CULTURE
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FREE
E C L E C T I C B E L FA S T
16 CQAF 2015 TH
FESTIVAL PREVIEWS & LISTINGS
JAN CARSON
MUSINGS ON MYSTERY
JUN TZU
BREAKING IT DOWN
MALOJIAN
SAUERKRAUTROCK WITH STEVIE
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HELLO! Welcome to CultureHUB Magazine.
CONTENTS ARTICLES
CultureHUB aims to give a voice to the many diverse cultural expressions of our society that make up the rich mix that is Belfast.
4 • Eclectic
Each issue will take the reader on a journey of learning and exploration of Belfast culture, from a diverse, contemporary and historical perspective.
8• Focus on the Man behind Malojian
CultureHUB provides an enticing portrayal of Belfast, previewing, reviewing and viewing the broad spectrum of cultural expressions from which to choose when out and about in the city.
12• Literary and Poetry Events
From the team at CultureHUB, Happy reading folks.
6 •CQAF Listing Guide
L I T E R AT U R E
10• The Belfast Book Club
14 • No Alibis Bookstore - David Torrans 16• Marty Maguire Interview 17• The Shadow of a Gunman - Preview 18• Across the Line - BBC Radio Ulster 20 • Album Reviews
Cover Design & Layout: Root Design Belfast Art Direction: Root Design Belfast www.rootdesignbelfast.co.uk info@rootdesignbelfast.co.uk 028 90 021104 / 07964 389 125 Jounalists: Donald Twain, Conor O’Neill, Cara Gibney,
Melanie Brehaut, Stacy Fitzpatrick, Celia Borissova, Conor Charlton, Aishling Gallagher, Kieran Bartlett, Ahmed Al Sarraf, Caitlian Rafferty, Mark Durrell, Liz Marsh, Scott Boldt. CultureHUB Magazine Ltd. Merrion Business Centre Office 1-2, 58 Howard Street Belfast, BT1 6PJ Tel: 02895 43 4060 Mob: 07548 928 115 www.culturehubmagazine.co.uk info@culturehubmagazine.co.uk © CultureHUB Magazine Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means,electronic or mechanical without permission of CultureHUB Magazine.
22 • Festival of Fools 24 • Belfast à la Française 26 • Interview with Jun Tzu 28 • Scream For Me Belfast 30 • February Brings the Rain 32 • Emma Berkery - Fluid Perceptions 34 • A Wee Chat - Jan Carson 36 • Visiting Artists 38 • Jim Heaney - Real Music Club 39 • Earth to Alice 40 •Book Reviews 42 • PhotoHUB Competition 44•Interview with Mary Gauthier 46• Weird Belfast 48• Tattoos NI 50• Pádraig Ó Tuama - In the Shelter CULTURE
Creative Director: Anna Wherrett Editor: Scott Boldt Sub Editor: Donald Twain
HUB
E C L E C T I C B E L FA S T
ECLECTIC
Welcome to CultureHUB Magazine where we think the word ‘Eclectic' means at least two things, and this understanding guides the ethos, content, design and ethics of our magazine.
I
t is difficult to listen to an interview with an artist nowadays, particularly a musician, without hearing that she or he has an eclectic taste. I think it is a good thing to have, but similar to nut allergies, it seems that in recent years most people have one. The English novelist and essayist E.M. Forster said, “The human mind is not a dignified organ, and I do not see how we can exercise it sincerely except through eclecticism. And the only advice I would offer my fellow eclectics is: "Do not be proud of your
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inconsistency”. There may be some drawbacks or at least dangers in being eclectic, but as an approach to culture and perhaps to most things in life, it has many merits. In the 1950's, an economist called Herbert Simon explained that when people are making a choice, they often select the first option that exceeds their threshold of acceptability rather than make the effort to find the best possible solution for themselves. He described this behaviour as 'satisficing'; in other words, sacrificing what is potentially better
in order to be satisfied with something good. Subsequent research has shown that people who satisfice have a greater sense of well-being and are less likely to be depressed or suicidal than those who seek to optimise their choices. Furthermore, the satisficing approach to options appears to make life more manageable, and this is increasingly so as our freedom to select from a range of goods multiplies; thus the wisdom of Voltaire,“le mieux est l'ennemi du bien” - the best is the enemy of the good. This is sage advice in most situations; especially so when selecting cultural options.
At CultureHUB, we want you neither to be overwhelmed by the choices offered in Belfast, nor depressed by your efforts to maximise your cultural experiences. Thus, we seek to present to you a range of select choices for you to ponder. We do not think that we know best, but we believe that we are able to highlight and critique many fine happenings, productions, activities and events. The careful reader has noted that the magazine is sub-titled 'Eclectic Belfast', and the eclectic method guides how we approach culture in and around the city. The English word 'eclectic' derives ultimately from the Greek eklektikos, meaning to be selective or to pick out. It was used first in the seventeenth century to refer to ancient philosophers who doubted that there was an absolute truth that could be reached, so they selected from a range of philosophical doctrines that they considered to be the most reasonable and then developed their own system. The Stoics were considered eclectic as were Cicero and Seneca. Their approach to life and thought was to sacrifice the pursuit of the truth and be satisfied with what was reasonable – philosophical satisficers. At CultureHUB, we do not claim to know the truth about Belfast culture, but are satisfied that what you will find in the magazine, online and during our TV show is an array of interesting people, insights and creations centered in and around this fine city. We must warn you that as people have more contact with things of high quality, there is a danger of rising aspirations and expectations, so you could end up living better but not feeling better about how you live. Someone called Chauncey Howe (no relation to Chauncey Gardener) once said, “Eclectic means you can put anything together as long as it's expensive”. We are delighted that CultureHUB is a free publication and we hope it helps you to make some sound Belfast selections as well as learn about new and varied expressions of Belfast culture.
Scott Boldt
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CQAF L I S T I N G
2015 REASSEMBLED, SLIGHTLY ASKEW
The MAC (The Works) Thursday 30 April Little BarrieL Black Box Thursday 30 April
Ulrich SchnaussULRICH SCHNAUSS (LIVE) & NAT URAZMETOVA (VISUALS) The Belfast Barge Thursday 30 April
THE 16TH CATHEDRAL QUARTER ARTS FESTIVAL 30 APRIL - 10 MAY 2015 Down and Out in Paris and London 101 The Redeemer Saturday 2 May Martin Mor - Cheetah! Dark Horse Saturday 2 May
David Lyttle Aether + Echo Sunday 3 May / Monday 4 May REASSEMBLED, SLIGHTLY ASKEW The MAC (The Works) Monday 4 May
Stealing Sheep Black Box Saturday 2 May
Martin Mor - FUNNY STUFF FOR HAPPY PEOPLE Black Box Monday 4 May
Sarah McQuaid The Sunflower Public House Thursday 30 April
THE CHARLATANS Festival Marquee Saturday 2 May
Kitty in the Lane Green Room Monday 4 May
Camille O'Sullivan - Changeling St Anne’s Cathedral Thursday 30 April
Join Me In the Pines + Guests Oh Yeah Music Centre Saturday 2 May
Three Strikes The Dark Horse Monday 4 May
David O'Doherty Has Checked Everything Festival Marquee Thursday 30 April / Friday 1 May
The Dutiful Wife The MAC (The Factory) Saturday 2 May
Bec Hill – In...Ellipsis McHugh’s Basement Monday 4 May
Jon1st The Belfast Barge Saturday 2 May / Sunday 3 May
The Staves Festival Marquee Monday 4 May
REASSEMBLED, SLIGHTLY ASKEW The MAC (The Works) Sunday 3 May
Jig Of Life: The Kate Bush Project Black Box Monday 4 MaY Tuesday 5 May
Reassembled, Slightly Askew The MAC (The Works) Friday 1 May I'm With Her – Sara Watkins, Aoife O'Donovan and Sarah JaroszSARA WATKINS St George’s Church Friday 1 May Josh Rouse The Black Box Friday 1 May The Stranglers Festival Marquee Friday 1 May Ambient Forces The Belfast Barge Friday 1 May The Dutiful Wife The MAC (The Factory) Friday 1 May / Saturday 2 May Reassembled, Slightly ASKEW The MAC (The Works) Saturday 2 May Cait 'Rocky' O'Riordan Black Box Saturday 2 May
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GUIDE
Looking for Johnny Green Room Saturday 2 May
Val McDermid The Black Box Sunday 3 May Paul Durcan – Reading from The Days of Surprise The Black Box Sunday 3 May The Kiss of the Chicken King Green Room Sunday 3 May The Dutiful Wife The MAC (The Factory) Sunday 3 May Rev Billy + The Stop Shopping Choir Green Room Sunday 3 May Belfast Tease-O-Rama Festival Marquee Sunday 3 May Lucy Porter – Me Time The Black Box Sunday 3 May
Lords of Strut present Chaos LORDS Black Box Tuesday 5 May REASSEMBLED, SLIGHTLY ASKEW The MAC (The Works) Tuesday 5 May My English Tongue, My Irish Heart Waterfront Studio Tuesday 5 May Joe Strummer on the Run I NEED A DODGE! Green Room Tuesday 5 May Three Strikes The Dark Horse Tuesday 5 May THE LOST BROTHERS Black Box Tuesday 5 May
Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba Festival Marquee Tuesday 5 May Wednesday 6 May Martin Rowson Black Box Wednesday 6 May Starman Circus School Wednesday 6 May Night at the Orpheus University of Ulster Wednesday 6 May My English Tongue, My Irish Heart Waterfront Studio Wednesday 6 May The Once McHugh’s Basement Wednesday 6 May Roar! BFF Beanbag Cinema Wednesday 6 May Andrew Maxwell Festival Marquee Wednesday 6 May Luka Bloom + support Brigid O'Neill Trio Black Box Wednesday 6 May Brooks Williams + guest The Mighty Mojos John Hewitt Wednesday 6 May Thursday 7 May A Year in Burgundy Direct Wine Shipments Thursday 7 May My English Tongue, My Irish HearT Waterfront Studio Thursday 7 May Peter Broderick McHugh’s Basement Thursday 7 May
Open Source at The Big Table Lower Garfield Street Friday 8 May Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest Green Room Friday 8 May The Primitives + guests The Sabrejets R.O.A.B. Friday 8 May My English Tongue, My Irish Heart Waterfront Studio Friday 8 May
Wilko Johnson + GUESTS BILLYBOY MISKIMMIN’S MERCY LOUNGE Festival Marquee Saturday 9 May Gaz Coombes Black Box Saturday 9 May Sunday 10 May Open Source at The Big Table Lower Garfield Street Sunday 10 May All for the Dead Man's Penny War Memorial Building Sunday 10 May
Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope 101 The Redeemer Friday 8 May
Barbara Nice - Squirrel Proof Black Box Sunday 10 May
The New Donegal Tradition The Sunflower Public House Friday 8 May
Industrial Soundtrack For The Urban Decay Green Room Sunday 10 May
Artist in Residence - Ciaran Lavery The Belfast Barge Friday 8 May Woody Woodmansey’s Holy Holy Festival Marquee Friday 8 May Lanciatore – The Juggling Man Circus School Friday 8 May Divine Styler + Bahn DJs Black Box Friday 8 May Saturday 9 May Classic Children's Saturday Morning TV BFF Beanbag Cinema Saturday 9 May VE Day 70 Years on NI War Museum Saturday 9 May Open Source at The Big Table Lower Garfield Street Saturday 9 May
Mojo Mickeybo 101 The Redeemer Thursday 7 May
The Other Half with Mark Billingham & My Darling Clementine Black Box Saturday 9 May
Melt Yourself Down The Black Box Thursday 7 May
The Secret City Bridges Skate Park Saturday 9 May
Lanciatore – The Juggling MAN Circus School Thursday 7 May
My English Tongue, My Irish Heart Waterfront Studio Saturday 9 May
Lucy Rose + support Jake Isaac Festival Marquee Thursday 7 May
