Drummer, singer, songwriter, keyboard player, bassist, impresario, producer, classical cellist, PhD in Musicology. Waringstown’s David Lyttle is a veritable Renaissance man of modern music, his dazzling array of talents defying easy categorisation.

Does he ever, I wonder, wake up in the morning with a feeling of identity crisis? ‘Not really,’ Lyttle chuckles. ‘I think if I was doing just one thing I’d probably be a bit bored.’

He does, however, admit that the business of precisely defining his job in life is very much a work in progress. ‘If you’d asked me last year,’ he smiles, 'I’d have said drummer or record label executive. This year it feels more like musician, producer, something like that.’

That’s partly because Lyttle has just released his second solo album, Interlude, on which, in addition to playing many of the instruments, he also wrote the music, co-engineered the sessions, and collaborated with Mike Buckley on the mix-down afterwards.

Oddly, despite Lyttle’s Herculean involvement in putting the nine tracks together, Interlude is far from being a conventional solo record. No fewer than eight different vocalists feature, solo and in various combinations, ranging from Lyttle’s mother Ann and sister Rhea, to rappers Soweto Kinch, Homecut, iLLspokinN and Derry-Londonderry’s Wile Man.

Rap is a heavy influence on the album, and its inclusion marks a significant shift for Lyttle away from the purist jazz arena in which he has so far built his considerable reputation, mainly as a drummer, towards a more mainstream, hip-hop-inspired sound.

‘Interlude is a very different album,’ Lyttle comments, comparing it to True Story, his 2007 jazz debut. ‘It’s more of an urban thing. That’s the word I’m using – there’s a bit of hip-hop, rap, soul, with a jazz influence.’

The jazz influence on Interlude comes as much from the sound of the ‘real instruments’ (drums, piano, double bass, clarinet, soprano sax, among others) used in its creation, as from the chord changes in the songs that Lyttle has written.

‘Hip-hop played in an acoustic way,' is how Lyttle himself puts it, without the dehumanising phalanx of digital sequencers and samplers frequently utilised to generate a backbeat in the contemporary recording studio.

Lyttle is, however, far from being Luddite in his approach to harnessing new technologies in the making of a modern music record. The vocal contributions of iLLspokinN and Soweto Kinch were, for instance, done not in the Dublin studio where Lyttle masterminded the recording process, but in Brooklyn and London respectively, after Lyttle had emailed soundfiles of the backing tracks.

For Lyttle, creating music by email is a liberating process artistically. ‘You can have musicians from all over the world do an album,’ he enthuses. ‘Before, you’d need a deal with a major label, with them sticking a 100 grand into your record to fly people in, put them up et cetera.’

With so many guest artists performing on the album (pianist Jason Rebello and bassist Pino Palladino are among the other world-class musicians featured), did Lyttle ever feel that his own artistic identity was in any way being diluted?

‘No, not really,’ he replies thoughtfully. 'For me, it’s more of a producer's approach, you know. Looking back now, I was sort of following this idea of someone like Mark Ronson, who produces and plays all the instruments and writes the music. But bring out an album and it’ll be a different singer, a different vocalist. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. On Interlude, I think it’s worked.’

Lyttle and co-producer Buckley have also paid close attention to how the finished record sounds over earphones or hi-fi speakers. ‘We wanted it to sound very clean,’ he comments. ‘I don’t like things to be too cluttered in the mix, so everything is very clear and clean. Every instrument has its own place, there’s not a load of stuff going on.’

“The Road', a laid-back slice of jazz-rap fusion, is, says Lyttle, probably his own favourite selection from the album. ‘It’s my first vocal feature!’ he explains. ‘That first chorus is me. It’s very brief. I do like it, because I never really thought I would do that!’

Nor, till a couple of years back, would Lyttle probably ever have envisaged being the owner of a fully functioning record company. LYTE Records Ltd is entirely Lyttle’s own creation, and already has ten releases to its credit, including Questions, Lyttle’s stunning collaboration with teenage jazz guitar prodigy, Andreas Varady.

‘The label is important,’ says Lyttle, ‘because it’s showcasing Irish artists. It’s very fair, and not run by some guy trying to make money off the musicians. It’s more of a club, that’s the way I see it.’

LYTE’s original mission was to ‘prioritise new music and new artists’, and it was in no way intended by Lyttle as a personal vanity project. The experience of establishing the company has, however, worked very much to his advantage in bringing Interlude to fruition.

