BELFAST organisers have announced the programme for one of our landmark festivals and a city legend gets some well overdue recognition in this week's Northern Winds.
With a launch event last Thursday that was attended by several prominent artists and industry officials, the Sound Of Belfast Festival entered into another year of programming. A multi-week event that is programmed by staff in the Oh Yeah Music Centre and features artists from all over the globe (with a focus on our homegrown talent), the Sound Of Belfast will take place between the dates of November 10 and 20.
With headline performances from rapper Leo Miyagee, singer Gareth Dunlop, Scottish rock-revivalist band The Snuts and math-rockers Bicurious and talks and walks and all-ages events for the whole family, the Sound of Belfast is primed to be an unmissable series for our citizens. Full details are on the festival website, which went live on Thursday. The highlight of the celebrations this year will of course be the NI Music Prize, the annual gathering of talent and workers that celebrates the high level of musicianship available in the North. With the announcement that Barry Devlin of the Horslips would be presented with the Legend Award this year for outstanding contribution to Irish music, it’s sure to be a night to remember.
Devlin is not the only musician to be recognised this year, however. A special show to mark the legacy and impact of late Belfast Blues singer Ottilie Patterson was also announced as a part of the festival programming. Taking place on November 17 in the Mandela Hall, a series of special performances from Dana Masters, Manukahunny and Winnie Ama will celebrate the life and work of one of the most influential singers of the 20th century.
The event will see Ottilie fully inducted into the NI Music Exhibition at Oh Yeah with her own storyboard. It also coincides with an upcoming documentary from DoubleBand Films on Ottilie’s life and legacy, presented by Dana Masters, which is due to air on BBC later this year.
Born in Comber and a contemporary of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Ottilie’s influence has been quoted by British R&B legend Dick Taylor as “essential”.
“If it wasn’t for Ottilie, we’d be in a strange parallel universe. No Stones, no British invasion. Strangely, she hasn’t been better remembered.”
Bricknasty’s latest, ‘Ina Crueler’, is a patchwork of half-thoughts, jazzy interludes and spacey vocals
With tickets on sale now, this is a must-see event for blues and jazz fans in the city.
It was also announced this week that Other Voices, Ireland’s much-lauded cultural gathering, would return its music trail to Cardigan in Wales. Representing the North, pop-punkers CHERYM and alt-pop duo Dark Tropics will perform at the iconic festival, wooing Welsh audiences with their unique pomp and flair. Dark Tropics, fresh off the release of their debut album INK, will likely be in the running for best album of the year at this November NI Music Prize and are a band to watch out for.
And as always, we end this week's column with a spotlight on some of the best independent releases from Irish artists this week. First off, we have the cacophony and chaos of Bricknasty and their new song ‘Ina Crueler’.
Sitting proudly on our Best Tracks of 2021 list from January, Bricknasty are amongst some of the best new bands in the country, as evidenced by their appearance at Ireland Music Week this Friday. Their latest is a meandering, woozy combination of sounds, sights and sighs. Less a full song and more a patchwork of half-thoughts, jazzy interludes and spacey vocals and samples, it's a mood-setter if there ever was one.
We were also treated to a new recording from the Mary Wallopers this week, with a reworking of their cult favourite cover ‘Cod Liver Oil & the Orange Juice’. Written by Glaswegian singer Hamish Imlach, the track was given new life by the Dundalk hellraisers. With the warmth of your favourite pub, the snarl of a well-known hard-man and an addictive, driving rhythm, it's a welcome return for the Wallopers.
