• Gulliver @ The Mac, Belfast

    October 7, 2015 - By 

    What would happen if the legendary Lemuel Gulliver was taken out of his context and setting, fathered a dysfunctional family, and acted as the voices of both sanity and insanity? One knows not what Jonathan Swift would make of this baffling concept, but it is right at home with the ideals of Northern Ireland’s Big Telly Theatre Company, who have become renowned among their fanbase for plucking, bending and breaking every thread in the traditionally theatrical narrative in a uniquely intelligent and idiosyncratic manner. Gulliver is no different, mixing straight pantomime, historical literature, pop culture references, light satire and even…

  • Two Sore Legs @ Lyric Theatre, Belfast

    September 30, 2015 - By 

    A contradictory life gets a compelling presentation in Brenda Murphy’s uniquely intricate tribute to her mother, Two Sore Legs. Performed as a one-act, one-woman show by local actress Maria Connolly and directed by Martin Lynch, the production arrives at Belfast’s Lyric in the wake of rave reviews at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival and a successful tour of Northern Ireland and Monaghan. Little wonder, then, that the relatively full auditorium is alive with excitable chatter and anticipation before the show has even begun. And the prominence of light brown wood on stage, in the coffin and chair that lie there, hints at…

  • The Wood Burning Savages w/ Son of the Hound & Fabric @ Sandino’s Bar, Derry

    September 28, 2015 - By 

    These are exciting times for The Wood Burning Savages. Since forming four years ago, the Derry quartet have kicked up something of a storm in the local and even national music scene, with an appearance at Glastonbury 2014 and a glowing tribute from BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson among the highlights of their constantly evolving careers. Their latest journey home, in the middle of an Irish tour that has also seen them descend upon Belfast’s Oh Yeah! Centre for Culture Night 2015, is a rather entertaining affair where the talented foursome and their two support acts fully flex their musical…

  • Best Boy Grip – Best Boy Grip

    September 23, 2015 - By 

    “You’ve been getting it on with the boys in the neighbourhood, and now it seems you’re all alone, living in shame…” As he sings those words on signature tune ‘Barbara’, a crafty, catchy ditty about a promiscuous woman, Derry-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and piano man Eoin O’Callaghan AKA Best Boy Grip, is making a powerful statement, not just in the song itself, but for the gist and wit of his written word in his self-titled debut album. His lyrics come across as a mixture of the mildly satirical and the genuinely sorrowful. Along with numerous memorable melodies, sometimes merry, sometimes miserable, they…

  • SOAK w/ Sea Legs & Jessica Doherty @ Playhouse, Derry

    September 20, 2015 - By 

    Small in physical stature but massive in national and international impact, Bridie Monds-Watson, the artist otherwise known as SOAK, has established herself as a confident and chameleonic performer – casually costumed yet commanding, modestly mannered yet musically masterful. These are not words one uses lightly, but they are well earned in the Derry chanteuse’s case; her meteoric rise and the reception of debut album Before We Forgot How To Dream are testament to this. And she expectedly, deservedly returns to loud applause at a packed out homecoming gig in Derry’s Playhouse Theatre, accompanied by a worthy pair of support acts…

  • Tipping Point @ Ulster Museum, Belfast

    September 14, 2015 - By 

    Tipping Point, the latest production from Belfast’s Maiden Voyage Dance company, has been described as “a fast-paced trio about the loss of control, how we deal with interruptions to our intended path and how it feels to be living on a knife edge.” With all that in mind, the title and arrival of Eleesha Drennan’s piece is both evocative and timely. At the time of its opening performance in the foyer of the Ulster Museum, Stormont is in crisis and a new Labour leader has recently been elected on the other side of the Irish Sea. Change has unexpectedly arrived,…