A mum-blog by a live music lover who doesn't go to gigs.
Potential to be the biggest waste of blogspace ever.
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Good Vibrations
I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to a new film release quite as much. Good Vibrations, the biopic of punk record store owner and label owner, Terri Hooley, will be released this month. The opening night is 29th March at the wonderful Strand Cinema, Belfast and is sure to be quite a party so if you’re nearby get along! Plenty of ROI and UK listings too.
There is also a launch party tomorrow Sunday 24th March in the Empire Music Hall Belfast
Terri Hooley, Directors, Cast and Crew in attendence
Featuring
Girls Names http://www.facebook.com/GirlsNames
Documenta http://www.facebook.com/Documentadronepop
Sea Pinks http://seapinks.bandcamp.com/
Soak http://www.facebook.com/soakderry
DJ Jeff Doherty 1970s post-punk disco in between acts
The story captures 1970s Northern Ireland, up to its eyes in troubles, politics and violence. But beneath it all, a great groundswell of brilliant new music was being created and just as there are many doing today, pioneers like Terri chose a different path and rather than focus on the troubles, decided to support and encourage the creativity and vibrant music scene into a kind of Alternative Ulster. By all accounts Game of Thrones star Richard Dormer does a fantastic job of portraying the charismatic Hooley and the film doesn’t hold back on the downsides of living such a rocknroll lifestyle. Hooley can be credited with discovering The Undertones, The Outcasts and yes was basically the Godfather of Teenage Kicks.
I have my own little personal reasons for being so keen to see this. My own mother worked alongside Terri in a photography shop in Belfast back when he worked for Kodak, when the dream was likely just beginning. I have some photos of my mum, pregnant with me, standing by the shopfront with him.
And when in my 20s I stumbled into a band for a very short period and made a little homerecording with some friends, I had the fortune of getting to go and record one or two tracks under the guidance of a certain guitarist from the Undertones. I had the priviledge of being escorted around Derry for a few days by the man himself, John O’Neill. It was so thrilling and he kindly allowed us to record in what I think was Blast Furnace studios as the (gone but not forgotten) Dreams of 4. Not only that, but my own mother recommended I pay a visit to the Good Vibrations record store (sadly now gone) and have a wee word with her old friend Terri and that I did, passing an extremely rough and ready demo to the legend of Belfast punk. Naivety is a wonderful thing. And youthful passion for music is also a wonderful thing, and the Good Vibrations film sets out to capture it, a beautiful symbol of hope amongst chaos.
If you’ve ever watched the news and wondered how or why people still wish to live in Belfast after decades of violence, hateful politics and religious bigotry, continuing today with seemingly ridiculous fighting over a flag and street protests…then I implore you to go see Good Vibrations. Go and see how with a different agenda, a group of likeminded people and a true punk spirit, Northern Ireland managed (and continues) to rise above and produce art of the most wonderful kind.
Joshua Burnside
Joshua Burnside - Postal Service cover ‘This Place is a Prison’ with Rachel Boyd
Some special tunes to warm your cold stone heart
Foy Foy Foy
This is ‘Joy Of Nothing’ taken from his forthcoming album, Joy Of Nothing, out Summer 2013. The video beautifully captures some snapshots of his relationship with his daughter and the sound follows the more restrained slow and steady passionate sound of the Melrose EP. Can’t wait to hear the whole album!
Sweet sweet Jepettos
I am proud to be a big Jepettos fan, born of Belfast meets Derry, the sweet and soothing melodies are based around husband and wife Michael and Ruth Aicken. This little beauty is a prime example of their sound and they’re soon venturing over this direction, playing Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh 8th March at the Stories event. Highly recommend you also check out this Jepettos tune too.
and if those 2 tunes don’t give you a fuzzy feeling and hope in music made by real people, then I fear you may already be part robot. Sorry about that.
DIY Independent music scene in Ireland - A Joyful Slog
A great documentary looking at some of Ireland’s DIY bands and culture over the last 20 years or so. It is a Dublin Community Television production and was made by the Community Of Independents collective that works with the channel. Beautifully explains the labour of love that is being a musician, or indeed a music blogger.
Bad times for Ulster
Sad to hear this but have to agree with one of the comments that this is a perfect project for crowdfunding.. so many loyal readers and supporters would happily chip in to keep this quality magazine afloat. Arts funding is taking some big hits these days, would be a beautiful thing to see the creatives supported directly by those who love the creations.
Belfast is HOT - Belfast Music Week
Even though the remnants of Eminem’s appearance in Bangor is probably still lingering, NI has more sneaky tricks up its sleeve. 170 concerts in one week no less - here’s a small sample.
