Over the course of nine days Belfast will host a series of music gigs and events designed to show off the immense wealth of talent and help nurture it. Pioneered by the Oh Yeah Music Centre we have picked out a few highlights of the festival.
Bronagh Gallagher – Friday 6th November 2015 – Oh Yeah Music Centre
Derry actor and singer Bronagh Gallagher plays a rare headline show in Belfast. Featuring songs from her two studio records and some new material, it is a great opportunity to catch her in such an intimate venue.
Three For Three Showcase – Saturday 7th November 2015 – Pavilion
The latest Three For Three showcase features three great artists where the money from the door goes direct to the artists. This one year anniversary gig features Teddy Charles Jr, Jealous Of the Birds and Lauren Bird.
Breaking Into Music Youth Conference – Tuesday 10th November 2015 – Oh Yeah Music Centre
This Youth Conference is a careers education and work-related learning event for young people aged 14+. It features panels from Phil Taggart (BBC Radio 1), Ben Scarr (Island Records), Danny Desai (Young Guns Network/Virgin EMI Records), Charlene Hegarty (Smalltown America Music) and Hollie Boston (Universal Music Publishing). Also featuring on the days events will be artist and management session with The Clameens and Mark Holden & lunchtime music scheduled by Volume Control, Oh Yeah’s events mentoring programme for young people.
Music Cities Conference – Thursday 12th November 2015 – Oh Yeah Music Centre
With speakers from Canada, London & Derry the Oh Yeah hosts three talks/panels debating how Belfast can become a great music city. Panelists include Shona McCarthy, Chair of Oh Yeah and former CEO, Culture Company Derry. With Graham Henderson (Music Canada), Jo Dipple (UK Music), Gareth Stewart (Music City Day, Derry and Celtronic) as well as a key note speech from Graham Henderson, President and CEO of Music Canada and Editor of ‘The Mastering Of A Music City’.
Scratch My Progress 2015 EP Launch – Thursday 12th November 2015 – Oh Yeah Music Centre
The latest collective of entrants to the Scratch My Progress development programme are graduating with a celebratory launch of their new single an artist endeavours. The show will feature performances from Sister Ghost, Treehome, Plague Artists & Owen Denvir.
Stiff Little Fingers – Saturday 14th November 2015 – Ulster Hall
The legendary punk outfit Stiff Little Fingers return to the venue where they were awarded an Oh Yeah Legend award. Expect a night of hard hitting punk anthems spanning a long career dating back to 1977 and if you haven’t got tickets yet you better hurry up – this one will definitely sell out.
NI Music Prize – Saturday 14th November 2015 – Mandela Hall
The annual Northern Ireland Music Prize winner will be announced on a special evening of live music from several of the nominees. You can read details about the nominated artists here but you can catch Malojian, Ciaran Lavery & Ryan Vail and The Lost Brothers on the night. There will also be a set from the Divine Comedy as the Oh Yeah Centre will receive the Oh Yeah Legend Award for 2015.
The full programme of events is available to view over at the Sound Of Belfast website.
