BANGOR STREET ART – JULY 2021

AKA, Bangor Is An Energy II.

You may remember in 2018, I headed to Bangor for Seaside Revival and got some photos of Street Art in the town.

It struck me that there was a lot of potential for Bangor to become a Street Art Haven, and it looks like that potential is being realised.

Covid has meant that Seaside Revival hasn’t happened in 2020 or 2021, the fact it is a large and open outdoor event meant it never stood a chance.

Despite that, Open House Festival have been able to continue with their work.

They usually have events on in Bangor in August (They have some this year, check their website for listings and all that).

Part of that includes commissioning Street Art, such as the mural of Johnny Rotten to promote his appearance in the town as part of the festival.

On the weekend that should have been Seaside Revival 2021, they posted a series of images on Social Media of artwork in progress. It got my spider senses tingling.

With a Vintage Market being planned for a Sunday morning, looks like I had a good excuse to come down and cover two things at the same time.

All of the Street Art in Bangor is easy to find. Bangor is very easy to navigate your way around. Even though I haven’t been a frequent visitor to the town in adult life, it is very easy to pick up from previous visits where everything is.

In fact, I spotted my first piece as I entered the Vintage Market, a mural containing the lines “If you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air”, from the song Old Cape Cod made famous by being sampled for At The River by Groove Armada.

Unfortunately, as it was the entrance to the Vintage Market, I was unable to get some decent photos.

Then, at the other end of the Car Park hosting the Vintage Market, more pieces, at the back of Donegan’s.

After having a look at the Vintage Market, I headed to Bangor Marina, where most of the new artwork was based, a lot of them paintings by local artist Sharon Regan.

Across the road, there was a mural on an alleyway taking progress.

Around the side from those Sharon Regan pieces, was a wall with various paintings, including one of Seagulls saying “Gizachip”.

I told a Seagull to fuck off when it was looking at my lunch in Whitehead a few weeks back, now my car and shed is covered in their excrement. Purely coincidental.

If you’re looking to find those pieces, it’s where the mural to promote a Snow Patrol concert in 2019 is.

That was done by adopted Bangorian Friz, and Kev Largey did the piece round the back of Donegans.

Open House Festival have some better photos of the pieces on their Instagram.

Though the weather was roasting, it was a bit problematic for taking photos due to the shade at times, though I tried my best.

Since you ask, that Johnny Rotten piece is still there.

I’m led to believe that there will be more pieces to follow, so there might be a Bangor Is An Energy III.

Talking of seaside towns, i’m off to Bray in August, but i’m hoping to stop off for a while in Dun Laoghaire while there, which has a similar project.

And then of course, all being well, Brighton in November, where i’ll hope to get some Street Art photos while i’m there, amongst other things.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the sea.

Photo Album

Bangor Street Art 2018