Ranked at number 9 in The Irish Times’ list of The Best 50 Irish Music Acts Right Now, beating other forerunners for the title such as Snow Patrol and even U2, Bell X1 returned to Belfast’s Empire Music Hall for an imitate acoustic set, an ideal venue for this performance. With its comfortable atmosphere and unique setting, it provided fans with the ultimate opportunity to get close to the music and the band.
BY JANETTE LOUGHLIN
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With catchy songs, great stage presence and a talented support act, Jimmy Eat World pleased the crowd on their return to Belfast. Opening for the band were More Than Conquerors, replacing the scheduled Minus the Bear who had to cancel during to ferry crossing problems. The band and its members are relatively young and unknown on the local scene, yet they are still talented musicians making them a good support act for the American band.
BY MARK STEVENSON
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Ellie Goulding’s return to Belfast was warmly-received by a capacity audience at the Ulster Hall. Following the popularity of this year’s success for the young star, Goulding’s autumn tour promotes the release of her new album, Bright Lights, which is already proving to be another success. Supporting Goulding was the Irish band, The Danger Is. Delivering powerful vocals in the style of Lissie and carried by a heavy bass and drum combo reminiscent of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, their sound is unique among the music trends of now – definitely one to watch.
BY JANETTE LOUGHLIN
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2010 saw The Drums quickly climb in to position as one of the most name-dropped bands around. They went from being placed fifth on the BBC’s Sound of 2010 list to playing venues all over the UK on NME’s Awards tour a month later. With influences such as The Smiths, Joy Division and The Shangri-las it’s not surprising that the four New Yorkers had the Mandela Hall audience under their spell in no time.
BY ABBYE NELSON
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Rounding up their busy year with yet another tour, We Are Scientists are heading to the Spring & Airbrake for the last leg of their American Barbarians Tour. Returning to Belfast to promote their new album, ‘Barbara’, the Californian quartet have been travelling the world over; from Paris to Berlin, promoting their new material and providing audiences with new renditions and remixes of old classics.
This could be the most important film of the Harry Potter franchise. Leaving behind the happy confines of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, our indefatigable trio are on the run to save Mr Potter’s life.
BY LAURA SHEARER
Zack Snyder has a history of making a certain type of film, be it his Dawn of the Dead remake or highly successful adaptations of 300, and Watchmen. All the films are essentially littered with brutal, yet stylised, violence as well as oozing tonnes of sex appeal. So whenever it was announced Snyder was attempting a children’s fantasy film about owls, many eyebrows were raised. The results however are really quite remarkable.
BY ANDREW MOORE