‘I wasn’t aware of it at the time,’ says Lyttle, ‘but working on the label for the past two or three years, what I was doing was building a structure – a distribution deal, social networking, all the marketing stuff, the business side of things. So now that I’m ready to release Interlude everything’s set up. It’s my label, and I own all the rights for it. If I didn’t have that I’d be trying to get a record deal to get the album out.’

And though Interlude’s title suggests an experimental time-out in Lyttle’s ongoing artistic development, rather than a permanent change of musical direction, he is keen to push his exploration of the urban idiom further, writing new songs, curating albums, and developing his vocals.

Might this lead to Lyttle eventually abandoning jazz together? Listening to him talk lovingly about ‘the tone of the music, the way the drums are played, the double bass, the actual sound of real instruments, the fact that jazz is 80% improvised', it seems highly unlikely.

Interlude, Lyttle’s urban excursion, undoubtedly takes the Waringstown musician’s career in an exciting new direction. ‘The poster boy for NI jazz,’ as one writer mischievously dubbed him, is, however, almost certainly not ready to relinquish that hard-earned sobriquet just yet.

It's Tuesday lunchtime, and the Black Box in Belfast is packed to capacity for the first-ever operatic concert to be hosted at the venue, and the only classical event at this year's Out To Lunch festival.

Black Box is an unusual venue for opera, with its low-lit night-club atmosphere, informal seating lay-out, and an audience snacking contentedly on the bread rolls and casserole included in the price of entry. Try doing that in the dress circle at La Scala or Covent Garden.

It turns out, however, to be an inspired setting for the four soloists from Northern Ireland Opera's Young Artists' Programme. Operatic voices mature slowly, and need careful presentation while they're still growing.

Black Box's physical intimacy allows all four soloists to project clearly without straining their still developing voices, and encourages a freer rapport with the audience than might be possible across an orchestra pit, or from a conventional recital platform.

Rostrevor baritone Páidí Ó Dubháin, currently a student at the Guildhall in London, is first on stage. He's a natural showman, semaphoring a blithely sung account of 'Non più andrai' from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with a droll succession of manual and facial gestures.

For 'Deh, vieni alla finestra', from the same composer's Don Giovanni, Ó Dubháin quits the platform altogether, deftly weaving his way through the diners, and playfully choreographing the arch-seducer's perennial search for fresh female conquests.

It's a finely sung account, the voice evidently well schooled technically, with seamless progression through the registers and excellent diction.

Ó Dubháin's still at it (playing the gigolo, that is) when the programme closes with all four singers joining in Richard Rodgers' 'Some Enchanted Evening'. With three contending sopranos on his case by this stage, however, a wry smile is all Ó Dubháin can ultimately manage, which in the circumstances is probably the wisest policy.

The female soloists are interestingly varied. Mary McCabe's is the lightest of the three voices, bringing a limpid tone quality to 'Song to the Moon' from Dvorak's Rusalka, and a playful, soubrettish quality to 'The Laughing Song' from Johann Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus.

Dungannon's Gemma Prince mines operetta too, for the gorgeous 'Vilja Song' from Lehár's The Merry Widow. Hers is a bigger voice, with distinct mezzo colorations. She nails the climactic top notes confidently, at a speed perhaps marginally too slow for comfort.

Soprano three, Marcella Walsh, brings more Merry Widow to the table, duetting with Ó Dubháin on the famous 'Waltz Song'. Walsh is the most experienced of the four singers, evincing a telling interpretive maturity in 'How Beautiful It Is' from Britten's The Turn of the Screw, an intriguing taster for NI Opera's new production of the opera in March. Pianist Gail Evans accompanies beautifully, as she does in all the items.

As an experiment in bringing opera to Black Box, this hour-long recital is completely successful, and should certainly be repeated on a regular basis.

In a week that saw NI Opera receive an Irish Times Theatre Award nomination for last year's site-specific staging of Puccini's Tosca, it also clearly demonstrates the new company's admirable determination to identify talented singers from the region, and give them the type of performance opportunities they need to become the operatic stars of the future.

Out To Lunch continues until January 29.

When I think Cajun, I think hearty, fiery, soul-warming food: gumbo, jambalaya, sweet potato pie. Cajun music, it turns out, is just the same.

At a lunchtime gig at the Black Box – part of the 2012 Out To Lunch festival in Belfast – Louisiana-born Sarah Savoy and her band, the Francadians, whip up a bright and tasty feast of rockabilly-influenced Cajun songs. It is enough to put a smile on all but the glummest of faces.