Lanciatore – The Juggling Man Circus School Saturday 7 May
Le GalaxieLE GALAXIE + GUESTS GO WOLF! Aether + Echo Thursday 7 May Friday 8 May
Paul Muldoon – Reading from One Thousand Things Worth Knowing 101 The Redeemer Saturday 9 May
Mary Gauthier Festival Marquee Sunday 10 May Eef Barzelay (Clem Snide) John Hewitt Sunday 10 May TRACEY THORN – A READING The Black Box Sunday 10 May Lanciatore – The Juggling Man Circus School Sunday 10 May Hackney Colliery Band Aether + Echo Sunday 10 May Margaret Harrison - We are Them, They are Us Golden Thread Gallery Until 15 May Lorem Ipsum - A Mixed Media Installation by Paul Moore Arts and Disability Forum 1 May – 19 June Buzz Logan - Shankill and Beyond Red Barn Gallery Until 30 May Geert Goiris Exhibition Belfast Exposed 1 May – 27 June Stephen Shaw The John Hewitt 3 May – 1 June Andrew Glenn Exhibition Green Room 30 April – 24 May Five Arterial Routes + One Thousand Commercial Signs PS2 30 April – 9 May
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FOCUS ON
THE MAN BEHIND
MALOJIAN Malojian - the sound of the word conjures a sense of curiosity - distinctive and unusual. Perfectly fitting then as a pseudonym for Lurgan musician Stevie Scullion and the eclectic yet quirky songs he creates. Making music since his teenage years, Stevie's musical journey developed with indie-folk band Cat Malojian. After two album releases however, they split in 2011, encouraging Stevie to go it alone. ''A lot of my friends already called me Malojian, so I decided to run with that rather than my own name," explains Stevie. Focusing on his music, written with personal meaning for himself, he soon self-released his first solo album in 2012. 'The Deer's Cry' was an evolution from the days of Cat Malojian seeing Stevie step out as an individual performer, showcasing his personality. The album was rewarded with praise from a range of respected music sources including BBC Radio 2' s Bob Harris, Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and BBC Radio Ulster/NME's Stuart Bailie. ''I was thinking about doing a really stripped-back solo album even before Cat Malojian split,' he says. Building an harmonious group of musicians, Malojian fell into place combining a variety of instruments including accordion, violin and organ to create the unique sound he describes as 'Jizz Formation and Sauerkrautrock'
We didn't even really know each other before the first recording session.
It's always great craic playing with the musicians I play with now 8
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I try to work with the same group as much as possible so the core of the band is Joe McGurgan on bass, Michael Mormecha on drums
and myself. There are some other players on both albums too. Following on from 'The Deer's Cry', Malojian are set to release eagerly awaited second album on May 18th. “Southlands is a bit different from all my previous recordings," he reveals. "Our drummer has a class studio outside Lisburn (www.millbankstudios.net), so we recorded it there. When we recorded 'The Deer's Cry' we were in a costly studio on a tight budget so were very mindful of the clock, plus, we'd only just met so we were definitely flying by the seat of our pants. With 'Southlands', we'd had time to get to know each other properly and were very comfortable with one another musically. I think the tightness of the band and the fact that we were confident and comfortable in the studio, comes across on the record." The album launch, over two nights on May 28th and 29th (tickets £8). will be held at No Alibis Bookstore in Belfast, perfectly in keeping with Malojians' nostalgic ethos. "I used to play No Alibis all the time with my old band. It's a really interesting place for a gig. Very small and very quirky. The atmosphere is usually class even before you start playing. There's a song on 'Southlands' called 'No Alibis' which was inspired by the shop. I had an idea to write a song about getting lost in there, in all the books, but it soon morphed into something else. I still kept the name though! ” "I want the launch to feel really special for those that attend so instead of going for a bigger capacity venue, I've decided to do 2 nights in a row." With an album launch and the new single release 'Communion Girls ', Malojian are looking ahead to a busy summer of tours and festivals and gigs. Stacy Fitzpatrick
FOR REGULAR UPDATES VISIT: WWW.MALOJIAN.COM 8
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BEL FAS T
BOOK CLUB SINCE 2011
At present, the people who go to the Belfast Book Club are aged 30 to 45. There are two permanent Russian members, one German, Irish from both North and South, British and there have been Polish, Spanish and Italian guests at social evenings/cinema outings.
A friend and I came up with the idea to start a book club as we were fed up with reading books we really enjoyed, or which affected us in a negative way, and then not having anyone to discuss them with. The Belfast Book Club currently has eight members, although this number is subject to fluctuation as people constantly come and go, and we are always on the lookout for new ones. We meet approximately every 6-8 weeks and take it in turns to host in our own homes. There is no formal structure to our meetings or to the way we discuss the books. Each member contributes as much or as little as they wish. We have read books by writers from Russia, France, Germany, Australia, the Congo and the USA to name but a few. We are not all locals, or indeed native English speakers, so we do have the benefit of varying cultural perspectives within the group. A mixture of classic and contemporary literature has featured. Some of the more popular choices have been ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ by Barbara Kingsolver, ‘The Third Policeman’, by Flann O’Brien, ‘N.W.’ by Zadie Smith and ‘Stoner’ by John Williams. It was ‘Swallowing the Sun’ that was the first novel we read by a Northern Irish writer, followed quite soon afterwards by ‘All The Beggars Riding’ by Lucy Caldwell. Most importantly, the Belfast Book Club is not highbrow in any way. The books are the focus of the meetings, but socialising is also key! Celia Borissova
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Contact me www.facebook.com/celia.borissova
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& PoeTrY E V E N T S • B E L FA S T Val McDermid Killing People for Fun and Profit No.1 best-selling crime writer takes you on a journey that led her from innocence to being guilty of entertaining millions
The Black Box May 3 at 2pm. Tickets £8.
Paul Durcan Reading from Days of Surprise A Paul Durcan reading is like no other. Audiences come away drained and cleansed as if from a secular mass. The Days of Surprise is proof that the great poet of contemporary Ireland is in fine fettle.
The Black Box May 3 at 5pm. Tickets £8
Martin Rowson In this entertaining and unapologetic event, Martin takes us on a romp through a 32,000 year old history of visual satire, the life and work of William Hogarth and the power of giving and taking offence, along the way exposing the techniques, practice and purpose of caricature.
The Black Box May 6 at 1pm. Tickets £6.
The Other Half with Mark Billingham and My Darling Clementine Award winning crime writer Mark Billingham and leading country duo My Darling Clementine come together to present a dark and glorious mix of song and story.
The Black Box May 9 at 2pm. Tickets £8.
Paul Muldoon reading from One Thousand Things Worth Knowing Paul Muldoon is one of the world’s most revered poets, described by Heaney as ‘the most promising poet to appear in Ireland for years.’ He currently lives in the United States where he is poetry editor of The New Yorker.
101 The Redeemer (101 Donegall Street) May 9 at 8pm. Tickets £8.
Tracey Thorn In her best selling autobiography Bedsit Disco Queen, Tracey Thorn recalls the highs and lows of a thirty-year career in pop music. The book offers a unique, witty and sharply observed insider's perspective on the exhilarating joy and occasional heartache of singing.
The Black Box May 10 at 8pm. Tickets £6.
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& PoeTrY E V E N T S • B E L FA S T Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Belfast: The 1925 Visit A special event to mark the 90th anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Ulster Hall lectures on spiritualism. Columnist and commentator, Alex Kane, talks on “Sherlock Holmes and his Creator” and the local Holmes Society’s Oscar Ross recounts this historic and controversial visit. Ulster Hall. May 14 at 1pm. Admission is free, booking required.
Introduction to Memoir With Patricia Craig and Tara West Established writers read from memoirs they’ve worked on recently and give tips to anyone interested in reading or beginning to write a memoir. Ulster Hall. May 20, 1pm, Tickets £4.
An Evening with David Sedaris. Join America’s best-selling literary funnyman David Sedaris on his UK and Ireland Book Tour. The master of satire has established himself as one of America’s top humour writers. Ulster Hall. May 31, 8pm, Tickets £26.
Club Leabhar Líofa / Irish Language Book Club. Cu na Mbaskerville / Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Linen Hall Library. June 6, 11am. Free Admission.
Festival Launch with Glenn Patterson, focusing on the experience of reading, writing and publishing short. Linen Hall Library. May 13, 1pm. In Conversation with Bernard MacLaverty and David Park. Linen Hall Library. May 13, 6pm. Short Story Workshop with Jo Egan. Linen Hall Library. May 14, 10.30am How to get your short stories published, featuring Bernie McGill, Jan Carson and Kelly Creighton. Linen Hall Library. May 14, 3pm Sophia Hillan - Getting Started (again). Linen Hall Library. May 15, 3pm. Children’s writing workshop with author Declan Carville and illustrator Jim Russell Age 7+. Linen Hall Library. May16, 2pm 8
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WHODUNNIT?
DAVID TORRANS INTERVIEW “Ah no! I can’t mention the highlight gigs, it’ll only upset the people I don’t mention” laughed David Torrans, bookshop proprietor, crime fiction fanatic, local music supporter and host to some of the finest, most intimate gigs and events that happen in Belfast. The bookshop is No Alibis Bookstore on Botanic Avenue. As the moniker suggests, mystery and detective fiction are the speciality; but the shop is padded wall-to-wall with classics,
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popular fiction, a children’s section, poetry, history, Irish writing, American literature, university text books and more. A lot of the ebb, flow, and features of the shop are built around these events. “Our children’s books are displayed on a bookcase that has been cut in half and laid on the floor.” That’s by day, by night “it becomes the stage for the musicians, authors and poets to perform.” The first music gig was for charity about ten years ago, and he hasn’t
looked back. “One of the most exciting people we’ve had playing here was Anais Mitchell,” he eventually told me after some coaxing. “There have been countless local acts too like Malojian, who’s launching his new album here on 29th and 30th May.” Sometimes gigs are too big for the shop and take place in the distinctive setting of The Ulster Museum, that would include acts like Birds of Chicago and Willy Vlautin” .
