GIFTED features a host of established and up and coming musicians from across Northern Ireland through regular gigs in The Belfast Empire.
The next instalment in the Belfast Empire is on Thursday 28th November 2024 & is an alt rock banger.
Headliner on the night is Brand New Friend who will be joined by Anderson Nightmare, PARKER & Lauren Ann.
Tickets are priced at £10 and can be purchased online now.
Brand New Friend
We’ve been fortunate to host the band in several different venues over the years including the stunning Redeemer Central Church, a record store in Castle Court and even a bandstand in Botanic Gardens in the middle of November…We’ve been hoping to have them back for a while now and finally the stars have aligned as they close out 2024 with their biggest Belfast headline show to date.
In 2015 the Johnson siblings (Lauren and Taylor) began making music in their family home on Northern Ireland’s rugged north coast. With the addition of drummer Luke Harris, lead guitarist Aaron Milligan & younger sibling Logan Johnson on bass, they’ve gone from playing their local pub in the sleepy village of Castlerock to playing festival stages & packed venues all over the UK and Ireland.
With two critically acclaimed albums in 2018’s ‘Seatbelts For Aeroplanes’ and 2023’s ‘Grandstand’ under their belts and an incendiary live set, this is a show not to be missed.
Anderson Nightmare
Anderson Nightmare are Owen Strathern and brother Enda, with lifelong friend Stephen Leacock on drums. Based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, they met at their south Co Derry school before releasing two albums and going on to play shows across Europe, the US, Japan and New Zealand as General Fiasco. Since then Owen, Enda and Stephen have continued to play together – and separately – in various projects and bands, but with Anderson Nightmare it has grown naturally into something more defined.
PARKER
Displaying a Trojan work ethic and building their fanbase in the time-honoured touring tradition of Proper Rock Bands since their lockdown inception in 2020, PARKER have played relentlessly across Ireland and the UK over the past few years, supporting the likes of New Pagans, WONK UNIT, Cherym, The Last Mile, and Fighting With Wire. Pure, unadulterated, infectious rock with a knack for impressive singles including ‘Ucluelet’, ‘Never Miss’, ‘Problems’, ‘Superhero’ and ‘Ruin My Life’ marked the band out as a burgeoning new talent.
Lauren Ann
Lauren Ann is a rock-pop grunge artist based in Belfast. She signed to Faction Records on the same day she finished High School – a phenomenal achievement for someone who only started writing a year prior. Her sound is described as a mix of grunge dynamics, garage rock exuberance and dreamy pop edge influences her music and writing style. Growing up listening to artists such as Nirvana, Pixies and The Cure, Lauren finds a way to shine these influences through her own music, making her tracks refreshing yet nostalgic to listen to, perfect for those missing the 90’s.
