Maldron

During Pride week we were given the opportunity to stay in the Maldron Hotel Belfast City Centre.

In terms of location you don’t get much more central, Europa Station on Great Victoria Street is less than 2 minutes in one direction and City Hall is maybe 4 minutes the other way. So if you are planning a trip to the Theatre, a day shopping or a night on the tiles everything is on your doorstep.

My friend Tony and I booked in for a Sunday, we arrived for check-in around 3pm in anticipation of an early evening meal then a super sunday overindulging on everything imaginable. From the outside, the building is impressive - stretching into the every growing city skyscape. Large swathes of glass offer an intriguing glimpse of what’s ahead, what a transformation from the old BIFHE (Belfast MET) campus I vaguely recall attending briefly some years ago.

Stepping inside doesn’t disappoint. The social aspect of this hotel is an obvious intention, the reception is stylish and compact and leads straight to the bar and dining areas which of course is a hub of activity - a great vibe when entering the hotel, immediately giving off a friendly and lively feel. With it being Pride week they really went all out in showing their support, the reception desk, bar and coffee station were all decorated in pride flags and bunting, this made me feel extra welcome - I vote for it to stay all year round lol

We checked into our room which I think was on the tenth floor. I’m a sucker for a view, and I got it from this room. I could see down into the lively square behind Robinson’s Bar, up the street towards Donegal Square, and over the rooftops towards Stormont on one side and Cavehill on the other. The room was fresh, tidy, clean, contemporary and well thought out. A fabulous big bed, large flat screen TV, great storage to hang our clothes, a table for the essential pre-drinks, and the ensuite was uber-cool (who doesn’t love a rain head shower?).

Ashleigh the Sales and Marketing Manager went over and above leaving a goodie bag for us complete with Whiskey & tin mug, vouchers for hot drinks and a good ole packet of Tayto Crisps though it was the personalised note that made it for me, mentioning things we had spoke about in the past that I wouldn’t of that she would recall due to the amount of people she must look after. This was just lovely, thank you so much.

Once we’d settled in we headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Not to diminish how great the room was, but the food in this place is totally gorgeous. I’ve stayed in lots and lots of hotels, and often the food offering is, well, mediocre. And, if I’m brutally honest I was expecting the same here. But no, the food was outstanding. Both my friend and I indulged. We had a few glasses of wine and a three course meal.

I’ll not go through each dish independently, though will mention a few that really impressed me, first it was the Cauliflower fritters, I now have a new appreciation for a vegetable that can often be lackluster - it was in the thinnest, crispiest batter served with guacamole, sweet chilli dip, I could have eaten a bucket full lol, nom nom

Then the Braised feather blade of beef must be mentioned, this was cooked to utter perfection, it fell apart, it was served with the most umptious pommes-puree and the perfect amount of tender stem broccoli. I must ask what the secret was in that puree, I would love to try and recreate it.

To say I/we would recommend this restaurant is an understatement, the head chef has created a menu that caters for all tastes. Regardless of whether you stay over in this hotel (maybe you live near the city and are just in for the day), I’d definitely recommend that you try this restaurant!

The night went on, we went out into the city, and after getting fairly merry we made our way back to the room for the night. The bed was super comfy and made for great slumber. Breakfast in the morning was great - perfect for helping with the hangover.

All in all, yes, if you’re looking somewhere to stay on your Belfast City break try out the Maldron. Staff were friendly, professional and knowledgeable, and when you put that together with the rest of the review - this is a no brainer for you.

Thanks for you the invite and looking after uswe will be back

Review by Daniel May

Maldron Hotel Belfast City 20 Brunswick Street

T: 02890 001680 maldronhotelbelfastcity.com www.maldronhotelbelfastcity.com

HOT HITS AND CELEB BITS! Gary Campion

The power of 3 will set you free! If you don’t get the reference we can’t be friends lol! Anywho here I’m back with my 3rd column, these are fairly flying as we say down in Tyrone!

My top 5 hits on repeat

What I am listening to!

I figured I would do a featured artist top 5 this time:

Rita Ora ft Fatboyslim - Praise you - I never thought I would be saying this but I love a Rita Ora track,albeit a modern remake of a classic from the ’90s.This has my blessing!

Hailee Steinfeld ft Anderson Paak - Coastyes her from Hawkeye, Bumblebee & the pitch-perfect films has brought us yet another catchy tune to have you humming it without realising.#starving #lovemyself

Dean Lewis ft Julia Michaels - In a perfect world - a beautiful track about the fear of falling in love and being open with someone. Julia Michaels doing what she does best a pure heart-on-thesleeve track!

Kim Petras Ft Nicki Minaj - Alone - yet another 90’s sample,this time from Alice DJ’s better off alone,this much-anticipated collab with the big-arsed one, will be one of the big songs of the year.

Confirmed New Album Releases I am beyond excited about!!

This issue is a tough one for me to only write about 1 or 2 album releases in detail when there are over 4 albums being released that will be tickling my eardrums. So I figure I will give you all a summary of the top 4 instead:

Olivia Rodrigo - Guts - 8th Sept - the sophomore album from singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, following the huge success of her debut album SOUR. The lead single, “Vampire,” was released at the end of June. The album mainly focuses on the events in Rodrigo’s life as she navigated being nineteen years old, and the challenges that came with it. A year “filled with lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst,” her experiences came together to form GUTS.