Savoy has been described as 'a singer with hell-raising credentials... the self-styled queen of white trash Cajun'. Slightly to my disappointment, however, there is nothing here to cause the audience to choke on their lunch.

Perhaps the band is saving its rock'n'roll edge for the evening show. Savoy herself remarks, they don't want to perform anything to indigestible so early in the day, so they plan to stick to more traditional fare.

That's not to say it is bland though. Savoy's big, barnstorming voice and charismatic presence make her truly magnetic. She looks like she has just stepped straight out of the 1950s, with her ponytail, short fringe and full swinging skirt.

Everything she wears is trimmed with deep, devilish red. She has red buttons, red earrings, red lips, and red flowers in her hair. Arms thrown round her guitar, Savoy dominates the stage with a formidable, wide-legged stance, and sometimes punctuates her singing with a brisk stamp of her foot or the odd wild yell. Clearly this is not a woman to mess with.

By comparison, the rest of the band – a group of all-French musicians – fade into the background a little. David Rolland on accordion (or squeeze-box, for better Cajun authenticity) handles his instrument as though it is a living thing, drawing all kinds of mournful, lyrical and cheeky sounds from it.

In cowboy hat, shirt and tightly-done tie, fiddle-player Vincent Blin looks like he'd strayed out of a backwoods Southern gospel tent. That is quickly forgotten in the sweetness and complexity of his playing, his hand holding the bow with the loosest, most elegant grip.

Manolo Gonzales, meanwhile, on the double bass, is almost expressionless throughout the gig, but keeps the whole thing together with his deep, hypnotic strumming.

Most of the songs are in Cajun-French dialect, so Savoy maintains a running translation of the lyrics. It is a good way of staying in touch with the audience. The often maudlin words – 'The place where I want to die is in the arms of my baby' – seem in sharp contrast to the jaunty tone of the music itself.

Savoy remarks, in Cajun music, 'half the songs are about drinking, and the other half are about dying – that's all there is, right?'

Other lyrics are simply obscure. 'You had a little and you ain't going to get any more of that rabbitskin.' From the smirk on Savoy's face, I have a feeling that is some kind of Cajun double entendre, inexplicable to Belfast ears.

The most striking moment comes when Savoy stands alone at the microphone and sings a Creole 'a cappella' song, entitled 'My Husband Isn't Home Yet'. The story of a lonely wife waiting for her errant man, it is powerful, tender, longing. With a voice like Savoy's, you don't really need any accompaniment at all.

Out To Lunch festival continues until January 29.

For over 30 years, Belfast's Bap Kennedy has been getting on with the business of making music. Whilst he might not be a household name, some of the most acclaimed songwriters in the world have been queuing up to express their admiration for him.

Van Morrison, Steve Earle, Shane MacGowan, and Nanci Griffith are just a few of the people who have sung his praises. Now Dire Straits’ guitarist and vocalist Mark Knopfler has added his name to the list, producing and collaborating with Kennedy on his new album, The Sailor’s Revenge. But for the man who once had an album entitled Hillbilly Shakespeare, it’s all in a day’s work.

Kennedy's humble beginnings are a far cry from his current incarnation as a sensitive and reflective acoustic songwriter. When punk exploded into the mainstream, the young Kennedy was in the midst of it. As Belfast struggled not to collapse under the weight of sectarian violence in the 1970s, the rallying call of the Sex Pistols provided a vital spark of inspiration.

'It was an amazing thing here,' says Kennedy. 'At the time, Belfast was the bleakest city in the world, and it was the first thing to galvanize teenagers. There was no music scene to speak of, and everyone stayed in their own neighbourhoods. Punk rock was like a Technicolor flash of fantastic… anyone could join a band, you didn’t need to play. For me, it was the greatest moment in my life.

'I was 15 in 1977, and only getting started. By the time we had a band together, it was 1978, and it had already become something else. We’d learn a Sex Pistol song, but it was already Public Image by that point! We’d get together with the band, and play acoustics at night.

'There was always an acoustic element, even then. We didn’t do acoustic punk songs, though. We wouldn’t have went out and played those songs, but when you had a couple of drinks in you, and a few girls round, you wanted to show off your sweet side!'

The young punk had caught the songwriting bug, and soon did what every self-respecting aspiring bard does – he upped sticks and moved to London.

