2011 has been an outstanding year for music in Northern Ireland, but that should come as no surprise for a country seeped to the core in musical talent. The last 12 months have had their fair share of new releases, festivals and NI’s very own award ceremony, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty of reminiscing.
The highlight for festival lovers in the North is the ever-popular annual festival Glasgowbury, which this year had an enormous bill of acts with everything from The Answer to pop-punks Axis Of. The month of August also saw the return of Belsonic in Belfast – two weeks of live music from international artists from the likes of 30 Seconds To Mars to Katy B. Belsonic was also home to a wealth of home-grown talent, highlights included ska punks Pocket Billiards with their upbeat infectious live set and the extraordinary Rams’ Pocket Radio with their unique performance which included their very own anthem, ‘Dieter Rams’.
The Northern Irish music scene is nothing but consistent in its ability to produce an immense amount of talented artists across all genres’. This year has seen an enormous amount of releases from all across NI but here are a few of the standouts.
John Deery & the Heads
First let us go back to 2010 with John Deery and The Heads release of ‘Smoke & Mirrors’. Although technically not part of 2011s release cycle it has to get a mention, as 2011 saw this band really come into their own on the gigging circuit. The Heads laidback folksy anthems have truly made ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ an album worth coveting, the standout track is ‘Proof’ with its thought provoking, heartfelt lyrics which would give Damien Rice a run for his money.
LaFaro
LaFaro’s 2011 offering came in the form of ‘Easy Meat’. An 18 track razor sharp punk rock filled album. However, the album is not for those fans who love a bit of mainstream music, as with this second offering from LaFaro comes an infectious but challenging piece of music for the listener. Stand out track is ‘Sucking Diesel’ with its throat curdling heavy riffs.
Mojo Fury
Alternative Rockers Mojo Fury 2011 release, ‘Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus’ is a must for fans of Pulled Apart by Horses. Not the most individual sounding band in NI, but their dedication to their live performances more than makes up for what they are lacking in original sound. The slightly grungy track ‘Deep Fish Tank’ is a highlight of the album.
Intermission
Intermission is a band that could be true contenders for release of the year; well from an NI point of view at least. The band’s debut EP ‘Escaping Dharma’ is five tracks of raw, energetic and commanding rock which showcase a band hungrily cutting their teeth on the NI scene. Stand out track has to be ‘Money’, with its incendiary hooks; it’s hard to imagine you are not listening to this record in a boozy bar room sweating it out with hundreds of other fans.
Check out one of the bands early offerings, ‘Bullet Holes in Stones’ below:
The Japanese Popstars
The Japanese Popstars are one of few Northern Irish acts that are without a doubt set to make the Big Time! The vibrant electronic three piece have been creating a stir in the dance world since 2006, but 2011 brought the release of ‘Controlling Your Allegiance’. The album shows the ‘Japstars’ as true dynamos of dance, featuring everyone from The Cure’s legendary front man Robert Smith on ‘Take Forever’ to Ireland’s own James Vincent McMorrow’s hauntingly beautiful falsetto on ‘Shells of Silver’. The latter recently featured on the American hit series Gossip Girl, which if anything shows how far 2011 has taken the ‘Japstars’. The dance trio have played a string of international dates this year in some of the most acclaimed venues and festivals. Sharing the stage with the likes of Laidback Luke and Pete Tong, it is easy to see where comparisons with the likes of The Chemical Brothers and Orbital have come from.
‘Let Go’ is one of The Japanese Popstars stand out tracks, have a listen below:
So there you have it, my highlights of what has been a great year for musical offerings from Northern Ireland. 2012 is already shaping up to be every bit as epic but I will save that for another time.
Words by: Dorothy Lawrence
@dottykinz