“The shop opened in 1997 and we’ve held events here right from day one. I knew that keen readers like to meet authors to chat and gain insight into their work. We used to hold, say, 3-5 events a year. Now it’s 3-5 a month; with everything from poetry, to crime fiction, to literature, to spoken word, to music and combinations thereof.”
Like the music though, if any events are particularly popular they hold them in other venues, including The Waterfront Hall and The Ulster Hall. “We work hand in hand with groups like The Squat Pen and The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry; groups that by their nature would be poetic. We would also work with The John Hewitt Society, who would touch on politics as well.” Where does politics come into running an event in a bookshop? “Well, we’re beside a university, and we’re engaged with arts and humanities - bookshops should be places where people can express ideas openly and freely, and there’s no better way to enable that than to hold book launches dealing with those issues.”
Countless people from publishing houses have praised David on the enthusiasm engendered by literary events here. “They’ve come to realise that Belfast isn’t a backwater to circumvent” he told me. “It’s worthwhile coming here, with audiences of up to 400 people.” This results in major players in their genre including James Ellroy, Jo Nesbø, Michael Connelly, and Kathy Reichs, coming to events in Belfast hosted by No Alibis. Perhaps it is best summed up by author and musician Willy Vlautin. “David is a saint for book lovers. He and his partner Claudia tirelessly support writers from all over the world and run one of the best bookstores in all of Ireland. Cara Gibney
Please support them and keep independent bookstores alive
For the ever expanding schedule of events visit www.noalibis.com Sign onto their mailing list to be kept up-to-date.
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83 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, County Antrim BT7 1JL
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MARTY MAGUIRE INTERVIEW
Crazy runs from May 26 – June 14 for booking details visit www.themaclive.com
YOU’LL be hard-pressed to find a more down-to-earth and likeable actor than Belfast’s Marty Maguire. A working actor for the last 30 years, Maguire is a veteran of countless stage releases, television productions, radio plays and for all you gamers out there, the voice of the famous Rifle Man in the World of Warcraft, a franchise with over 10 million subscribers; not bad for a working-class lad who hails from the Grosvenor Road. Speaking to CultureHUB, Marty talks us through his career so far and what the future potentially holds. His first foray into acting came while attending La Salle School in Belfast. With a fine singing voice, it’s not surprising that even in his youth he attained the lead part in Grease of Danny Zuko and from there stumbled into acting. Ever self-deprecating, Maguire fails to mention that this ‘stumble’ has led the way to almost constant acting work over three decades and being the recipient of the prestigious Los Angeles critics best actor award as well as the Edinburgh Festival awards for best actor and best ensemble. 8 16
From school performances to the Ulster Youth Theatre and onto the US, Maguire says: “My family were very supportive; I left university and I think they recognised about the same time as I did how much I enjoyed acting.” With nothing to fall back on, Marty threw himself into the job, moving to LA and doing the odd bit of bar-work and other jobs when parts weren’t available. What is most apparent is his work ethic and the responsibility to the paying customer to deliver the goods on stage and screen. “People spend money, get baby-sitters, taxis, et cetera, so it’s my job to deliver. I never get tired during a run. People work in offices every day or drive taxis, what I do is no more important, it’s just what I love to do. If I won the lottery tonight, I’d still want this.” Maguire is keen to point out the real power of theatre. As he puts it, ‘You can’t hear a smile’. Recounting one of his favourite moments, Marty tells of a play called Mixed Marriage and seeing a young man in the audience crying during the performance.
In his usual meet-and-greet after show encounters, he talked to the man’s mother who explained she had a mixed marriage and her son’s father’s side hadn’t spoken to him in 21 years; the son met Marty and sobbed on his shoulder. As for impact on family life, Maguire explains both his sons are grown up now and his partner Jo Donnelly Baby It’s Cold Outside - understands how the acting game goes. With recent parts in The Fall, The Vikings and BBC’s Number Twos in the bag, Maguire has an optimistic outlook for the coming year: “I’m doing Brenda Murphy’s Crazy in May and can’t wait to work with Kieran Nolan, who is in my mind one of our best young actors, and Caroline Kerr of Fifty Shades of Red, White and Blue fame. Then there’s Dancing Shoes – The George Best Story - in August and another series of Number Twos and The Vikings planned.” All in all a very good workload in an industry not soft on those who aren’t prepared to get out there. Conor O’Neill
The Shadow of a Gunman is the first play in Sean O’Casey’s Dublin trilogy, set during the Irish War of Independence. It satirises the violent strategy and Catholic rhetoric of the war’s so-called heroes. O’Casey boils the situation down to the ordinary daily struggle for life against the backdrop of war, death and sacrifice. O’Casey spoke out strongly of the situation in 1920. “In Dublin alone 20,000 families are wriggling together like worms in a putrid mass in horror filled one-room tenements. Not in the shouts of the deluded volunteers, but in the hungry cry of the nation’s poor is heard the voice of Ireland.” The central character of the play is Donal, a terrible poet who moves into a slum tenement and is mistakenly thought to be an Irish Volunteer Army gunman on the run. He neither confirms nor denies the allegations, and becomes a revered figure in the tenement, as well as the object of patriot Minnie’s affections. O’Casey’s characters are caught in a fantasy world with little prospect of realising their hopes. Donal is a dreadful poet, his roommate Seamus a failed salesman, Tommy an aspiring IRA man who lacks the courage to enlist, and Minnie the heroine, who wants to be a girlfriend of a gunman. Donal feeds these fantasies by allowing himself to be taken for a gunman on the run, until the 8
crashing reality of a Black and Tan raid shatters all their self-delusions. O’Casey challenges the sacred views of priest and patriot, not through his editorials or ideology, but through his characters who are caught in the middle of a war between guerrilla forces and an occupying army. Seamus comments, “But I draw the line about the gunmen dying for the people, when it’s the people that are dying for the gunmen.” Much of the play has the characteristics of a fairly light comedy with serious political undertones, the subtle political perspectives seeping through the humour. It is an insightful rumination on the strengths and foibles of the Irish character; fecklessness, sentimentality, indomitability, violence and the love of poetry. Thus, the play illuminates the nation’s heart/mind split and the tension between pursuing strong patriotic ideals versus living with the resulting effects of war in an impoverished country. Wayne Jordan (The Plough and the Stars, Twelfth Night) returns to direct this exciting co-production between the Abbey Theatre and The Lyric. The play runs between May 03 June 06. Tickets £15 off-peak, £20 peak-rate.
CULTURE
PREVIEW D. Twain
HUB
E C L E C T I C B E L FA S T
MAY PLAYLIST • Malojian- Communion Girls • Camille O’Sullivan – The Ship Song • Ciaran Lavery and Ryan Vail – The Colour • Florence and the Machine – What type • Blue - of Man • Louis Berry - .45 • Gaz Coombes – Detroit • The Charlatans – Come Home Baby • Muse – Dead Inside • Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba – Siren Fen • Josh Rouse – Time • Nadine Shah - Fool • Jane Weaver – Don’t take my Soul • Matthew the Oxx – I Want You • Everything Everything – Distant Past • Sarah McQuaid – The Silver Lining • The Staves – Im on Fire • Speedy Ortiz – Raising the Skate • Join Me in the Pines – At First LIght • Ulrich Schnauss – Blumenthal • Blur – Go Out • Stealing Sheep – Not Real • Brook Williams – King of California • The Once – All the Hours • Melt Yourself Down – Fix My Life • Peter Broderick – The Colour of the Night • Eef Barzelay – Moment in the Sun • 8 Little Barrie – Pauline and Surf Hell • Sufjan Stevens – No shade in the shadow of The Cross • Mary Gauthier – Difference between Daylight and Dark
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THREE DEC ADES NORTHERN IRISH MUSIC
BBC
Whether you live in Northern Ireland or are a native abroad, just like Tayto crisps, BBC Radio Ulster's 'Across The Line' not only stirs familiarity and homeliness but also satisfies a craving. Presented by Rigsy (David O'Reilly) it has been a staple of music fans' week for three decades. Every Monday evening, the best of original local music can be heard. "It’s testament to how strong the scene is now that we’re not stuck for great sounding tracks to fill the entire show," says Rigsy.
"The show is primarily about promoting Northern Irish music. While established acts will always be celebrated, it’s a priority to make sure we are giving emerging talent their first radio airplay... then their first radio interview, radio session. At the same time we don’t like to take ourselves too seriously either. It’s important we make everything sound welcoming for the casual listener."
Rigsy, hosting since 2002, reminisces: ''I’ve so many happy memories working alongside Donna Legge. Myself and former producer Paul McClean managing to get pretty much everybody local of note to play the Ulster Hall reopening gig in 2008 was a huge moment. It was such a buzz mixing up the likes of Snow Patrol, Divine Comedy and Therapy, with a bunch of then unknowns. In fact, that just summed up the show." 8 18
Gary Lightbody
Loris ATL Blackstaff
Focusing on quality, the show brings the artist to the listener with a range of features including 'Live Sessions' and 'Making Of'. ''The production values on Across the Line have always been very high. Our features are always well presented and our sessions sound as good as possible,'' he explains. ''It’s also important for us to feed into the rest of Radio Ulster - on numerous occasions bands we’ve got behind have gone on to be featured elsewhere, not just on BBC Radio Ulster but on BBC Introducing shows, Radio 1 and television.''
With the show’s 30th birthday approaching, Rigsy has recently been joined by fellow broadcaster Stuart Bailie. ''Stuart coming on-board to co-present is a nice warm-up for the year as he's helped and will continue to help us make the most of our archive and celebrate three decades of broadcasting. It’s all building up to a big birthday surprise too, of course."
A Plastic Rose
Upcoming, listeners can expect an exciting, diverse mixture of features and music. "It’s a big year for new Irish albums, so we’ll be reflecting that. Villagers, and Tim from Ash will join us on air to celebrate great new records in the next few weeks, for a start." ATL Finale Always supporting emerging talent, the audience is encouraged to get involved. "Musicians use the BBC Introducing uploader. I mean it when I say on air that the entire team will listen and discuss every single track put in there. As for listeners, I’m a ridiculously easy person to track down and contact online, as is Stu. Don’t just contact ATL the usual ways - feel free to contact the presenters direct!" Stacy Fitzpatrick The Emerald Armada
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Across The Line is broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster 92-95FM, Monday 8-10pm or listen online at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007cpgz
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ALBUM CIARAN LAVERY & RYAN VAIL
THE CHARLATANS MODERN NATURE
SEA LEGS
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Sea Legs Ciaran Lavery & Ryan Vail
The Charlatans Modern Nature
Modest Mouse Strangers to Ourselves
When two musically very different artists united, ‘Sea Legs’ was the exquisite result. Their debut collaboration of seven tracks flows like the sea itself with its water themed melodies. Throughout the album, Ciaran’s rich yet serene voice and Ryan’s husky, intense tones combine perfectly to capture your heart. Intense piano, acoustics and haunting synths penetrate your soul. Every song tells a story, descriptively delivered by Ciaran’s vocals and Ryan’s atmospheric, instrumental magic. Soothing, ambient and emotive, Sea Legs immerses you into the essence of Irish coastal life which you will want to return to again and again like the waves.