'It seemed like what you had to do was just go to London, and get a record deal. It was just part of the process,' Kennedy shrugs. 'So I did, and it took me about three years of living on potato skins and working on building sites, but that was all I wanted to do.

'The band was Energy Orchard, and we all came from Belfast. The right elements of the band just came together. Bass player, drummer, keyboard player: we all met on building sites. We didn’t bring our instruments to work, though…'

Energy Orchard infused Kennedy’s take on punk music with an unashamedly Irish sensibility. Finally unafraid to break out the acoustic guitars in the daylight, Kennedy and his fellow bandmates found that paying their dues in London was an effective route to success, courtesy of a very unexpected fan.

'We ended up being part of that “raggle-taggle” thing, with the Waterboys. In London, there was a big Irish scene, and it was hip to be Irish in the 80s. Steve Earle came backstage to see us in the Marquee, and asked us did we have a record deal. We went, “No”. He went, “Do you want one?”, and we went, “Yes please!” So we ended up signing to MCA records.'

With the support of a maverick songwriter like Steve Earle, and a sound that was suddenly commercially viable thanks to the Waterboys, Energy Orchard’s self titled debut was released in 1990, winning over the critics, but struggling to set the charts on fire. The stage was set for a long, hard slog to the top.

'We toured so much. Then after a while, we stopped bothering. If you live that lifestyle for too long, it kills you. You come home from a tour and you look like something the cat dragged in, and then you’re off again. You’re playing a big hockey stadium with Steve Earle, and everybody thinks it’s amazing.

'If they saw the state of you the next day... You haven’t eaten a proper meal in weeks, you’re living on cigarettes and booze. The reality is different, and there’s a price to pay. Everybody does the same thing – it’s the same old story – and there’s a few casualties along the way.'

Energy Orchard had disbanded by the late 90s, with Kennedy launching into a solo career, once again assisted by Earle. The critical acclaim continued, with his songs ending up on film soundtracks, whilst he collaborated with some of the biggest names in music. But all the while, the spectre of alcohol still haunted his career.

'I gave up drinking eight years ago, because I had to,' Kennedy says. 'You do a gig, go back to the promoter’s house, do another gig, stay up all night and get hammered, and then go to another town. It just kills you. I was offered a tour, and I thought about turning it down, because I was worried the drink was going to kill me.

'I just thought to myself that if I was planning my life around the drink, then there’s something wrong here. I decided to knock it on the head, and was worried I’d be really bored on tour, but it’s exactly the opposite. It gave me the freedom to do things, rather than being chained to the bottle.'

This freedom meant that the records kept coming, with Howl On (2009) focussing on the moon landings, a subject that had fascinated the singer for most of his life. Whilst the sound had matured, it was obvious that this was no generic singer-songwriter album.

'I like conceptual things, and the moon landings was always in the back of my head, but it really came out when I read the book Moondust (by Andrew Smith). The astronauts looked at the earth from the moon, and all they saw was their home, there were no borders.

'That was a really great perspective, and it really meant something to me. There was a very human level to it, as well as a philosophical element. And I liked the challenge.'

Kennedy's new album, The Sailor’s Revenge, continues this theme of storytelling. The song ‘The Right Stuff’ features on both albums, providing a thematic link between the two.

'That song was really about the kind of guys the astronauts were. Their comradeship made me think about the band. When we were together, we thought we were always going to be together. I’m going to be 50 soon, and we’ve all grown up, and you start seeing that there’s a finite amount of time we have on earth. The comrades I had in the band, it’s the same for anyone who’s been in a band… It’s real.'

Collaborating with Knopfler on The Sailor's Revenge seems like a far cry from Kennedy's punk roots, but he feels more than comfortable with the association and the relaxed sound it has produced.

'I make records, and put them out. You never know where the record is going to end up. Somehow or other, Mark Knopfler got hold of Howl On, and I got a phonecall. I went off on tour with him, and obviously you get to know somebody.

'One day he suggested we make a record together, but we were both about to make our own albums, so we put it off for a year or so. But then we were back on tour, and he goes, “Have you got any songs?” So I played him ‘The Sailor’s Revenge’, and he goes, “Do you have any more like that?” It’s great to have people like him interested in your work.'

No one could have imagined how the music industry was going to pan out in the nascent days of punk. The days of paying your dues seem long gone, with record labels losing the clout they once had, and artists struggling to make a living from their trade. For the man who started out playing acoustic guitars at night to impress the girls, it’s a changed landscape, albeit one that he continues to plough his own furrow in.

