ARTHUR’S DAY/BELFAST CULTURE NIGHT

Managed to get free tickets for the Arthur’s Day concert at Ulster Hall last Thursday, headlined by Ash, The Enemy and Kelis.

It was the first time the event came to Belfast, having been created to mark the 250th anniversary of Guinness with a toast being made at 5.59pm (or 17:59 – the year Guinness was founded)

To be honest, and I guess i’m not the only one, i’m not really that fussed about Guinness, but it was a good music line-up i’d hoped to see.

I’d hoped to see Ash. I’d previously seen them twice at a New Year’s Eve concert in 1998/1999 and an instore signing in 2004 at HMV, having neither paid to see them, I was hoping for three in a row.

Rather disappointingly, they were on first rather than last, so that they could be on to do a toast at 5.59pm, and I arrived at about 6.30pm.

With Ash being on earlier, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to get up to the front of the stage, although the Ulster Hall isn’t the most friendly of venues for amateur photography.

Kelis was on first, backed by a DJ rather than a live band and was a bit disappointing, reeling of a karaoke set with her big hits and samples of other artists such as Beyonce and Madonna.

DJ Fresh was on next, and his set was dogged by sound problems, as well as really struggling to transfer the record onto the stage. Ironically, he would have been better DJing rather than working with a live band, the opposite of Kelis.

Next up, was local act Cashier Number 9, who were excellent, as were The Enemy, who I had previously seen in 2008.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay behind for Horslips, who were headlining, which was a bit surprising as I thought it would have been Ash.

On Friday, I headed to Belfast Culture night, like Arthur’s Day, established in 2009.

I was there in 2010 and loved it, it brought a real “Edinburgh Festival Vibe to Belfast.

Last year, I attended “Stormont Teacup”, a Q and A event organised by The MAC where MLAs answer questions and provide a glimpse into what life at Stormont is like.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t on this year, but there was still plenty to occupy yourself.

After checking out the street performances and a couple of exhibitions at the University of Ulster, I eventually headed for The Oh Yeah Centre, to take in a local music showcase, headlined by Wonder Villains, who were excellent.

Didn’t manage to get any good photos of Wondeer Villains, but did get one of festivities outside UU and of Kelis, Cashier Number 9 and The Enemy at Arthur’s Day.

Enjoy

Kelis Photos
Cashier Number 9 Photos
The Enemy Photos
The Enemy Belsonic 2008 Review
The Enemy Belsonic Photos
Wonder Villains Photos