Province's rock music is in tune with success

Features

Monday, July 02, 2007

With Snow Patrol, Ash, Oppenheimer and Duke Special blazing a trail for Northern Ireland musicians, showbiz correspondent Maureen Coleman examines why the scene has never been so healthy

Remember the Madchester scene of the early 1990s?

Bands like The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays Inspiral Carpets and The Charlatans dominated the charts - and put Manchester well and truly on the map.

The city suddenly exploded and took over as the coolest place on earth to be.

Something similar has been happening in Northern Ireland in recent years, with a healthy band scene to rival the likes of Manchester, London, Dublin or Glasgow.

Sure, we may not have hijacked the Top 10 just yet, but bands like Snow Patrol and Ash have been paving the way for something of a musical revolution in this little province.

There's always been a fairly healthy 'scene' here. We've produced Van Morrison, Ash, The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers and on a lesser-known scale, Brian Kennedy, D:Ream, Therapy? and Joyrider.

But Snow Patrol, who have been knocking around for over 10 years now, have surpassed all those successes and prompted people across the world to sit up and take notice of what's going on here in Northern Ireland.

Snow Patrol are undoubtedly the champions of this cause, bringing their music to the US and Australia, topping the album charts with their last release, winning Grammy and Brit nominations and basically having their songs featured on just about every American medical show on television.

Downpatick rockers Ash, meanwhile, have long been making their mark on the music scene, with numerous album and single releases since their schooldays. The trio are back with a bang at the moment and their new album, Twilight of the Innocents, is being hailed as one of their best so far.

Then there's acts like Duke Special, Ben Glover, Claire Sproule and Foy Vance, all making a name for themselves both here and across the water. US music industry representatives and Press were "blown away" recently when a host of acts from here showcased their talent in Washington and New York, at events organised by the Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission.

Bands like Oppenheimer are making inroads in the US market, after one of their songs, This Is Not A Test, was featured on cult Ameican sitcom Ugly Betty. Kharma 45, the Winding Stair and Alloy Mental all played last week's Glastonbury, while Alloy Mental were back on stage at the Beach Party in Portrush on Saturday night.

The dance music scene is vibrant too. David Holmes, Phil Kieran and Agnelli and Nelson blazed a trail for new names like Boxcutter, Timmy Stewart and Sinister Industry. And there's more bands and musicians coming to play here than ever.

In the past few years we've welcomed Justin Timberlake, Elton John, Muse, The White Stripes and Scissor Sisters, while bands such as Razorlight and The Killers will play this year's Tennents ViTal at Ormeau Park.

Sandra Gourley from NIMIC, who accompanied local bands to the US for the Rediscover Northern Ireland project, said this was an exciting time.

"The scene hasn't just exploded all of a sudden, these artists and bands have been working hard for years, and now their products are ready for the market," she said.

"Local bands have a great support system in place now. We've a great wee magazine Alternative Ulster, programmes like Across the Line on Radio Ulster, Colin Murray on Radio One, flying the flag for Northern Ireland music and the new Oh Yeah music centre.

"In the last few years Belfest (local music festival) has been a tremendous success, while there's also Innishfree, Glasgowbury, Planet Love, the Portrush Beach Party and of course, Tennents ViTal.

"I think what's happening here is that a general optimistic attitude in Northern Ireland has transferred into music .

"On top of that, people are staying here. The internet is offering opportunities to the music industry which means artists and bands don't have to go away.

"It's a great time to be involved with the industry and it can only go from strength to strength."