After losing their drummer Jon Brookes to brain cancer last year, The Charlatans set about making an upbeat album, and that’s just what they’ve achieved with Modern Nature. The album has the Hammond sound and bouncy basslines that Charlatans’ fans have come to expect, but it’s performed in a more ambient way. This effort echoes the upbeat vibe of the Wonderland album, with tracks like So Oh and Come Home baby. A band that continually reinvents itself and its sound, you never quite know what to expect with a new Charlatans album, but the lads have struck gold yet again with this critically acclaimed album.
Isaac Brock and co finally release their long awaited album Strangers to Ourselves, eight years after their last release We Were Dead Before the Ship even Sank. Brock became so immersed in making it, he had to pull back before he lost himself in the process. There still is that solid indie/rock sound with Brock’s driving vocals, but it’s a more subtle album and perhaps slightly less accessible than its predecessor. Tracks like Coyote are layered beautifully and tackle man’s complex love of nature while seemingly being unable to stop destroying it. Tracks to try are Lampshades on Fire, Pups to Dust and Coyote.
Stacy Fitzpatrick
Donald Twain
Donald Twain
REVIEW
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Murder By Death Big Dark Love
Trucker Diablo Rise Above The Noise
Selene Paradise Lost
Big Dark Love pokes at love with a stick until it bites back. Let’s examine the beast. Awful questions are asked in “Send Me Home” - how far would you go to stop the suffering of someone you love? This song will break your heart. Meantime, in “Dream in Red,” a body is being dragged to the river. Piano rings an alarm, as cello scrapes a path deeper into the woods and scratchy electronics muster horror. The title track offers drums reflecting the singer pounding on the door, shouting “let me in.” But it’s probably better if you don’t. This album hides inside itself. It’s not always easy. Or obvious. But it’s worth it.
Now returning to the local rock scene after a brief hiatus, Trucker Diablo's latest album, Rise Above the Noise, is a masterclass in Southern fried classic rock. At times quite heavy in tempo and style (such as lead single 'Party Like They Started the End of the World'), often rather country-tinged (check out opening track 'Fight Life') and containing one of the most beautiful ballads you'll ever hear in the form of 'Where Angels Fly', this crowd-funded album is a fantastic and triumphant reintroduction of the Big Truck. For fans of Black Stone Cherry and Lynyrd Skynyrd, you will definitely be pleased with this effort.
Amidst the grunt and raw power of the NI metal scene, symphonic metallers Selene stand out like a beautiful maiden in a group of trolls (sorry dudes!). Fronted by the angelic sounding Shonagh Lyons, the band have improved markedly since forming in 2013, with latest release Paradise Over demonstrating their talent brilliantly. Full of classy vocals, epic guitar work and themes of love and loss, they have hit the symphonic jackpot – never an easy feat. The highlight is the title track, with its choral intro and powerful beat, and topped with Lyons' elegant vocals. In short, this is symphonic metal excellence.
Cara Gibney
Melanie Brehaut
Melanie Brehaut
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Comedy Street Shows For Free
Belfast City Centre Friday 1 May – Monday 4 May 2015 foolsfestival.com
Get Ready for some Foolin’ Around It’s back! The festival everyone has been waiting for returns this Bank Holiday Weekend, from Friday 1st of May to Monday 4th of May, so prepare for the streets of the City Centre and Cathedral Quarter to come alive with the sound of laughter. The Festival of Fools began in Belfast in 2004, with performers from all round the world. This year there are more than 120 acts to choose from, ranging from acrobats, to open air comedy to street performers; there’s a fair share to keep the entire family entertained. The Festival aims to have, “four days to put a smile on your face and a skip in your step.” This year, the festival has more than 20 walk-about performances from amongst the most talented in Northern Ireland, including clowns, jugglers and downright oddballs. The Belfast Community Circus School, the sister organisation to the festival, celebrates its thirtieth year and, in addition, for the third year in a row, the Great Artdoors returns to Writers' Square giving a voice to the up and coming artists in Belfast. 8 22
The Festival of Foods also returns to Belfast with some of the best known restaurants and cafes, including Established Coffee, The Potted Hen, Salt Bistro and Coppi, offering a festival of flavours throughout the Bank Holiday.
Here is a selection of highlights. The opening ceremony features The Belfast Circus Community School. What began in 1985, has transformed a community today, working as an outlet for the children of Belfast, but also as a training ground for those wanting to learn the art of circus. They present, ‘Cast off’, a story of a circus performer who attends an audition only to be surprised when two companies fight for her great performance; it’s only a matter of time before hilarious chaos ensues. With more than 30 members from the Belfast Youth Circus School, prepare for fast paced acrobats combined with aerial grace and an action packed show, showing May 01 at 7pm, Writer’s Square.
African Warriors African Warriors is a group of acrobats who come all the way from the street theatres of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in Eastern Africa. The name derives from their ancestral warriors, their great grandfathers, who fought for independence, by climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and placing the Tanzanian flag in celebration of independence. Over the past 15 years, the warriors have performed over 2,000 shows in various countries, having found success on Britain’s Got Talent and Australia’s Got Talent, in which they made it to the Semi-Finals. This act comes to life from Saturday May 02 to Monday May 04 with the first show beginning at 12pm in Cotton Court.
Martin Big Pig This magnificently bearded fellow hailing from Coleraine, was born into a circus family and took up the family tradition with massive aplomb. Martin returns from touring the world to display his huge energy, positivity and fantastic facial hair. Martin has been everything from a juggler, unicyclist, knife thrower, fire eater and magician but was forced to retire from performing his freestanding ladder/tall unicycle/basketball juggling/pyrotechnic act after an accident shattered his ankle. Nevertheless, this man who some may recognize from “Trivial Pursuits, The Genius Edition”, will display his lust for life in three performances over the weekend.
Dansko Gida Paul Currie once again takes up his alter ego as the enigmatic Dansko Gida, the irresistibly funny suited gentleman from the mysterious Kash Republik. Paul has been a circus person, street performer, stand-up comedian and puppeteer whose presence has been revered at festivals and shows from Adelaide to Minneapolis. Considered to be Stewart Lee’s favourite performance from Edinburgh Fringe 2014, Currie is another figure who has been part of the youth circus from day one. He will be performing twice over the four days, guests are encouraged to bring their own ducks!
Haggis and Charlie These two comedy juggling masterminds have been performing as a double act since 1984. Haggis McLeod and Charlie Dancey started off in Bath England and have since been a staple of the Glastonbury Festival circus diet. They’ve gone from strength to strength and successfully managed to set a Guinness world record by getting a crowd of 826 people to juggle at least three objects each, holding a whopping 2,478 objects in the air. Though they may have a clash of personalities, H&C will be sure to dazzle with their dexterity six times over three days. 8
Caitlian Rafferty & Conor Charlton
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Belfast à la Française Disclaimer: I am a part of the French community in Belfast. It's a cliché but I came here for a girl and soon fell in love with the city. After a while I became aware that there is quite a large French community in Belfast. I decided to talk to a few French people who have made Belfast their home and find out what they like the most about Belfast culture.
First I met Kathleen Beverley. She's from Brittany in the northwest of France and she owns Yoke, a clothes shop selling stylish Parisian clothes. She came to Northern Ireland 17 years ago in October 1998. "I was 22 when I came to Northern Ireland, I was working as an au pair while studying for my degree. I decided to stay because I love my life here". She is also an eyewitness of the recent evolution of Belfast and she believes: "Belfast is getting better every year". For Kathleen, Belfast has really changed over the years she has been here. Gone are the troubled days of the past and everything has changed. The culture has evolved so quickly that, "There are so many things to do now. I go to The MAC twice a month with my children". She is really impressed with all the festivals and international events held here and is fully immersed in Belfast culture. She is also a close friend of Belfast legend Terri Hooley. I asked her about City Hall and she said that it reminds her of France, especially with the square garden. She enjoys spending time there during summer and spring. Relaxing outside City Hall is quite a common thing to do in France and she enjoys the fact that she can continue that tradition here. A few days later, my exploration of the French community took me to the Lisburn Road. Guillaume Rabillat owns La Bastille, one of Belfast's best known French restaurants. On entering the restaurant I was transported back to my homeland! Guillaume has very positive experiences of Belfast and Northern Ireland in general. In fact, he prefers living here to France. 8 24
He came to Northern Ireland 25 years ago and lived in Derry, starting work in a bakery. The French community in Derry was quite small, with most French people he met working in the university. Guillaume made the move to Belfast five years ago and opened up his restaurant serving classic French food with a focus on locally sourced produce. He believes the French community in Belfast is growing but he would like to see more French people coming to his restaurant! He also sees potential on the Lisburn Road for a typical French bakery. So many shops have closed in the area but he believes a French bakery would be a great fit for this location, “I think it's the only thing missing, we have everything else except that.” I also believe you can't beat French pastries or a traditional jambon beurre sandwich (ham and butter). As the French community seems to be getting larger, Guillaume would like to see the polling station for the French elections moved from Carrickfergus to a more central area. He would also like to see more French activities in the city centre but he loves Belfast and Belfast loves him back. Not all of the French people in Belfast are business owners. There is a vibrant community of young French people who have chosen to make Belfast their home for a few years at least. Many have come here after graduating from university looking for a change of scenery and some work experience. Others come to improve their English. The numerous call centres in Belfast allow many people to work in their native language while experiencing Belfast culture.
I spoke to three young French professionals who came to Belfast to work in a call centre on temporary contracts but soon fell in love with the city and have since found permanent jobs. Jeremy Maggi a music company manager from Grenoble in the southeast of France.
"It's a really nice city and good to live here because the people are really friendly and bon vivant. There are also great opportunities and a decent salary in terms of the cost of living.”
Shauna McErlaine - Team Manager
Alicia Campbell, comes from Brittany and is currently a Hilton employee in Belfast.
"It's really a nice place to live. There are lots of things to do such as exhibitions, fashion shows, international events and music festivals. There is also a very low cost of living compared to France. Jerome Aubin hails from Normandy like me. He has been living in Belfast for a few years now.
"I love to be in a city with so much history.
Guillaume Rabillat-La Bastille
Belfast is a mix between the past and the present.” But what do the locals think of their French neighbours? Shauna McErlaine works as a Team Manager in a call centre in Belfast. She might be a little biased as she studied French at university, but she speaks very fondly of the French community. She believes the French are adding to the culture of Belfast, like the many other communities living here. Shauna is strongly attached to French culture and enjoys interacting with the French community in Belfast. She believes that the majority of the French community are eager to integrate into Irish culture and share their own culture and customs, "Most of the French people I know here want to discover everything".