'Being a musician can be very frustrating, and the record industry is getting more frustrating with every day,' Kennedy explains. 'You used to put a band together, play a few gigs, and get a record deal. Now, nobody knows what to do. I would find it hard to get started, and I wouldn’t know how to get into the music business now.

'I’ve been making records for a while, and I can do what I want. I’ve got my own little niche. In the old days, those records were like life and death, and now you can’t do that anymore, there’s no mystery. Where’s the Bob Dylans or the Van Morrisons? I mean Jedward are 21… Bob Dylan made his first record when he was 21!'

But of course, only a fool would write off Jedward’s second album at this early stage, right? 'I preferred their early work,' Kennedy quips, deadpan.

The Sailor's Revenge is due for release on January 30, when Kennedy will perform and sign copies at HMV Belfast at 1pm. Kennedy will officially launch the album at the Empire Music Hall in Belfast on February 23, 2012, as part of the Pan Arts Belfast Nashville Songwriter's Festival.

Who/what/where/when/why are The Jane Bradfords?

We're a Belfast indie band who are not trying to reinvent the wheel, we just want to write good songs.

We haven't heard a lot from you since your debut album wound down, aside from a few singles releases. What have you been up to?

Quite a lot behind the scenes. Paul (bassist) has been doing lights for ASIWYFA and touring all over the place, while Johnny (guitar) has been playing with Yes Cadets and lording it up at Glastonbury and other major festivals.

I've been composing music for TV, the internet and film, while also writing copious amounts of music for the Bradfords. The songwriting on this album is really from 2008 – 10. The upshot of this is that I already have a lot of songs written that will go on to form album three.

The new album is called 100 Miles of Broken Pavement (listen to tracks 'Tonight the World is Always Ending' above and 'About Our Love' below). In the short time I've had to listen to it, I'd say it's a bona fide early contender for Irish album of the year. How would you describe it?

Thank you! It's more organic than the last album. The first album was very much a solo effort and as a result was very synth-laden. This album reflects the live band more. Songs that I'd written on my own took on this different life as we started playing live. I wouldn't call it a 'dark' album, but it's certainly more downbeat than the last one.

Will you change it to 'Sidewalk' for the yanks?

In honour of one of the greatest bands America ever gave us I think I'll stick with Pavement.

The new album sounds very polished. Who produced it, and where did you record it?

It was produced and mixed entirely at home in my studio, with some extra tracking done in our practice room. While this gave much more control over the sound we wanted, it meant that the album took longer to make. I spent well over a year with Rich Lower mixing it. Sometimes I wish we had a producer to just say 'Ok guys, we're done'.

There are hints of Arcade Fire, New Order, Talking Heads. Don't you know that only pop sells these days?

Talking Heads were a major influence on this record, but the biggest influence on me personally was Echo and the Bunnymen. I also love what Arcade Fire are doing. They've showed that if you love what you're doing and write good songs, they will eventually find an audience.

Is it a lack of originality, or simply a lack of good songwriting, that has affected sales of indie and rock albums in recent times?

I honestly wish I knew. There is plenty of great songwriting and originality out there, but pop rules. Our music certainly isn't massively alternative  – I never wanted it to be  – but it's not pop either.

Will you be touring the album?

Yes. Although we've not gone for a series of launch gigs, we are planning to tour as much as possible to support the record. Hopefully once people live with the album for a while they'll be intrigued to hear it live.

If the doors of rock heaven opened for a day, and all bands, dead and alive, came together for one giant gig, who would you like to see perform?

I would only need one: Nirvana. I never saw them live, but as is the case with so many musicians they were the band that made me want to play guitar. OK, maybe you could throw in 1979 era The Clash and a pre-superstardom REM too.

Where can we see you perform next?

Add us on facebook (facebook.com/thejanebradfords) and twitter (@thejbs) to get all touring info as we announce it.

100 Miles of Broken Pavement is released on February 13. Listen to the album in full on Soundcloud.

Belfast-based husband and wife Mike and Ruth Aicken have been writing music together since they first met in their mid-teens. Over the years, they have honed their sound and style, and recruited Derry~Londonderry trio Emma Flanagan, Colm Hinds and Daniel Kerr to form The Jepettos.

Yes, just like Pinocchio’s creator, except spelt differently. But the real question is: can they carve out a niche for themselves in the increasingly competitive Northern Irish music scene? The answer, if their debut EP Start a New People is anything to go by, is a resounding yes.

