do incredible work, so I just felt that I should try to help create a bit more awareness about them.
"The people of Derry are already huge supporters of the hospice already and contribute very generously to it every year, so hopefully this gig will be another way in which people can help out a good cause."
Of course, as well as raising vital money for charity, the Millennium Forum date also offers Gallagher the chance to air some of the new musical material she's been working on over the last while.
With her third LP not due out until early next year, those in attendance will get a sneak preview of the record alongside a slew of live favourites from her first two albums, both of which are available to buy via Bronaghgallagher.com or stream via Spotify.
"We're going to play some of the new stuff," confirms the singer and band leader, "and we've got a lot of other lovely stuff that we've been working very hard on that hopefully everyone will really enjoy."
Although the new album will once again be coming out on Gallagher's own Salty Dog indie imprint, its reach should be even wider than usual thanks to a new partnership which should spurt the growth of her musical empire.
"We've joined up now with a few very good heads in England to try and expand things a bit and give it the best launch we can in February. It's exciting stuff."
Gallagher is confident that fans of her first two records will enjoy her latest effort, which she began recording last year with assistance from her long-term musical partner, Conor Brady.
The as yet untitled album ("I know what it's called – but I'm not telling you," teases Gallagher) finds the soul and blues-loving singer further evolving and expanding her classic, retro-informed sound which she has modelled after some of her favourite records.
Classic artists referenced include Scott Walker, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway and The Shangri-Las, plus plenty of 'swamp soul' and Motown besides.
"Myself and Conor have been working very hard on the songs," she tells me, "we've written quite a lot of them together and really tried to craft them.
"The hardest part is actually writing the songs and curating the sound you want to go for. We spoke a lot about the production and did a lot of research with the music we love for reference. So although it's kind of retro, it's also got quite a timeless feel to it too.
"We were listening to a lot of the Shadow Morton productions that I really love, those old '60s girl groups. That sort of sound has come back into fashion the last few years but it's always been my love since I was about 10 – the sound of the silhouetted soul singer."
She adds: "It's always a tough journey writing a new record, you never really know if you've gone up a level – but I really feel we have on this one.
"The production's much bigger and we're feel really confident about it, I'm very excited."
Most of us got our first taste of Gallagher's soul girl talents when she played band member Bernie in The Commitments, Alan Parker's 1991 smash-hit adaptation of Roddy Doyle's novel about a struggling Dublin soul act.
In 2011 most of the big screen Commitments – which also featured Oscar-winner Glen 'Outspan' Hansard, Andrew 'Deco' Strong and Robert 'Jimmy' Arkins alongside Gallagher's fellow Commitment-ettes, Angeline 'Imelda' Ball and Maria 'Natalie' Doyle – reunited for a short but massively well-received run of live dates to celebrate the movie's 20th anniversary.
With 2016's 25th anniversary fast-approaching, many are beginning to wonder if they'll get the old band back together one more time.
However, don't get your hopes up – according to 'Bernie' herself, that particular itch has been well and truly scratched.
"We had a great time and it was really lovely to see everybody, but I don't think anything else is going to happen," she tells me.
"It's a massive thing to organise and I'll be busy out touring with my own band anyway."
In other words, if you want to hear this girl sing again, you'd best be at The Millennium Forum.
"The band will always say to me, 'right, the set is 90 minutes – we'll do an hour of music and half-an-hour of you talking'," laughs the famously chatty frontwoman.
"Especially being back home, it's just natural to fall into that Derry craic and banter."
:: The Bronagh Gallagher Band, Saturday September 26, Millennium Forum, Derry. Tickets £18 from Millenniumforum.co.uk, all proceeds to Foyle Hospice.