Kathleen Beverley - Yoke
Belfast welcomes us with warmth and generosity. For the French community Belfast is like a fine French wine, it gets better with age! We leave the final word with Paul Amado, 18, from Paris who spent one month with CultureHUB magazine on work experience.
“I would say a few words to the people of Belfast, remain as you are being warm and welcoming.” 8
Ahmed Al Sarraf
Paul Amado - Student 25
INTERVIEW WITH
JUN TZU Jun Tzu is a Hip Hop Artist, Rapper, poet and community workshop co-ordinator. Having made his mark on the world of Hip Hop, he has just released a second album, Unknown Ground, and is currently working with Manchester rapper Meany. Jun Tzu kindly took some time out to discuss his work. So does the Belfast man miss his home town? “Awww, I love Belfast so much; that’s why I come over all the time and most of my work is based in Belfast. I love everything about the place, the geography, the people, the music and the food. To be honest I would be living there if I didn’t have my little daughter as I’ve set days with her. If I did move back I would have to come back and forth every week anyway.”
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There is a growing fan base in Northern Ireland, but what about across the water, do they get the whole Northern Irish thing? “I don’t know. I do get a strong reception wherever I perform, but obviously some places understand it better than others. But when I play Glasgow or Belfast they just go ballistic for it. I don’t even have to sing, they all just sing the songs for me, it’s nuts.”
The Hip Hop world is extremely image conscious; have you felt pressure from producers trying to style you? “Yes of course, that’s what a record deal is, they style and construct you. I could never have had a record deal with The Troubles, it was an autobiography of my life and I couldn’t give the creative control to a label to pick and choose songs. It depends how important your art is to you, and trying to stay true to yourself.” His new album Unknown Ground was created in six weeks, with little focus on promoting it. Other than its popularity on Facebook, Jun Tzu is unaware of the wider reception. Reworked traditional songs fuse folk with Hip Hop, not obvious bed-fellows. “I disagree. Folk and Hip Hop deal with the gritty realities of working class life. Many of the older rappers pay homage to Johnny Cash.... my uncle who collaborated on it, got his guitar out and played Hard Times Come Again and No More by Stephen Foster, and I thought, I write about hard times, and that was the start of the album; it was my daughter’s favourite song as well.”
As well as the Four Fours at the Empire – a showcase of local Hip Hop artists and community workshops for under 18’s - Jun Tzu is a regular guest on Terry Christian’s Well Mad Cabaret Show. “Terry Christian’s my biggest fan - he thinks I’m the Bob Marley of this generation. He has his own radio show here and he plays my stuff all the time.” Jun Tzu’s admirers also include Charlie Sloth of Radio 1 -Fire in the Booth- and Jamal Edwards from MTV, who would like him to do some SVTV. And what of the Four Fours? “My plan really is build up the Four Fours into something huge at the Mandela Hall on a Friday and Saturday for the under 18’s. Billboards and buses everywhere with the name splattered about; maybe start presenting a Hip Hop show on BBC Radio Northern Ireland.” The day after the Four Fours show Jun Tzu hosted an under 18 Showcase Workshop. The workshops include the four rudimentary elements of Hip Hop, rapping, graffiti art, breakdance and DJ-ing. “Hip Hop is a lifestyle, it incorporates all forms of art and has forms of expression for people who can’t read or write. So take the Travellers’ community in Belfast in workshops they sat there and couldn’t write anything, so they just ended up drawing. I’ve got workshops where they can graffiti or breakdance, providing different styles and forms of expression to include everyone, and they get a chance to meet and work with the artists.” There are also workshops for kickboxing, poetry and DJing, for which Jun Tzu hopes to get funding from the Arts Council. He is also working on an exchange programme with kids from Belfast and Moss Side youth clubs that falls under the Four Fours programme. He also writes and loves poetry, but which poets inspire him? “My favourite poet is TUPAC. I was really inspired by The Rose that grew from Concrete, a collection of his poetry. He’s my favourite rapper also, I just related with him the most. He always cared about the community and told listeners to pay attention to what is being said in the music. He was a strong man, more than a rapper, he was very influential.” When I first watched Fire in the Booth, Jun Tzu struck me as a man who clearly cared for his community and the turmoil it’s currently facing. His passionate firebrand denunciation of Northern Ireland’s community leaders, of blind patriotism and the resulting disillusionment of a large portion of Belfast’s youth, has struck a chord with folks at home and abroad. With his workshops and community work, he shows his love for the province, and it’s a province that loves him back. Jun Tzu’s next gig is July 24 at the Empire.
Kieran Bartlett 8
See April 24 gig review PHOTOGRAPHY Elle Halley ellehalley.co.uk/journal
www.culturehubmagazine.co.uk
SCREAM FOR ME
BELFAST
OUR GUIDE TO BELFAST’S
ROCK & METAL
GIGS
Alright rockers, we hope you're enjoying this bumper year of gigs so far! There's plenty more to come, so let's take a look at what May will bring. First up, not only will there be a 'pinch and a punch' for the first of the month, there will also be two gigs to choose from: Scottish rockers Twin Atlantic are hitting the Limelight, whilst rock cover band Raised on Rock will be storming the Empire. If neither of those appeal, there's also the legendary Club Hell night in Voodoo. Whoo! For something completely different, why not check out Americana/indie act Calexico in the Limelight on May 02? If that's not your 'thing' there's Belfast's premier punk and New Wave club 'Mayday Mayhem' in Voodoo. Staying at Voodoo and wrapping up a busy weekend will be post-punk indie rockers The Twilight Sad on May 03, or you could pop down to the Limelight for Mojo Fury's first gig of 2015. Catch your breath during the week because it's all go again the following weekend! Friday 08 will be the final of Bloodstock's Metal 2 the Masses competition in Voodoo, with the winning band earning a slot on the festival's New Blood stage. Exciting times! Saturday May 09 sees Sinocence, fresh from the release of latest EP 'No Gods, No Masters Vol. 2' attempting to blow the doors off the legendary Diamond Rock Club in Ahoghill, robustly supported by The Irontown Diehards. At the other end of the metal scale, black metallers Negura Bunget will very possibly blow the roof off Voodoo on Sunday May 10. Support for this cacophonous evening will be by Grimegod, Northern Plague and Agamendon. Irontown Diehards 8 28
Sinocence If ska, punk or even (gasp!) urban rap are up your street, head down to the Empire on Friday May 15 for a catchy lineup in the form of Aggressors BC, Bee Mick See, Good Friend, Hello Newman and DJ Cushla, who will be doing their utmost to get you up and boogeying. Alternatively, you could check out The Bar With No Name for a bit of sludgy, doomy metal with War Iron, Astralnaut, Cursed Sun and Shrouded. Then on May 17, hard rock legends Enuff Z'nuff hit the Diamond with support from Scottish rockers Estrella. What a weekend, eh?! The following weekend is looking relatively quiet with just the one gig so far, but it's a goodie: tribute act Whole Lotta Voltage will be filling the Limelight with the classic tunes of AC/DC. Horns (and school uniforms) at the ready! What with May containing two Bank Holiday weekends, it will certainly end as it began with a multitude of gigs to try and attend! On Friday May 29 it will be time for some grungy stoner rock in Alexander's Bar in Lisburn, with Midnight Transmission, Baleful Creed, St Hellfire and Ozymandias all valiantly attempting to rock your socks off. On the nostalgia side of things, a certain Ms Suzi Quatro will be firing up the Waterfront Hall as part of her fiftieth anniversary tour (fifty years! Wow!). On Saturday May 30 Uli Jon Roth, guitarist for the legendary Scorpions, will show the Diamond if he's still 'got it'. Finally, May 31 sees acoustic pop-rocker Tom Baxter take on the Limelight – a suitably chilled out evening for those who may be feeling a bit delicate by then...
St Hellfire
And just like that, another month is over! We'll see you next time for another breakdown of gigs. Until then...keep 'er lit!
Melanie Brehaut
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You can keep up with the latest on our website: www.culturehubmagazine.co.uk www.limelightbelfast.com www.voodoobelfast.com www.thebelfastempire.com www.facebook.com/The-bar-with-no-name
Baleful Creed
Photography: Carolyn McGimpsey
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Kevin Connolly – Bio Kevin Connolly works with the Roma and Traveller communities in Belfast. He studied Creative Writing at the Met . He has previously been published in Ireland's Own and Ireland's Own 2014 Anthology
February brings the Rain. One Friday morning Mr Clocherty put on his tweed suit and his tweed tie and tweed overcoat and hopped on his bike. He battered past me on my way to St Malachy’s Primary School, his briefcase swinging from the handlebars. “Get a move on Connolly or ye’ll be late again,” he shouted as his bike squeaked its way up the Antrim Road. At Stratheden Street I braced myself to walk past the entry where Eamonn Ryan had been dragged off the street and shot. He had been drinking in town and a loyalist gang had followed him when he went home. This was the entry where his head was smashed off the wall and a pistol put to his chest and emptied swiftly. Then they ran to a waiting car, their ears still ringing from the sounds of the gunshots. The following morning the police had the entry sealed off, a big grey Land Rover blocking the entrance. And that evening when I was going home an old man was cleaning Eamonn’s blood from the ground with a yard brush and a bucket of water. The pinkish, soapy water ran down the gutter. Our classroom was in the dimly-lit old part of the school, we walked up stone steps, feeling our way as our eyes got used to the dark. I felt the brass knobs on the handrail; I clung to it as my classmates pressed in on me on all sides. Mr Clocherty set the class some arithmetic and then sat back to smoke his pipe and read the death notices in the Irish News. The class was silent except for the twitches and scratches of pens. Terry Cash, the boy who sat beside me, slipped a digestive biscuit from his pocket and nibbled at it. Soon it was time for the little milk bottles and straws to be passed around and Mr Clocherty allowed some conversation among the boys. The bell rang for break. We went outside and I rushed around the school yard hoping to score that elusive goal, if the ball ever came my way. It started to rain again. When the bell rang Mr Clocherty led us back to class and perched on the edge of his desk, which could only mean it was time for Religion. He could now ask us those tricky questions that had no easy answers. “Now boys, you all know it is wrong to hit your little friends or to batter your brothers and sisters, but what if you just think about hitting someone, say you are angry with little Alfie here for not sharing his toys, is it right to harbour thoughts of revenge? No, it isn’t. In fact it is just as bad to think about hitting someone as it is............
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EMMA BERKERY C O N T E M P O R A RY V I S U A L A RT I S T
A visual artist uses a tool and a surface to produce an object or experience much like a writer pieces together some words for the reader to consider. I want to use the space here to create an impression of Emma Berkery with whom I conversed once over coffee and more recently in Northern Visions for our CultureHUB televison show. I first heard of Emma from Martin Ferguson who runs the Nicholas Art Gallery on the Lisburn Road. I was intrigued as he told me that she is a passionate and committed artist who engages people with colour.
