Twenty acts formed in Northern Ireland within the last two years are needed for the “New Blood 2011” Belfast Calling showcase on February 20th.
The event, set to take place across three rooms in Belfast’s Limelight Complex, intends to gather and supply a platform for the next wave of Northern Irish bands after the month-long You Are festival last December proved the health of the current music scene.
Over one hundred bands have applied so far but any act interested in playing the event is encouraged to e-mail a short biography with links to their own music to [email protected] by Monday, January 31st.
Organisers Paul Irwin of Ed Zealous and Dino Cafolla from CDC Leisure recently spoke about the event on BBC Radio Ulster’s Across the Line.
“There are some bands that you will have heard of and you’ll have played on the show but there’s names coming in that we’ve never heard of from areas in Northern Ireland that I’ve never heard of. So they’ll be people on stage who’ve never played in Belfast before so we’re looking forward to seeing those ones especially.”
The historic Limelight music club has in the past hosted the likes of Manic Street Preachers, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines and in 1994 Oasis on the night they’d received news that Definitely Maybe had topped the albums charts and cut their gig short to celebrate.
Bands entering for consideration are also reminded that January 31st is also the final date to apply to play this year’s Glasgowbury Music Festival. All acts and emerging talent is encouraged to submit a press pack along with a downloadable submission form to [email protected] or by post. Details along wi
th the submission form can be found here. Last year’s event has been nominated for six Irish Festival Awards.
Speaking also of the You Are festival, the final duo of gigs originally set for December but delayed by weather conditions will go ahead this week.
A Plastic Rose will launch their next single “Oceans” with a fantastic support bill including Colly Strings, Key of Atlas, Pretty Child Backfire and the final live performance by The Good Fight at Mandela Hall, Belfast on January 27th.
Fighting With Wire along with Lafaro’s Johnny Black under the name of Skip Moses will play The Stiff Kitten on February 2nd.
Tickets for both events are available now from Ticketmaster.
Gerry Norman, frontman of A Plastic Rose and along with Rory McConnell the brains behind the You Are campaign, has left a final video message before the climactic celebration tomorrow which you can view below.
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(Daniel Robinson)