Guinness ‘Our Thursdays’: Wookalily vs Amberline @The Empire

Once again another Thursday comes around and another selection of local talent has battled it out in the Guinness ‘Our Thursdays’ competition (Play A Gig With Snow Patrol). For  anyone who hasn’t heard, over the past few weeks Guinness have been generous enough to give local talent the chance to compete for a spot playing with Snow Patrol in Dublin for ‘Arthur’s Day’, Thursday 23rd September 2010. In bars across Ireland bands have taken to the stage and faced a text vote to see who will progress to the regional finals.

On Thursday 5th August a special ‘Wild Card’ event took place, in which bands were awarded a second chance. One such gig was held in The Empire where Wookalily (Frockabilly Woo-grass) took on Amberline (Powerpop Rock) for a spot in the Belfast finals.  Continue reading “Guinness ‘Our Thursdays’: Wookalily vs Amberline @The Empire”

The Un-‘Sung’ Heroes of Glasgowbury

The word is out and the local blogs are bouncing to the reverberation of this years Glasgowbury festival. The only problem is that most seem to have taken a look at the line up and chosen to talk about the few rather than the many. It’s almost as if everyone has just taken the headliners on each stage and laid out reviews of the fashionable instead of understanding the ‘Small but massive’ ethos behind the festival and immersing themselves in the new and the fresh rather than the usual suspects of the Northern Ireland music scene. Well I’m here to take you on a journey through the unsung heroes of Glasgowbury. The hidden gems that graced the many stages with reverence and surprised the gathered crowds. These are the ones to watch, not the ones to be seen to watch.

First up would have to be Derry band ‘Swanee River’ who graced the Spurs of Rock stage. These guys are the epitome of Classic Rock and are Glasgowbury veterans. Their special brand of Rock with a lick of Blues was just what was needed to kick start the madness. With songs like ‘Bouncy Castles’ and ‘The Dose’ they rocked the crowd from start to finish and constantly shone with the experience and enthusiasm of a band made for the festival circuit. The first show to turn a tent inside out as the crowd bounced, sang and cheered to the dirty sound of ‘Swanee River’. Continue reading “The Un-‘Sung’ Heroes of Glasgowbury”