GLASTONBURY can keep its pyramid stage and overpriced cocktails – festival season has begun and is already delivering in Ireland with a huge stock of native musicians and new releases to enjoy.
The time has come again for the Eastside Arts Festival to return to the city. A cultural programme run by Eastside Partnership that engages food, art and music in the city, as usual it has a host of all-ages activities to enjoy and this week organisers dropped the full programme.
Taking place between July 27 and August 6 and platforming the diverse and thriving arts scene in the east of the city, punters can expect to enjoy musical events that span folk, rock, dance and electronic music. On the docket most notably is the Vault Studios Sessions, with musicians such as songwriter Joshua Burnside taking over the Harland and Wolff Staff Club with a series of performers. Also not to be missed is the latest instalment of God's Waiting Room and the Night Institute special raves. Hosted by David Holmes, Timmy Stewart and Jordan Nocturne on Saturday, July 29, this is a must on your summer to-do list.
Director of the EastSide Arts Festival, Rachel Kennedy, said: “We are thrilled to present this year’s EastSide Arts Festival, showcasing the extraordinary talent that resides within our community. The festival is a celebration of our diverse artistic landscape, where individuals of all backgrounds can come together and experience the transformative power of the arts, reinforcing East Belfast’s position as a thriving hub of creativity.
"We are continually grateful for the support we receive from our principal funder, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, through the National Lottery, and principal sponsor, Translink, as well as the commitment and support of sponsors, funders, participating venues, artists and the dedicated festival team and volunteers who work hard to ensure that everyone has the best time. We really hope you can join us this year – we would love to see you there!”
News also broke this week of the Joe Cassidy Chrysalis Award. To be presented at the NI Music Prize this year to one artist or band, the award honours the late singer-songwriter Joe Cassidy, a largely unsung Belfast musical hero of Butterfly Child, Assassins and NØISE fame. The purpose of the award is to provide financial support to an emerging band or solo artist sharing Joe’s passion for making original music, his positivity and his determination to survive and thrive in the challenging music business. In honour of Joe, practical support will be offered through the various industry friends and contacts he worked with over the years.
In the South, more news broke from the fabled Ireland Music Week showcase festival. A springboard for many of our homegrown musicians exploding on to the national and international radar, Ireland Music Week is a four-day festival that takes place every October. With alumni like Hozier, Dermot Kennedy and Fontaines D.C., it's often the first chance our homegrown bands have to reach the international music industry.
Delegates from major record labels, festivals, booking agencies and publishers from Ireland to America and beyond make the trip to Dublin every year for a series of conference panels and performances. We have a healthy delegation headed to Dublin this autumn. Post-punk/techno trio Chalk are featured on this year's list, as well as pop/hip-hop artist Becky McNeice, who has become an internet and radio sensation at home. With only a few releases to her name, McNeice has shown she's ready to run alongside the top performers. Also on the lineup are DIY punks Problem Patterns (who we discussed at length in last week's column), dream-pop shoegazers Wynona Bleach and Bangor psychedelic songwriter Ethan Hollan.
Back to Becky McNeice, who's our spotlight artist this week. Having made an impressive run of summery, tropical singles and features over the years, she's once again partnered with Belfast producer Eulogy on her latest single, 'One Million Other Problem's. McNeice says of the track: “One Million Other Problems is an exploration of love, loneliness, vulnerability, and personal growth. The aim was to express the perspective of someone who is truly heartbroken, but subconsciously it veered off into something else. This song allowed me to express thoughts and feelings that I couldn’t rationalise, and that’s the beauty of songwriting."
On this minimalist track, Becky's vocals shine brightly through.
