‘The Groove Line’ getting set to Funk up the Ardhowen, Enniskillen

The Groove Line, of course! And they’re on the road this September, bringing their show, ‘Disco Fever’, to the Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen on Saturday, September 10.

The brainchild of Enniskillen native Phil Duffy and CHIC drummer Ralph Rolle, The Groove Line were set up with one mission in mind – to get the people of Belfast and beyond on the dancefloor.

Talking to The Impartial Reporter about his connection with Ralph and the inception of The Groove Line, an eight-piece band that specialises in Classic Disco, Funk and Soul music, Phil said: “The Disco thing came about when around three or four years ago I became good friends with Ralph Rolle, who plays drums with CHIC and Nile Rodgers.”

CHIC drummer Ralph Rolle and Phil Duffy.

At the time Ralph was in Belfast doing some work at the Belfast Drum Academy, which Phil owns.

“I told him that I was considering putting a band together playing Disco and Funk – the same sort of stuff that CHIC do. So he came on board and helped me put the band together.

“He came to Belfast and we held auditions, and he helped me find a singer and horn players. He helped me pick the song choices, he sat in on a couple of rehearsals and he gave us guidance on song arrangements,” said Phil, explaining that Ralph was a “huge help” whenever he was putting the band together, and still continues to offer support.

“Whenever he’s in Belfast, he comes down and he sits in on some rehearsals and he still helps us out.”

A musician all his life, whilst growing up in Enniskillen, Phil played in various local bands before joining bands from Belfast.

“I ended up travelling all around the world in my twenties and thirties but I’m settled in Belfast now,” said Phil, noting that The Groove Line is the most recent band that he has created, starting it around two years before the pandemic hit.

Looking forward to his upcoming Ardhowen show, Phil explained that his last gig in Enniskillen was at the Ardhowen about 15 years ago with a Guns ‘N’ Roses tribute band.

“This one, although it’s a covers gig as well, it’s a very different type of music,” he said.

The Groove Line is an all-live band with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all the best floor fillers of the past 40 years.

From the auspicious beginnings in McHughs’ Basement, Belfast, playing to a packed room for a Nile Rodgers aftershow (with Ralph himself in the stool), to a run of sold-out sets in the Empire Music Hall, The Groove Line have amassed a formidable live reputation and are ready to go on the road once again.

With a curated set-list of all your disco favourites, including The Bee Gees, Blondie, Donna Summer, CHIC, Daft Punk, Gloria Gaynor, Rose Royce, Diana Ross and much more, it’s a little slice of Studio 54 in your favourite local arts venue!

The Groove Line also encourage all their guests to ‘get into the Groove’ and want everyone dressed in their 70s finery.

Tickets for The Groove Line’s Enniskillen show are on sale now from the Ardhowen box office, or via the theatre’s website at www.ardhowen.com.