• The Court House in Bangor named as finalist in National Lottery Awards

    September 13, 2023 - By 

    The Court House in Bangor has been shortlisted for the National Lottery Project of the Year Award. The prestigious nod is a very worthy acknowledgement of the non-profit arts venue’s vital home in the County Down seaside city. Announced just a few weeks before its first anniversary, having opened its doors last October following seven years of fundraising, lobbying, planning and refurbishment, the nomination brings into sharp focus the hard work of the venue’s owners and operators, local arts charity Open House, who are also responsible for Open House Festival. Made possible with a major grant of almost £1 million…

  • Howe Gelb & Mark McCaulsand at The Court House, Bangor

    October 26, 2022 - By 

    Though often true, the term “good things come to wait” doesn’t always account for the bigger picture. It neglects vision, hard work and perseverance. It disregards the hoop-jumping, private stumbles and many victories along the way. Good things come to wait, yes, but great – often very special – things come to those who take care of all of the above and more. On these shores, Open House Festival is a textbook case in point. Helmed by Kieran Gilmore and Alison Gordon, the not-for-profit charity has long been committed to not only dreaming big but fully investing in the radical…

  • Villagers @ Open House Festival, Bangor

    August 26, 2019 - By 

    Put succinctly, Villagers make beautiful music. The reason that their songs are quite so beautiful, and the reason that they connect on such a deep level with their audience, is that all of the white noise, static and blasts of Stax horns are anchored by the state of being human and all of the frailty and vulnerability that comes with it. In a scene so often dominated by archness, cynicism and borrowed nostalgia, Villagers are all about heart-on-the-sleeve sadness and fist-in-the-air joy, and this forms the core of what makes tonight’s performance so compelling, and the thread that is woven…

  • Watch: Kowalski – Let’s Start Over

    August 23, 2013 - By 

    Bangor indie-pop quartet Kowalski have unveiled the lyric video to their sun-kissed new single, ‘Let’s Start Over’. Despite three-quarters of the band no longer living in Northern Ireland, the video – directed by Ross McConaghy – was filmed on location of the band’s scenic hometown. The track itself is taking from the band’s recently-released full-length debut album For The Love of Letting Go. The band’s show as part of this year’s Open House festival is our Gig of the Week. Go here for more information. In the meantime, check out the video below.