Emma, originally from Limerick but living and working in Belfast since 2004, said I'd recognise her by her fiery hair; I countered that the glare off my baldy head might blind her. Our rendezvous a success, I learned that a good way to approach a piece of art that does not seem to make sense is simply to look and “say what you see”. We discussed in detail how she approaches a blank canvas. Like a sculpture, she said that, “Many times the art emerges through the process”. Interestingly, she remarked that when she looks at some of her previous works she often sees new things or identifies emotions or thoughts that were hers but that she hadn't noticed before. She added: “I love hearing what other people, especially children, see in my work”. Emma gets young people's view regularly as she works part-time as Education Officer with Young at Art encouraging kids to experience and enjoy the arts. 8 32
In accordance with Emma's adivce, I invite you to gaze at the visuals that surround these words and 'say what you see'; better yet, attend one of Emma's exhibitions or call into Nicholas Gallery (guidance to both available at www.emmaberkeryart.com or www.nicholasgallery.co.uk). Equally, you may want to visit and support Young at Art (www.youngatart.co.uk).
Emma Berkery was awarded a General Arts award by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in 2013 to develop new work. Her current work stems from a year long artist residency with Craigavon Borough Council Arts Development @ Artspace, Oxford Island Nature Reserve.
Her creative practice utilises elements of collage, photography and paint, to reflect her intense relationship with the natural environment as a source of inspiration. She has a Masters in Fine Art from the University of Ulster and has held a number of solo shows both in Northern Ireland and the Republic, such as 'Overflow From The Tower' with Limerick County Council in 2010 and 'Accepting the Journey' 2012 with The Island Arts Centre, Lisburn. Emma has been invited to take part in a number of group shows during 2015, most notably with the Hunt Museum, Limerick where her work will be shown as part of the 'Curators Choice' programme in May. Later in the summer, Emma will exhibit several pieces with the Greenacres Gallery in Wexford. Scott Boldt 8
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A W EE CHAT I really enjoyed the conversation with Jan Carson, and she may have too, despite being still one whole day away from a long awaited, pain enduring dental visit. Jan is fascinating in part because she is fascinated. Jan loves, for example, to experience older people creating art. In fact, she maintains that there is a creative treasure trove amongst older folks in Belfast that few have had the privilege to glimpse. We talked at length about her work as Education, Heritage Community and Outreach Officer at Ulster Hall. Jan particularly enjoys working with older people as they begin to explore their creativity and find community through the arts. She hosts the ever popular series of Tea Dances for Over 55s at the Ulster Hall, has been involved in a number of projects encouraging people living with dementia to get involved in the arts and is currently excited to be planning a large arts festival for older people to take place in October 2015. She delights in seeing how connection and friendships have been formed amongst individuals who have participated in projects and beamed when telling me that, “eight of those people organised themselves independently and went away as a group on an Ulster Bus tour”. Jan loves mystery and the mysterious which will not surprise anyone who has read her work or attended one of her writing workshops or lectures. Somehow this led us to talking about church (she feels strongly that contemporary churches often lack engagement with mystery), the 9th century Irish monastic philosopher John Scottus Eriugena and, of all things, a bit of magical realism. Magical realism can describe some of Jan's work and it is a way of telling stories from the perspective of a person who lives in this world but experiences a different reality. It is not fantasy but manifests or explores the reality of people who believe in or have real experiences which are often different from 'our' reality. If you're not familiar with such things, you may read Malcolm Orange Disappears or One Hundred Years of Solitude; I think you'll like them. According to Ms. Carson, “Belfast is not a city. It's a large provincial town and this is its charm. It's silly to try to compete with Barcelona or Paris or New York; what we have to offer here is hospitality and friendliness.”
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Jan is passionate about Belfast culture and believes it has a great deal to offer as long as it stays true to itself and provides that personal touch. “I love going into a cinema where they know you, ask what you thought of that last film you saw and comment that they like the coat you're wearing”. Like many others, Jan is both concerned and affected by budget cuts to the arts. Jan said that she has witnessed artists' responses to cuts in funding before both on the west coast of the United States and in London. “I saw a lot of artists band together on the west coast and support each other … but (in Belfast) some people have left already and others just seem to want to complain”. Nevertheless, Jan is hopeful and is pleased with how artistic culture has grown and thrived here of late. Jan thinks that what local artists need is more healthy criticism. “Artists need to hear the critical voices and most want to, so they can learn and improve. What happens here is that it is so small and people know each other so they won't be critical. I've been to performances where half the people couldn't make it to the interval but the next day there is a glowing review. I have stopped writing reviews because I know the people who have written the books and I don't want to say what I think. We need professional critics who don't have those attachments, who aren't involved in the art itself”. In the autumn of 2014, Jan had a book tour of the US and Canada, moving between places by air, Greyhound bus, train and car-pools. She did manage to make it to Duluth and Hibbing, Minnesota; Bob Dylan followers need no explanation. Jan, it turns out, is not only a huge fan but also was there researching for a book, interviewing people who have known Dylan from his early days. I can tell you that her next publication will be a collection of short stories so you will have to wait a bit longer to read the fruits of her Dylan investigations.
Scott Boldt
JAN CARSON
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JONATHAN RYDE R PHOTOGRAPHY
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VISITING ARTISTS The Charlatans The Charlatans headline at the Festival Marquee on Saturday May 02 as part of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2015. Touring their new critically acclaimed album Modern Nature, the mercurial Mancunians continue to win over new audiences with both their new music and an unrivalled back catalogue. The Charlatans perform energised tight sets, with frontman Tim Burgess as enigmatic today as the first time I saw him at Wembley Arena many years ago. They are one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen hands down; one that engage with the audience and give that little something extra, often playing with surprise guests among whom have featured Jonny Marr and Ronnie Wood. A must see gig. Tracks to try are So Oh, Let the Good Times be Never Ending and Keep Enough. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• GA Z COOMBES Ex-Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes plays the Black Box on May 09, touring his new album Matador. The seed song for the album was Buffalo, recorded and released after his first album Here Come the Bombs. Gaz aimed at capturing the immediacy of expression with Matador, getting the sounds down on tape and not overworking them. This was followed by the process of layering with experimental sounds such as motorik beats, tube amp distortion and weird and wonderful keyboard and moog textures. It’s a reflective album exploring mid-life problems and has its dark and light moments. There is a sense of the artist accepting and overcoming as much of the perils he has faced, from the tour induced psychosis of Detroit to the grief laden To the Wire. The experimental Here Come the Bombs was a ‘necessary evil’ in forming Matador’s sound, according to Coombes, and this has been born out with the critical acclaim the album has received. Tracks to try are 20/20, Detroit and Seven Walls.
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MAY JUNE Ron Sexsmith Ron Sexsmith plays The Empire on May 27. The Canadian singer songwriter tours his 2015 album Carousel One; included among his famous admirers are Paul MCCartney, Elton John and Elvis Costello. I first came across Ron on the BBC4 Singer Songwriters Circle where he outshone his peers with consummate ease. His Folk Pop compositions and incisive lyrics are captivating. He is a truly unique artist. He rose to prominence with the 2010 documentary Love Shines, which followed the trials and tribulations of the musician’s career as he made one last final effort to achieve a hit. Since then Ron has went from strength to strength. Tracks to try are Sure as the Sky, The Suns Coming Out and Can’t Get My Act Together. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Rubber Bandits Fancy an evening of manic mayhem and irreverent humour? Well if that’s your cup of tea, try the irrepressible Rubber Bandits who play the Empire on May 30. The Limerick comedy duo hammer home their maverick life philosophy complete with Centra bag masks. Tracks/sketches to try are Horse Outside, Leprechaun Hunting and Rubberbandits Guide to London. They will change your life. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• christy Moore Co-founder of Planxty Christy Moore plays the Waterfront on Jun 05 – Jun 06. An evening with Christy is so much more than the heart rending folk classics he performs to soulful perfection. Christy is a master of audience rapport, and whether you are at a festival or a large arena, Christy has that magical ability to make you feel he’s playing in a small intimate pub, and he will have you in stitches. Tracks to try are Black is the Colour, Ride On, Back Home in Derry and Beeswing Donald Twain
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JIM HEANEY REAL MUSIC CLUB What’s so real about the Real Music Club? Put it like this - since 1998 they’ve been bringing quality Americana, Roots and Folk music to Belfast and beyond. Well known acts like Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle, off-centre acts like The Handsome Family, Grammy Award winners like Loudon Wainwright III. Whoever it is that RMC present, they are the real deal.
W
e spoke with Real Music Club founder Jim Heaney to find out what he has up his sleeve over the coming months. To begin with, he’s looking forward to the four acts they have performing at this year’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. “There’s Nebraska singer songwriter Josh Rouse in the Black Box on 1st May; that’s the same night that we have world renowned Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan playing in the beautiful St. George's Church, so that’s a tough choice!” Up to you to decide.
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“The Lost Brothers are on the crest of a wave following the release of their album, New Songs of Dawn and Dust. They’re in The Black Box on 5th May.” “Mary Gauthier with Ben Glover is playing a special show in The Festival Marquee on May 10th, then on one of our regular forays out of Belfast, they’ll play Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart the following night.” Real Music Club’s events runs way beyond this. Chris Smither, Dar Williams, Marcel Petunia & Nathan Godfrey, Chip Taylor, and Tom Russell will be performing until September.
Cara Gibney
For tickets and info visit www.realmusicclub.com
ALICE
T O TRY H T EAR P POE ND-U A T C S A ICE M L A BY
SHOW UGH CULLO
elfast tre, B pm n e C Arts st • 1 Strand 30th Augu e y l pric Sunda onc/£7 ful rom le f £6 c ffice vailab a s Box O t e l a v i Tick t Fes e Arts d i s t s Ea
A captivating and original new voice, Alice is a forerunner on the wave of spoken word talent rising in Belfast, delighting audiences as she plays with the boundaries between spoken word, stand-up, storytelling and theatre. Winner of the Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam, Writer In Residence of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival last year, and founder of Belfast's alternative spoken word showcase, 'RED PILL,' Alice has been entertaining audiences across NI, Dublin, London and the Edinburgh Fringe. Alice's performances take poetry far from the page and onto the stage, and sometimes even one step further. In 'Alice Fresco', armed with a mic and her little orange amp, and brazenly using a bench as her stage, she proved her poetry goes well with a pint, surprising pub-goers with guerilla-style stand-up poetry performances. Alice quips, 'The ideal feeling I would love to rekindle is that of the old storytelling tradition, where poetry, comedy, music and craic flowed organically, and everyone got involved.'
