If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed.
Click here to find out what an RSS feed is. Thanks for visiting, Phil!
These posts are becoming so few and far between, and to make matters worse all I want to write about is something that happened 2 weeks ago. Damn camera destroying my long run of great blog posts (shussh, I think so anyway!).
So as usual - I’m quite happy, its just a running theme at this time of my life I guess. Its sunny, I have a camera, I take photos, I go to work where I’m bored shitless and think of nothing but getting home to computer/photos/camera and I take more photos and go to gigs and meet people and hang out with friends blah blah. It’s all good.
Possibly the best gig I’ve been to in a long time occurred on Saturday 5th May. I should begin this little story by pointing out that I have a habit of getting a little starstruck when I meet famous people, though it has happened very rarely, so when I met Gary Lightbody, lead singer of Snow Patrol, I found it quite hard to contain myself.
This story starts with a nice little idea, or initiative, to help musical people in Belfast/Northern Ireland get started in getting their musical talents to a wider audience. Beginning with some powerful folk in Belfast such as Gary Lightbody, a building was found in the centre of the Cathedral Quarter in 2005, this building, when it is completed later this year (hopefully), will form the Oh Yeah project.
It measures 14, 500 square feet over three floors and will soon be home to rehearsal rooms, performance space, a café and office units to incubate new music businesses.
Back to the 5th May, this was the date of the first public viewing of the building, previously bonded whiskey warehouse. The purpose of the day was to allow members of the public to see the potential of the project for young musicians.
The building was filled with a buzz of anticipation of what this, almost surreal, idea can do to the local music community.
The top floor was filled with people involved in some way with music and musicians in Northern Ireland, including Alternative Ulster, Bruised Fruit Promotions, No More Art, Belfast Guitar Emporium etc.
A talk took place in the hall on the first floor with (from left to right) Stuart Bailie, dude from from Smalltown America Recordings, a woman from Down South and Paddy Glasgow, founder of the Glasgowbury festival.
The first performance of the day was by a talented guitarist, Thomas Leeb, with an unconventional technique of beating the crap out of his guitar in order to produce crazy sounds. The atmosphere throughout the whole day was very relaxed, as well as filled with a certain amount of excitement. People sitting on the floor enjoying the music and buzz.
Next were two local musicians who previously went by the name Pat and Nipsy, now with the addition of a drummer, have changed their name to The Fools. Though today they were minus this new recruit, so lets just stick with Pat and Nipsy?
After that performance everyone was ordered (not really) to leave the building and head to The John Hewitt to have a pint. Though one wasn’t expecting Gary Lightbody and James Nesbitt and friends to take the table to the immediate right. But lets not get all starstruck and annoy everyone…
A little later the fun really started. The secret exclusive gig that no one knew about was to start. The atmosphere was almost more tense than before. I was quite excited myself. Getting to the point, in running order;
The Fools/Pat and Nipsy (again, and still lacking drummer)
Paul Archer and The Burning Codes
Then things got really good.
Gary Lightbody and Lisa Hannigan
Elbow who flew in especially for from Manchester
A slightly intoxicated James Nesbitt
James Walsh from the excellent Starsailor, of whom I’m a massive fan
And finally, the unstoppable and truly great Duke Special
In all - it was a great day and the project itself will hopefully be a great success when it is completed later this year. It is something I am looking forward to being involved in, in terms of photography, having so many bands and musicians in the one place and the opportunities it will provide for local musicians.
Watch this space for more (oh yeah, and this space)
No Comments Yet
You can be the first to comment!
Leave a comment