Roisin Murphy - Hit parade - 8th Sept - One of music’s most innovative artists, Queen of Electronic Music and the Avant-Garde, Róisín Murphy is back with a much anticipated new album – her sixth – in collaboration with the legendary producer DJ Koze. Hit Parade, sees the idiosyncratic trailblazer masterfully spanning genres such as disco, soul, pop and house. Róisín Murphy is a multifaceted and Mercurynominated singer, songwriter, producer, director, podcast host and screen actor

Charlie Puth ft Dan + Shay-That’snothow this works - I am slightly biased on this one as I adore Charlie Puths’ voice (among other things lol!) This song is about a person who left a relationship without explanation and then tries to come back.

Kylie - Tension - 22nd Sept - Kylie’s brand new studio album, ‘Tension’ is going to be a record of euphoric, empowered dance floor bangers and sultry pop cuts. ‘Tension’ is eleven tracks of unabashed pleasureseeking, seize-the-moment, joyful pop tunes with the hypnotic electro of ‘Padam Padam’ opening the album. Discussing ‘Tension’, Kylie says, “I started this album with an open mind and a blank page. Unlike my last two albums, there wasn’t a ‘theme’, it was about finding the heart or the fun or the fantasy of that moment and always trying to service the song. I wanted to celebrate each song’s individuality and to dive into that freedom. I would say it’s a blend of personal reflection, club abandon and melancholic high.”

Beverley Knight - The Fifth Chapter - 29th Sept - My old client is Crowning her 50th birthday celebrations in style, being the undoubted Queen of British Soul she is releasing her 5th studio album, The

Fifth Chapter. No stranger to the spotlight, Beverley can do it all. An Olivier award-winning star of the West End stage, a Saturday night TV regular on the latest series of Starstruck, and an astounding singer with a prolific music career. She finds herself aged 50, bigger than ever. The lead single “Last One On My Mind” is a sassy no-nonsense but joyous-sounding song with a big nod to modern disco, It’s about taking your power back from a former lover and striding into the future.”

Industry Whispers - Just Between Us

Kylie Minogue might have her own Las Vegas residency soon, she is currently on her US press tour for her upcoming 16th album ‘Tension’ and has teased the idea of having her own Las Vegas residency one day in a recent TV appearance. On the 11th of July she was asked would she do a “tour or Vegas residency,” for the US. In response, the star squinted her eyes mischievously and said, “Very possibly.” She was asked, “Would it be more of a stripped-down show?” Her reply was she would do that any day of the week because she loves it when you can hear a pin drop. It’s a completely different approach, a completely different set of skills, but it’s really exciting to do” she added. The Sun has since reported that Minogue will be doing her Las Vegas residency this October. The report claimed it will be held in the 1000-capacity nightclub Voltaire inside The Venetian Tower. The singer hasn’t signed a deal that bars her from performing elsewhere, so she will still be able to embark on her 2024 UK tour. Sounds like things are moving forward pretty fast, would you fly to Las Vegas to see her?

Rylan has become a bit of a multi-million-pound property guru….yes you’ve read that correctly! It has been revealed that the presenter is sitting on a multi-million-pound property business, with his total business assets now taken up to almost £ 3 million. Accounts discovered by an old journalist mate of mine found that increased property boosted Rylan’s private business Luxenoa by a cool £300k. The latest property built by the firm to hit the market took the overall value of the company to over £1.3m. The former Celebrity Big Brother winner set up the property firm in 2018, but his business mind has been in gear since 2013 after he set up Rylan Limited, which deals with his TV earnings. Previous accounts from 2022 found that the personality had a total of over £1.6m in his TV firm, with the company’s net worth skyrocketing throughout his career. Most recently, accounts found that Rylan’s TV company was valued at over £1m in 2019, I wonder if would he lend us a few quid?!

Vinyl of the Moment!

The way all the greats should be played!

My Top 5 Rediscovered Tunes - The Freshers Version

Seeing this will be out just in time for the freshers’ season I thought I would do a throwback to mine!

Kylie Minogue - Spinning Around - This was the biggest comeback of the century for everyone’s favourite Princess of pop following a period of dabbling in the indie music scene.

#Goldenhotpants

Fragma - Toca’s Miricle - A dance classic that is still doing the rounds and remakes, I remember seeing them live at the opening of the red square part of the Kremlin. #Ifeelold!

Moloko - The time is now - I am sorry but everything Roisin Murphy touches is phenomenal as far as I am concerned. If you don’t already know it, welcome!you’re this column is the opinion of the columinst and not that of GNI

Mary Mary - Shackles (Praise you) - pure dance floor bop, enuff said!

Britney Spears - Oops I did it again - bring on the latex red catsuit, hair flips and twirls… the gays were in heaven!

Jessie Ware - That Feels Good! Following writing about it 2 issues ago, I got my hands on a signed copy and it has been on repeat….. let’s just say Camp Kitch Disco at its best! I cannot wait to see her live for the 1st time in Manchester in November!