"Powerful and inspiring" Duke Special "Beautiful, profound and funny. stunning new work from an exceptionally talented woman." Ursula Burns
Belfast itself shines out as the star of many ofAlice's poems, not least in this specially commissioned piece that can be found printed high above the walls of the Duke of York Murals in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter, entitled 'Belfast, You're Melting My Head (Only Slagging)':https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8pgrBna3Dg In her new show 'Earth To Alice', the poet takes her experiments in bardship one step further. In her first ever one-woman theatre production, poetry becomes something alive and fluid, as the poet shares not only poems but newly-penned songs. Alice guides us through a spectrum of experience to unexpected places, from her better known laugh-out-loud pieces to much darker realms, sharing her own real-life stories juxtaposed against fantastical imaginings, sometime satirical, sometime poignant but always with an unapologetic candour and startling honesty.
Never one to shy away from a new challenge, Alice relishes opportunities to experiment and improvise with her craft, ever-ready to take a chance to write and perform off-the-cuff pieces of poetry. Her growing reputation for quickfire writing has won her a presence on local radio, in particular BBC Radio Ulster, where she has appeared several times on Talkback and The Arts Show.
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Photography: Northern Shore Photography
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BOOK REVIEW
Belfast Noir Edited by Adrian McKinty and Stuart Neville
Completely Folk’d Laurence Donaghy
When Game of Thrones actor Kit Harrington described Belfast as a place that celebrated the morose, this dispirited description served to feed a snarky pride in the city’s consciousness as a place of rain soaked greyness, Bronte-like landscapes and a not so distant macabre past that attracts dollar laden filmmakers searching for a naturally overcast atmosphere. So there lies a strange comfort in the city’s unsettled neurosis. The anthology, “Belfast Noir”, taps into this underbelly, hiding in plain sight, pulling together ideas of lingering violence, gangster tourism, schizophrenic morality and stoic humour, many of which don’t fall obviously into typical noir tropes. Lucy Caldwell’s Poison, for example, explores the dangerous outpourings of teenage girl desires often wholly matched by opportunistic adult exploitation, while Pure Game, by Arlene Hunt, twists towards a tale of the unexpected payoff.
“Completely Folk’d” is the concluding book in Laurence Donaghy’s sci-fi trilogy. Ireland is the battle ground for a war between the Celtic god of war Morrigan and her Greek rival and demi-god Carmen. The battle spills into the present day and as the other world and Ireland merge, Ireland is literally ripped from the face of the earth. Belfast descends into armageddon, as flesh eating fairie hordes rampage through the Belfast streets. One man is charged with preventing the impending calamity, Danny Morrigan, descendant of the Celtic god of war.
There are more conventional explorations with Lee ‘Jack Reacher’ Child’s government conspiracy yarn, Wet With Rain; Eoin McNamee follows this in Corpse Flowers with an experimental execution using filmed observances in a voyeuristic outpouring of weary inevitability. The key to this collection is its variety in exploring a modernising city still shovelling over a shallow grave of unwholesome memories and corrupted agencies. Aisling Gallagher
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This is not a sci-fi tale for the faint hearted; it’s soaked in Belfast gritty humour. Love is fierce, friendships are feisty and women are ferocious, as belies their status in Celtic myth. The plot hinges around the patriarchal relationships in both modern and other world families, with cracked storylines spitting and bubbling with mistrust and loathing. The book thunders along at breakneck speed, weaving in and out of time periods and worlds as the trilogy reaches its conclusion. Laurence has not only written a hugely entertaining sci-fi story, he is a dynamic dialogue writer, both witty and incisive. The modern suburban sci-fi cityscape he paints has a Dr Who feel about it. I recommend reading from the start of the trilogy to experience the full effect. Donald Twain
D AV I D FEATURE
PA R K REVIEW ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
S WA L L O W I N G
THE SUN This is a tragic, yet devastatingly beautiful novel by David Park, tells the story of Martin, a man desperately trying to escape his troubled past, yet an unprecedented turn of events forces him to once again confront his past background.
Brought up in East Belfast’s loyalist heartland by an abusive, alcoholic father, Martin succeeded in building a peaceful, stable life for himself. He has an undemanding job as a museum attendant and is married to Alison, whose dedication to her family is unflinching. They have two children; Rachel, whose academic prowess has exceeded her parents’ expectations, and Tom, who is overweight and struggling with victimisation at school. David Park’s skill at portraying emotions is so masterful that we are taken on Martin’s journey along with him. The reader keenly experiences his joys, sorrows, fears, guilts and anxieties, and most importantly his grief at the devastating loss of his daughter. We are immersed at the opening of the novel into his brutal adolescence, where Park is unsparing in his grim depiction. By stark contrast, at the close of the book we ascend into a flight of magical realism, where despite the tragic events, we feel some shred of hope has been redeemed from the wreckage.
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THIS IS A 2-VIEW REVIEW FROM MEMBERS OF THE BELFAST BOOK CLUB (SEE PAGE 10) I first heard of local writer David Park only recently; the novelist Alan Hollinghurst singled him out in a Radio 4 interview as one of the most underrated British novelists today. It's not hard to see why in “Swallowing the Sun” which is beautifully written and its characters, for the most part, brilliantly drawn. The title refers to the goddess of the skies painted on the sarcophagus of the Egyptian mummy Takabuti, who lies in the Ulster Museum. The goddess swallows the sun every night and pours it out again each dawn. The book is not an easy read, emotionally draining and almost unbearable to read in parts. I liked the unusual mix of genres, and this was not off-putting at all. The story starts as a domestic drama and escalates into thriller-style action before culminating in magical realism. The plot is cleverly structured, with flashbacks gradually drawing out the grim details of Marty's abusive childhood and his adolescent years in a sectarian gang. Marty's job as an Ulster Museum attendant seems to act as a metaphor for how he copes with his past. As visitors view the museum's artefacts, neatly labelled in glass cases, so Marty often experiences life as though separated from people by a glass wall.
Although ‘Swallowing the Sun” is not about Belfast, the city, with its own legacy of unrest, looms in the background and becomes almost analogous with Martin and his relationship with his past.
I recommend "Swallowing the Sun" to anyone who wants to read stylish literary fiction with plenty of psychological and actual drama, set in the familiar surroundings (to me, anyway) of east Belfast. This novel will draw you in and keep you captivated.
Celia Borissova
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PHOTO
Winner
HUB
RYAN BROTHWELL
Category ' People'
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTRIES Honourable views
Laura Elliot: Category ‘People’
Phillip Dorman: Category ‘Architecture’
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Conor Curran: Category ‘Street’
Laura Elliot: Category‘ Landscape’
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INTERVIEW WITH
Mary Gauthier
Mary Gauthier is a Nashville-based Americana/Country/Folk Rock/Folk singer of songs that elbow you in the gut, and then catch you as you are falling. They feel your pain. They’ve been there and then some. Gauthier was one year old when she was adopted from St Vincent's Women and Infants Asylum. Thirty five years later she wrote her first song. Over the years she struggled to cope with the void left from her adoption. This, and the sense of estrangement due to her sexual orientation, led to drug and alcohol addiction, arrest and rehab. The same woman also managed to drag body and soul from that addiction; she went on to study and then opened her own restaurants. By 35 years of age she had an untapped reservoir of life experience to pour into her music. She writes unsparingly honest songs about where she is or where she’s been, and I wondered if that ever makes them difficult to perform. “I do not re-live the things I sing about” she explains, “when I sing them, I move on, and the songs take on a new meaning, sometimes they don’t even feel like they are about me anymore. I am no longer that person who wrote the song after a while. Life is blessed in that way - we grow, we change, we move on.” 8 44
Mary works with a group called ‘Songwriting With Soldiers’ which describes itself as offering “our participants a unique way to tell their stories, rebuild trust, release pain, and forge new bonds.” Gauthier explains: “We raise money from private donors, and corporate sponsors. We pair up 4 songwriters with 15 veterans in a retreat centre. The songwriters sit with the vets, and we write their stories into a song. It’s a 2 day event, and we write fast and hard, no time to mess around.” “The process is one of empathy and compassion, and we do not judge. We just listen, and write. I know for sure that trauma is a wounding that removes a person from the group. A song can help bring the person back into the group. Songs generate resonance and connection. This is why writing songs with people who have had deep trauma is so powerful. It re-connects lives to themselves, and to others.”
This sets me thinking. Northern Ireland is a traumatised society. We are coming out the other end, but we are just at the beginning of that journey. Would this work be relevant here? “Absolutely, yes! Songs are empathy machines. They are devices that open up the heart. Writing songs about what’s real, and being vulnerable in the writing, helps heal trauma. There are so many songs that could and should be written in Belfast. I am sure that the songs will come, it’s what artists do. Your artists will rise to this occasion, and tell the story that needs to be told to help heal their own trauma. Belfast is moving into the future, in so many ways it is not the city I first encountered 15 years ago when I first came over.” 8
She has a simple response when I ask why she keeps returning to Northern Ireland. “The audience is there for the songs I write, and I am grateful.” On her website she lists her Top 10 Lessons From 2014. One of those lessons is ‘There is no such thing as an ordinary life.’ I had to ask what she means. “I am amazed at how fragile, and beautiful life is. I am growing older now, and I see many things I did not see when I was young. Human lives are a blessed gift, and each one of us has been given a short period of time here to do with it what we will; become parents, make art, create beauty, write songs, we have the chance to create much while we are here. Nothing ordinary about that.” Another lesson from 2014 is that ‘Songs are more than songs–they are the great human connectors of our time'. This harks back to that work she does with ‘Songwriting With Soldiers,’ but what exactly does she mean? “Songs are what feelings sound like, and they capture me when they show me how I am feeling, tell me who I am, and fit me into the human puzzle, particularly when I am unable to do this for myself. The greatest songs go the deepest, and pierce the veil, allowing us a glimpse into the divine. Sam Stone by John Prine, Mother by John Lennon, those are the kind of songs that matter, last, and explain the human heart.” You have a chance to hear this for yourself. Real Music Club is bringing Mary Gauthier back to Belfast on 10th May for the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. Tickets are available from www.cqaf.com/2015 www.songwritingwithsoldiers.org www.marygauthier.com Cara Gibney 45
Est. 2014
Weird Belfast
‘Weird Belfast’ Published by Black Staff Press
Price 2p
BLONDIN AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS Annual reports of The Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society August 16th, 1861
The story Continued...... At the middle of the rope, he again stopped and fastened his balancing pole to it by means of a cord, after which he performed various feats – such as standing on his head on the pole and throwing somersaults backwards, with great apparent ease and confidence. M. Blondin may hope to increase the interest of his exhibition by staggering, trembling, and pretending to miss the rope with his foot when he crosses it blindfolded – and with the astonishing power he possesses he can probably make these apparent blunders with perfect safety to himself, but few who witness his feats care to see the simulation of difficulty and doubt. If M. Blondin can do what other acrobats cannot do, his superiority is not less decided because he does it easily and surely. The manner in which, after. The first few yards, he ran along the rope blindfolded, stood on one leg, stretched himself on the rope, &c., showed that he was a perfect master of the art. Arrived at the other end of the rope, he removed the sack and handkerchief and threw them down to be examined by those below. A tall, full-grown man, much larger in every way than M. Blondin, was then hoisted to the cradle and mounted on the daring
acrobat’s back and, burdened in this way, he set out to recross the rope. This feat was witnessed with astonishment by the crowds below. The rope, which the rain had loosened instead of tightening, was very slippery and yielded considerably to the weight of the two men.The man upon his back – the same, we are informed, that crossed the Niagra Falls with him – displayed great nerve and preserved an impassability which was very surprising under the circumstances. The slightest motion on his part – the slightest alteration of his position – would have brought both of them to the ground and with what result may easily be imagined. The remainder of the journey was got over apparently as easily as if he had been walking on terra firma. M. Blondin then descended and it was with great difficulty that his enthusiastic admirers were prevented from chairing him. The sky again cleared up and the sun shone forth with great brilliancy. A large number of the visitors remained to witness themagical entertainments of Mdlle Veroni*, but many who had come from a distance by railway left immediately for home. M. Blondin will give another and last performance in the Gardens to-day.
