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Why Downpatrick teen Charlie Hanlon is on the road to success

Charlie Hanlon was ready for his first sold-out show at the Sunflower in Belfast when he noticed an unfamiliar face at the door. He thought the new arrival had made a mistake and was at the wrong gig.

Jim Kerr from Simple Minds on the band’s 1989 hit Belfast Child and their gig here next week

We had assumed that Simple Minds were always going to play Belfast Child at Custom House Square next Tuesday. After all, the city was name-checked in their first number one release and it led to the 1989 comeback that revived the band’s career.

Trad and emotional: Belfast Tradfest hails the legacy of the late fiddle player Seán Maguire

Seán Maguire, the astonishing fiddle player from west Belfast, was part of the tradition but he was also determined to excite it in fresh ways.

Stuart Bailie: Taking a look back at Carol Clerk and the great tradition of NI music journalists

Carol Clerk was a student at Regent House school when her first piece was published in Melody Maker. The 1973 headline was Bombs, Boredom and No Bands. It was a diary of teenage life at a horrendous time.

Here comes the Pride: Belfast festival beckons for Dan O’Rawe and F.R.U.I.T.Y

The Tom Robinson Band made a connection between punk rock and the pride movement back in 1978 with the release of the song Glad to be Gay. Tom boldly set off on a tour that included some Irish dates in October of that year. Homosexuality was still illegal across the island.

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Stuart Bailie Opinion Captivating musician Kate Bush and her Irish connections

Kate Bush is happily back in our thoughts with the success of Running up that Hill and the song’s dramatic placement on the Stranger Things soundtrack. New listeners are captivated and the singer’s Irish connections have been revisited.

Belfast songwriter Joby Fox on how his roots are etched throughout his new album

Joby Fox was active with The Bankrobbers and then Energy Orchard, bringing musical credit to the Riverdale area of Andersonstown and writing the peerless ballad, Belfast.

Stuart Bailie Opinion Robocobra Quartet: examining the modern condition in intense, searching songs

When you’re playing a gig in the Banana Block, you have a licence to dress like a banana. This is why Thibault Barillon is dressed in vivid yellow, with matching nail polish. He is hanging out in this prime east Belfast location and he’s ripe for a great art moment.

Stuart Bailie Opinion Paul McCartney at 80: ‘We’re still in awe of his art’

June 1, 1987, and I’m in Abbey Road Studios in London. Music locations don’t get much more inspiring. I grew up watching images of the Beatles, striding up those steps, ready for another session.

Carry on camping: Challenges remain for return of festivals but music fans geared up for season

An amusing festival moment took place a decade ago on the side of the Sperrin mountains. An unshaven chap placed his tent in the middle of the sheep dung. He popped it open and let out a groan of disgust.

Irish musician Rosie Carney on new album ‘I wanna Feel Happy’: ‘Because it’s so personal, I feel like I’m giving away a part of myself’

Rosie Carney came back to Downings, Donegal at the start of lockdown. She’d been living in west London and she needed to be around the family and the Atlantic air.

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Stuart Bailie Opinion Van Morrison worth pressing on with, despite sour moments and the swipes

My last ever record request is a Van Morrison song at my funeral. My party, my tunes. Van’s music has been the soundtrack to many great moments, so it’s only right that he’s there for the finale.

Roaring out the north west: the return of Axis Of

The band Axis Of came roaring out of the northwest 15 years ago. Fans said they were stormy like the Atlantic coast, that their songs were as jagged as the Giant’s Causeway.

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Brothers in arts: how Joshua and Connor Burnside are experimenting with traditional sounds

Joshua Burnside is one of our greatest songwriters. Brother Connor is a percussionist, sometime banjo player and even a music theatre guy. Together they create excellent music as Seacht Líne.

Cathedral Quarter revived as festival season returns

The Cathedral Quarter in Belfast is putting on its best face again. We had almost forgotten the joy of this place in early May. This year it reminds us of the value of art, smiling and community.

Sing when you’re Winnie

Winnie Ama is delighted. She’s ready to sing soul, jazz and dance music. She’s picturing her full week of events with the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast.

New Pagans reveal the financial pain and the artistic pride of a band on tour

There’s a lovely film clip of the band New Pagans on the stage of the Columbiahalle, Berlin. The audience have their hands in the air, the band members are saluting their new fans and the singer is laughing with pure joy.

Stiff Little Fingers: Belfast punk stars celebrate 45 years as a band

On August 20, Jake Burns will make an announcement from the stage at Custom House Square, Belfast. He will ask his audience to be standing for “the National Anthem”.

Rocking the ballot box: Brian Smyth, Sian O’Neill and Paul Doherty entered politics through music activism

Before he became a Green Party councillor and a potential MLA, Brian Smyth was the singer with a Belfast band called Dirty Stevie. Their big moment was a single called Do You Wanna Have Sex With Me.

Award-winning songwriter Mark McCambridge has fresh songs and timeless causes

The old ghosts of slavery and the modern abuse of people trafficking will be remembered at a special event in Belfast on April 29. The music will resound in the First Presbyterian Church, asking us to measure how far we have traveled as a city.

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Stuart Bailie Opinion Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins was good looking, talented and charismatic…. he was rock’s full package

Taylor Hawkins was active with the Foo Fighters for 25 years and the energy levels were always immense.

Tales of the Paraorchestra

In September 2018, Hannah Peel was in tears on the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. She was responding to the sound of a human voice, singing beautifully, making an intense connection.

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Song of the Sandman

Tommy Sands has been singing about the horrors of war for much of his life. He is 76 and has no plans to be silent now.

Problems and solutions

The new song by Problem Patterns was provoked by the story of Sarah Everard, who was kidnapped and killed by a Metropolitan Police officer in March 2021.

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Conor Mitchell is taking his Abomination opera from Belfast to Dublin and back

Conor Mitchell, one of the great Irish composers, wants us to see opera as an art form that’s been dangerous and revolutionary.

Lisburn musician is set for Ukraine armed with a van full of donations

The journey began in Lisburn, and it will hopefully reach Chernivtsi, Ukraine, 2,000 miles later.

The Don of a new era

Don Chi was eight years old when she left her home in Anda, Pangasinan, in the Philippines. She spent her first three months in Northern Ireland watching television to teach herself English.

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Ricky Warwick’s ready to rock

The rock and roll story began in Newtownards, and it currently plays out in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Ricky Warwick is a happy resident of Paradise City, but he also sings about Island Hill and his heartland of County Down.

Let’s get soaked

There are SOAK tattoos in the crowd and beautiful, home-made badges. The rainbow colours are draped with pride and a Burger King crown is worn as an anti-fashion statement. Live music is back, and SOAK is ready for the best homecoming.

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Belfast supports Afghan musicians in danger with night of song and speech

The Nazis wanted to ban jazz music from Germany because they thought it was “degenerate”. Ballymena City Council refused to allow the Electric Light Orchestra on their civic grounds in 1993. They cited ‘the four ‘D’s’, namely “devil, drinking, drugs and debauchery”.