secret fireworks

(this is a work in progress so I'll add more info when I find my notes)
(photo credit: Alternative Ulster)

Devotion. One word that sums up Northern Ireland's relationship with the Ulster Hall. Since 1862, the Ulster Hall has been the venue for events in Belfast. However, as a music venue it really shines and it always has done. The Ulster Hall has wonderful acoustics and a certain magic when you enter the hall, as if ghosts of musicians past and present haunted the hallowed venue. The renovations to the Ulster Hall started in 2007 and robbed the local music scene of a wonderful place: you either had to settle for the Odyssey (which isn't intimate at all), Mandela Hall (which is nice enough but isn't great for under 18s) or St George's Market (which has terrible acoustics and generally stinks as a venue).


However, the renovations finished a few weeks ago and the Ulster Hall is looking more wonderful than ever before. And my goodness, judging by last night's musical extravaganza, we gave it one hell of a welcome back. The ATL/Belfast City Council "Do You Remember The First Time" gig featured surprises, wonderful new music, some classics, some wonderful covers and even fireworks.

The Lowly Knights kicked it off with their wonderful tune "Devotion"- a gorgeous, happy tune with handclaps, beautiful harmonies and mandolins. Mandolins! There's been a few comparisons made to The Arcade Fire but I like to imagine the Knights as more of a folksy Polyphonic Spree or Reindeer Section- they've got a lot of heart and they're a lot of fun to see in concert. They covered a Divine Comedy song (Something For The Weekend) which was lovely: it had the sheen that we've come to expect from the band, wonderfully poppy but with feeling and musically exquisite.

Kowalski were as wonderful as we've come to expect- an accomplished performance combining gorgeous electro beats and guitars with vocals that suit perfectly. It's almost hypnotic watching the lads, with an infectious chorus quickly getting into the heads of the audience. Their cover of This Modern Love did the original justice, but I hoped they'd do something a little different with it- however it's a small point on a great performance. Cashier No9 were simply awesome: their unique sound amalgamating folk, rock, indie, electro and country certainly blew a few minds (including mine) with When Jackie Shone.

Foy Vance stole the spotlight of the first half of the show: his gorgeous guitar playing and his magnificent vocals were obvious as he covered the Crash Test Dummies, but he stunned the entire hall with his "unfinished new song" Be The Son. There were three noises during that song: the guitar, Foy's voice, and roughly 1,000 gulps as men and women held back tears. Damien Rice became a household name due to Cannonball- when Foy releases this song, he will become a megastar and rightly so. It seemed the spirit of musicians past possessed both the crowd and Mr Vance- what a magnificent act.

La Faro were wonderful, really rocking the Ulster Hall to its very (new) foundations. Their cover of Juicebox by the Strokes really got the place going, reminding Belfast of that wonderful night where Casablancas et al rocked the Hall. I think most people wondered how Iain Archer and his friends would manage to follow the Derry lads... and goodness, how wrong we were. After a gorgeous solo track, two guys walked onto stage looking a little tired, a little weary, and a little nervous. Gary Lightbody and Nathan Connolly brought the Ulster Hall down. The stars really were coming out tonight. A great cover of the Frames' "Lay Me Down" set the scene nicely but the Snow Patrol tracks (Chocolate and Chasing Cars) maybe didn't do the lads justice. Having said that, just having those stars back in the Ulster Hall was immense.

Neil Hannon probably stole the second half of the show in my eyes. He walked on stage fully relaxed, cracking jokes and looking oddly like Ringo Starr. After Rigsy's gushing introduction "not just the greatest songwriter from Northern Ireland but up there with Lennon and McCartney" it would be tough to live up to that introduction but this is Neil Hannon, ladies and gentlemen. A pretty version of Tonight We Fly showed exactly what Rigsy was talking about: a beatiful piano part, excellent witty lyrics and that unmistakable voice. Then the best cover of the night: a version of Gigantic by the Pixies. Simply astonishing, tune in and watch it on St Patrick's Day.

Duke Special (and friends) delivered a polished performance, covering the Waterboys' classic Fisherman's Blues with aplomb and stagediving at the end of Diggin' an Early Grave with Foy Vance. Fighting With Wire and Jetplane Landing were, well, interesting. I have to laugh every time I see Cahir O'Doherty move on stage: it's a very unusual way of dancing, but who cares: his vocals have grown so much stronger over the past few months and the Hall was rocking. The cover of You Really Got Me emphasised this- strong vocals but the guitars were driving, the drums were excellent and the bass was chugging. Jetplane Landing were excellent- at times cringeworthy comments were issued telling us to put a fist in the air, put another fist in the air etc, but my goodness did they make a lot of noise. Their cover of Know Your Enemy by Rage Against The Machine did the original justice as well as justifying the inclusion of a man in a gremlin mask on stage as well as a man wearing what could only be described as a cross between a gimp and a superhero mask. I guess you had to be there!

Ash got the biggest cheer of the night as they took to the stage: their cover of Mrs Robinson was, to be honest, pretty ordinary. However their performance of Shining Light was the Ash we know and love: showcasing the wonderful, wonderful songwriter that is Tim Wheeler and reminding us that Tim, Mark and Rick are still knocking about (sadly, Charlotte isn't with the band) on the Northern Irish scene! Therapy? finished off the night- it's quite fitting that the band that really kickstarting the Northern Irish scene were the final act on show. Andy Cairns certainly seemed to take advantage of the "if it's after the watershed" rule, cussing and swearing like there was no tomorrow. But hey, that's how we were rolling on Monday night. Their cover of Alternative Ulster was a huge wall of noise but topped off a wonderful gig- you could barely hear a lyric but most of us had the words on our lips. Simply brilliant.

Finally, in a scene resembling Band Aid, all 14 bands came on stage in a scene that resembled a who's who of Northern Irish music- there were many drinks on stage and it was clear to see that the bands were ecstatic to just be part of the night. The opening chords of Teenage Kicks were played- the Ulster Hall erupted. There was singing, there was dancing, there were hugs, there were kisses, and I'm sure there were even tears. The Ulster Hall is back, literally, with a bang. A wonderful, wonderful, wonderful night.

Do not underestimate the work that Across The Line and Belfast City Council have put into this. Read this post and you'll see the hours of work that have gone into this excellent night. I've used dozens of superlatives to describe this concert but there would never be enough to describe this musical jamboree. Northern Ireland has more to offer than just Snow Patrol and Dana : the evidence is right in front of you.

Labels: ash, cashier no 9, duke special, fighting with wire, foy vance, ian archer, jetplane landing, kowalski, lafaro, snow patrol, the divine comedy, the lowly knights, therapy?, ulster hall