KUDA BUX, FROM KASHMIR
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The man with the x-ray eyes, who is appearing at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, this week, undergoing one of the tests applied to him on the stage yesterday morning. A panel of doctors and Pressmen were present, who put him through several exhaustive tests, which he passed quite easily. The writing on the black board in the picture is in Hindustani and Hebrew, of which Kuda Bux re-wrote every word securely blindfolded. Northern Whig, Octover 23rd, 1937
Est. 2014
Weird Belfast
Reggie Chamberlain-King author of ‘Weird Belfast’
Price 2p
PHOTOGRAPHING SPIRITS REMARKABLE SERVICE IN BELFAST CEMETERY
Our Belfast correspondent states that unusual scenes were witnessed at a Service held yesterday at the City Cemetery under the auspices of the local Christian Spiritualists’ association. The service took place around the grave of Mrs McDermott, mother of Mr John McDermott, medium of the Association, who died about three weeks ago. Upward of a hundred spiritualists, some of them carrying cameras, were present and during singing photographs were taken. Mr McDermott conducted the Service, which consisted of prayer, singing and address.
Mr Edwin Graham, secretary of the Association, explained that the service was purely evangelical, and that many Photographs had been taken with the object of photographing the spirits of departed friends of persons present at the grave. “It is a very hard thing” he added, “to obtain spirit photographs”. He added that when the photographs were developed, in a day or two, they would know whether they had succeeded in their object. Mr Graham explained that a special Service for Mrs McDermott had been held previously in the Hall. She was a native of Glasgow but had been in Belfast for the past year.
NERVES AND SKILL
Nerve and skill are required to perform this knife and Hatchet throwing act. To be presented this week at the grand Opera House, by the sensational Carsons. This photograph was taken yesterday morning, when Miss Bolton a member of the Opera House Staff played the part of human 8Target. Photograph “Northern Whig”
Illustration Samara Leibner Irish Times, Dublin July 28th, 1926
WEIRD BELFAST A Miscellany, Almanack, and Companion By Reggie Chamberlain-King Hardback £14.99 978-0-85640-921-9 Publication date: 6 November 2014 www.blackstaffpress.com
CultureHUB spoke to Tony Irvine about the website.
“Sometimes you don’t know what you are looking for until you have found it. Then it defines you
One thing I've learned since moving from Australia to Northern Ireland is this: folk here think that this place is huge. Huge! A proposed drive of more than an hour will elicit a startled expression and a pained inward suck of air through teeth. Well, here goes: Northern Ireland is small - Titchy! Petite! Sorry............. Having said that, there is a wealth of history, activities and talent crammed in. Take tattoo artists; with a population of just under two million, Northern Ireland has a high number of astonishingly good tattooers. But who best to turn to for your dog tribute/biomechanical sleeve/Hello Kitty zombie/old school rose? That's where tattoosNI.com comes in. Created by enthusiast Tony Irvine, Tattoos NI is a 'one-stop shop' for all your tattooing needs. Their Facebook bio describes them as a “tattoo artist directory for Northern Ireland. News, events, huge competitions and latest work from our best talent. Keep 'er local and keep 'er lit!”. Indeed! A perusal of the site reveals Irvine's eye for graphic design; it's clear, eye-catching and contains some seriously amazing art. “Tattoos NI came about around two years ago, after I had an idea for a tattoo. I was searching for an artist with a specific idea in mind, which lead to hours trawling the internet. Eventually I realised that looking for a tattooist should be simple and the idea was born”. “I love web design and art, and after drawing up a few concepts I put this to good use and started working on the website. Once I had the backbone completed, I visited studios in the Greater Belfast area to ask for their feedback - would this be something they’d be interested in being part of?”
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The idea behind Tattoos NI was to have a place that lists all the tattoo artists and the studios in Northern Ireland. Tattoos NI is a free service, which provides artists/studios with a profile page, a portfolio consisting of four images, bio and contact info. With a free account, you are searchable within the site, as well as being comparable with other artists in your genre (traditional, black and white, horror, etc.).
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“We also hope that any work shared through Tattoos NI’s social media will generate exposure, work and rapport between studios, artists, apprentices and those whose skin they work on. Community is a driving force within the industry - it drives promotion, advertising and solidarity, and that is the focus of Tattoos NI’s ethos. Eventually we want to be able to showcase budding apprentices and offer them support and advice from seasoned artists”. “We are off to a great start, with many more things to come for Tattoos NI. We would welcome any studios and artists getting in touch with feedback or even to get listed. We are the first port of call for your tattoo in Northern Ireland.” So there you have it folks. If you're thinking of where to go for your next (or first) tattoo, visit TattoosNI.com. With so many artists at your fingertips, it'll save you from travelling all over the (tiny!) place, right? Melanie Brehaut
www.tattoosni.com
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Pádraig Ó Tuama
BIO
Pádraig Ó Tuama agrees with John O'Donohue that, “we are more than our biography”; nevertheless, Pádraig has a goodly number of interesting descriptors. He lives in Belfast but hails from Cork and has been described as a poet, conflict mediator, storyteller, theologian, singer/songwriter, chaplain, community worker, speaker, peace activist, blogger and an affable chap. He is the leader of the Corrymeela Community and creator, with Paul Doran, of Tenx9. If you are unfamiliar with Tenx9, this is a monthly open story event where nine people have up to ten minutes to tell a story from their life. The event takes place in the Green Room of the Black Box. Each month a theme is selected specific enough to have a focus but sufficiently broad to draw out a variety of real life tales. Previous themes have included 'starting', 'scundered', 'dates', 'grandparents', 'gifts', 'stranger' and 'nerves'. If you can't get along to witness or contribute to Tenx9, you might find some of the 'stuff' of these events within Pádraig's latest book, In the Shelter.
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BOOK REVIEW This book relates the ancient with the contemporary, and with generous contemplation, provides stories of places and people which are skilfully related to the biblical narrative in a way that breathes freshness, helping us to look at the same story from an array of different perspectives. Weaved throughout, we hear the Irish resonance - Ar scath a cheile a mhaireas na daoine - 'it is in the shelter of each other that the people live'. The author offers us a work that is passionately poetic, theologically refreshing and reverberating with integrity. Presenting stories from the places he calls Here, Pádraig Ó Tuama reflects on experiences, both personal and shared, of joy and struggle during his travels; from the familiar landscapes of Belfast and Cork to the retreats of eastern France and residence in Australia. Using his skill at storytelling, he approaches a range of everyday life stories through the lens of spirituality, narrative theology and poetry to give us a bigger picture of how transforming a simple welcome can be. For me, one short reflection in the book stands alone. “You will find meaning…where you give meaning”. In the Shelter is a book of stories within the author’s own story that tells us something deeper about ourselves and the one we call neighbour. A mix of brave accounts from post-conflict situations where people dare to speak with aching hearts and hope to be believed, to the everyday transitory adventures of marriage, bodies, divorce, reconciliation, faith and death. Say hello to something we can all resonant with … take refuge In the Shelter. Mark Durrell
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CQAF
2 0 1 5 2015 CQAF
T H E 1 6 T H C AT H E D R A L Q U A R T E R A R T S F E S T I VA L 3 0 a p r i l - 1 0 m ay 2 0 1 5
Wilko Johnson / The Staves / David O’Doherty / Mark Billingham + My Darling Clementine T H E 1 6 T H C AT H E D R A L Q U A R T E R A R T S F E S T I VA L Andrew Maxwell / The Stranglers / Lucy Rose / Bassekou Ba / The Charlatans a Ey Kouyate 0R 1 5T&SNgoni T H E 1 6 T H C A3 T0 HaE pD rR iAl L - Q1U0 A m RT R2 A F E S T I VA L Mary Gauthier / Tracey Thorn / Woody Woodmansey’s Holy Holy / Val McDermid 3 0 a p r i l - 1 0 m ay 2 0 1 5 Down and Out in Paris & London / Paul Durcan / Camille O’Sullivan / Lucy Porter Martin Rowson / Hackney Colliery Band / Cáit O’Riordan / Little Barrie / Ulrich Schnauss Wilko /Johnson / The Staves / David O’Doherty / Mark Billingham + Bloom My Darling Clementine Josh Rouse Paul Muldoon / Clem Snide / Stealing Sheep / Luka / Bec Hill / Le Galaxie Andrew Stranglers / Lucy / Bassekou Kouyate &+Ngoni Ba / The Charlatans Primitives / Rose Gaz Coombes / Lost Brothers Wilko Maxwell Johnson // The TheThe Staves / David O’Doherty / Mark Billingham My Darling Clementine Gauthier Tracey Thorn / Woody Holy&Holy / Val AndrewMary Maxwell / The/ Stranglers / Lucy Rose /Woodmansey’s Bassekou Kouyate Ngoni BaMcDermid / The Charlatans Down and Out in Paris & London / Paul Durcan / Camille O’Sullivan / Lucy Porter Mary Gauthier / Tracey Thorn / Woody Woodmansey’s Holy Holy / Val McDermid Schnauss Martin Rowson / Hackney Band / Cáit O’Riordan / Little Barrie // Ulrich Down and Out in Paris Colliery & London / Paul Durcan / Camille O’Sullivan Lucy Porter Josh RouseRowson / Paul Muldoon / Clem Snide / Stealing Sheep / Luka Bloom / Bec Hill /Schnauss Le Galaxie / Ulrich Martin / Hackney Colliery Band / Cáit O’Riordan / Little Barrie The /Primitives / Gaz Coombes / Lost Brothers Josh Rouse / Paul Muldoon Clem w Snide w w/.Stealing c q a Sheep f . c /oLuka m Bloom / Bec Hill / Le Galaxie The Primitives / Gaz Coombes / Lost Brothers
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