It’s that time of year again where the musos and associated hangers on in Belfast get either over-excited or despairingly apathetic about local music. It’s November. It’s Belfast Music Week.
The event has been running now for a few years and has stayed afloat without the financial or marketing clout of MTV in recent years and each year has seen more bands, more shows, and more punters enjoying great music of every genre across the city.
We called into the programme launch last week and have trawled through the hundreds of listings to bring you our top daily picks for this year’s festival.
Monday
Farriers, Emerald Armada, In Their Thousands
SS Nomadic, Belfast
Folk music, foot-stomping and maybe a sea shanty on the last of the White Star vessels.
Tuesday
Cara Dillon, Winter Mountain
Ulster Hall, Belfast
If you like your folk tunes a little more on the traditional side this is the show for you.
Wednesday
The Thin Air Showcase: Our Krypton Son, Arborist, The Wood Burning Savages, Rory Nellis
Pavilion, Belfast
Some edgier acoustic sounds and big tunes brought to you from the guys at The Thin Air.
Thursday
Belfast Music Week Showcase
Limelight, Belfast
Not strictly a folk show but you’ll get everything here from folk to funk to electro.
Friday
Sons of Caliber, Seven Summits, The Salt Flats
Titanic Dock and Pump House, Belfast
Oh, so many gigs on one night. Forget about Van Morrison and go check out some raw new talent down at the docks.
Saturday
Katie and the Carnival, Ciara O’Neill
St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast
Fancy something a bit different on a Saturday night? Some massively talented ladies in a Cathedral should do the trick.
Sunday
An Evening For Seamus Heaney
Ulster Hall, Belfast
Not much more needs to be said about the talented poet Seamus Heaney who passed away last month. Musicians, writers, actors and poets all pay tribute.
For more information and full listings check out the Belfast Music Week site.