The fantastic Communion nights continue to draw the crowds and put on amazing acts, the Halloween ‘Hoedown’ featured:
- Captain Cameron (of Six Star Hotel)
- Maguire & I
- Rams’ Pocket Radio - “about to scare the ****** out of every other piano based band on the planet” – Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music
- Stephen E. Caswell (‘a’ Lowly Knight)
- followed by a gig with Ben Howard
All of the following fantastic NI acts played live at the NIMA (Northern Irish Music Awards) in the Ulster Hall:
- General Fiasco
- Cashier No.9
- The Japanese Popstars
- And So I Watch You From Afar
- Stiff Little Fingers
And this weekend these people are coming to the MTV EMAs in Belfast’s Odyssey Arena
- Justin Bieber (& Selena Gomez)
- DJ/producer David Guetta
- Katy Perry
- The HOFF (who also recently attended Queen’s Uni’s Freshers Ball!)
- Bruno Mars
- Coldplay
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Snow Patrol
- Jessie J
- LMFAO
- emmmmm QUEEN?!
One things for sure - there are going to be a lot of BIG fish in this SMALL pond this week.
Save BBC Introducing!
“Each of the BBC’s radio stations has a distinct role and tends to be more targeted on specific audiences, such as demographic groups or communities of interest, than the more broadly based television channels.”
By deciding to axe the immensely popular BBC Introducing programmes from Scotland, Wales and my beloved Northern Ireland, the BBC have yet again disappointed and distanced listeners, music fans, the music industry supporters and many many talented and struggling to be discovered musicians. They have also made it abundantly clear that they have little or no concept of what music marketing is all about - and that’s surely what these stations were designed for, right? Or was it?
Promoting the little man, breaking new ground, spreading cultural and creative excellence far and wide, showing the big powerful commercial record labels that BBC Radio had its finger firmly on the pulse and had inside knowledge on where the UK cultural scene was going next - that’s what it SHOULD have been about. Instead it was shouting and jingling every 5 minutes that “in new music we trust” whilst simultaneously working behind the scenes to scupper the chances of any new up and coming band, DJ, presenter, promoter and all the other many and varied talents that go into making these shows. In one foul swoop, they have lost our trust.
In their wise business tactics to ‘deliver quality first’ and ‘make the savings they need’ they have made a move to cut off the few, the obscure, the small and local markets, presumably because they think its an easy target and a quick painless way to save pennies. However, they have shown their disregard for the long tail theory and the huge potential financial influence of the niche. For we are all nichers my friends, all of us mourning the loss of our shows with the mighty Ally McCrae, (or the wonderful Vic Galloway who went before him) the pretty and talented Jen Long and the hero that is Rory McConnell not to mention the quiet confidence of Tom Robinson. But as I have pondered upon on this blog before, we are indeed SMALL but MASSIVE and they will deeply regret this move if it goes ahead.
Like the campaigns that have gone before us such as Save BBC Four, and Save 6MUSIC we must try and make our little voices just a little bigger so the silly hard of hearing heads of BBC can listen to us. Keep shouting! Sign the petition! And this one too!
Sunflower Festival top tips
SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL 2011, HILLSBOROUGH, NI
19-21st August at Tubby’s Farm
3 days of superb live music, comedy, poetry, interactive arts and crafts, story telling, alternative therapies and great food and drink set in the beautiful countryside. Here’s the bits you definitely don’t want to miss.
The headliners! Who would have thought it? A festival with not just one but 3 amazing headliners, stay till the bitter end and enjoy …
- Friday Main Stage - Mojo Fury - Lisburn based local rock, see how fantastic they were live at Glasgowbury here
- Saturday Main Stage - Not Squares - challenge your ridiculous dancing skills like this crowd did recently at Willowstone Festival
- Sunday Main Stage - Duke Special - local living legend, if you are in Ireland and haven’t seen him live yet then I really don’t know where you’ve been and you should be ashamed of yourself. Make up for it and also swot up by watching this clip of the man himself.
Basically you should not really shift from the main stage on Sunday as you will be treated to Silhouette, (finally a WOMAN!), later followed by the mighty RAMs Pocket Radio, which i believe features your woman from Silhouette. Incidentally, RAMs (to his real friends) is also playing the second stage at Tennants Vital Festival on Aug 23rd alongside my current favourite NI artists A Plastic Rose.
Anyway, back at Sunflower Fest you shall be serenaded by the wonderful Inishowen Gospel Choir. Here is a superb video of them doing a version of Hallelujah with Foy Vance. After such blissful harmonies you will be rudely awoken by Cashier No 9 whose new album has been creating quite a stir.
One more special mention, you should drag at some point on Sunday afternoon relocate to the Campfire Stage where you can hear my cousin’s angelic vocals as she sings with Duncan Campbell and the Duty Paid Society
Now that is what I call a tasty lineup and you shall be richly rewarded for trekking allll the way to ‘just outside Belfast.’
Glasgowbury - Small but Massive
Watch footage of Glasgowbury 2011 here
Continuing my theme of how Northern Irish bands are taking over, just a little glimpse of the hardcore rock of Mojo Fury and the beautiful intricate songwriting of RAMS pocket radio confirms my theory.
Across the Line is also a very fine music show on BBC Radio Ulster who have for years been promoting the very hard, rough, loud, NI music scene. The legend that is Rigsy runs the show and is a true gent in the music scene.
We might be a SMALL nation but we are truly MASSIVE in music, and you will see this soon enough..