In a previous review of a live performance, I concluded that The Jepettos' music had 'a dreamy quality', and that there was 'plenty to like'. Not a defining critique, perhaps, but those qualities are enforced along with a richer sound in a well produced debut that suggests a very bright future for the ensemble.

Inspired by the likes of Lisa Hannigan, Belle and Sebastian and their Belfast co-native, Duke Special, the Aickens have crafted a promising recording. Like Mr Geppetto himself, the band tugs our strings – our heartstrings, that is – but in a nicely understated manner. There’s no sensory overload here.

Start A New People is a slow-burning record, one that requires patience to fully appreciate it. And despite the heaviness of a wide range of instruments, there is a strange subtlety too. There may be some abrupt changes in tone and the occasional drowning out of voices, but, being a fledgling recording, such flaws can be forgiven.

You get an idea of the themes prevalent on this record by glancing at the cover art – a photograph of a child by a window, looking out towards a watery horizon. It suggests that The Jepettos are interested in the joys of discovery, the world beyond the doorstep.

Despite its catchy chorus and piano assist from Duke Special himself, single 'Goldrush' (above) isn’t the best song on the EP. But the lyrics, which focus on looking back and forward, are a great summation of the project’s general tone.

It’s on 'Something In The Air' that The Jepettos’ numerous components – including Mike and Ruth’s vocals, ukulele, melodica, clarinet and especially glockenspiel – begin to really serve their purpose. The delightful backing vocal in the first verse is the highlight of a very moody, chilled out number.

It is, perhaps, asking a lot for the all-too-brief if good natured 'Journey' to match up, but a nice guest vocal from the Aickens’ six-year old daughter helps make it memorable. Hopeful lyrics combine with an excellent trumpet solo from Jonny Leddy on another highlight, 'Should've Kissed You More'. It’s not quite in the class of Belle and Sebastian, but it isn’t that far off.

The fast-paced, multi-layered refrain of this track suggests that, after a period of experimenting with their sound, here at least The Jepettos are happy simply to let themselves go. And it’s by continuing to do so that this band may reach their peak.

EP highlight 'Good Times' (below) is a beautifully structured, effortlessly bouncy song that gives the Aickens’ vocals their best chance to shine. It recalls the strengths of Kate Nash without her weaknesses – all of the energy, but less of the affected precociousness.

Listening to Start A New People brings back memories of Adventures In Gramophone, and remembering how much talent, despite the rawness, that was on show in Duke Special’s first album. His new friends in music have every chance of experiencing the same levels of success in the years to come.

Start A New People is available to download on Bandcamp, iTunes and Amazon.

It’s a new year, and it wouldn’t be complete without something for Ireland’s musical community to get its collective knickers in a twist about.

Thankfully, the Choice Music Prize nominations have been announced, and the stage is set for a few months of arguing and bickering before the veil is lifted in a lavish ceremony on March 8 in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre.

Bangor’s Two Door Cinema Club surprised many last year by scooping the award, and this year finds the north of Ireland well catered for with Carryduff’s Cashier No.9, And So I Watch You From Afar representing the north coast, and Derry~Londonderry’s The Japanese Popstars all nominated.

All three acts have released strong albums in 2011, but will it be enough to snare the 10,000 euro prize money?

The Japanese Popstars’ Controlling Your Allegiance (EMI) hasn’t had an easy ride with the critics, many feeling that the sheer amount of high profile guest stars featured on the album detracted from the overall sound and left the threesome at the helm as anonymous backing musicians.

However, the album has found a strong fanbase in Ireland, and with spectacular star turns from the likes of The Cure’s Robert Smith, James Vincent McMorrow, and Lisa Hannigan (whose own album, Passenger, is already being tipped for the top by the Irish Times), it’s still a strong contender to win the prize.

To The Death of Fun (Bella Union) is an album that has firmly established Carryduff’s Cashier No.9 as a favourite on national radio, and out of the three Northern Irish albums nominated, it would seem likely that they stand the strongest chance of winning.

Lush production courtesy of David Holmes, instantly hummable melodies, wry lyrics – it has it all. Out of all the albums to make the grade this year, northern or otherwise, Cashier have the highest profile, and that can make all the difference when the votes are cast.

However, only a fool would write off north coast instrumentalists And So I Watch You From Afar, whose Gangs (Richter Collective) emerged last year as a provocative tour de force, cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting bands to come out of Ireland in the last ten years.

More focused than their debut, Gangs doesn’t need lyrics to shout out its message loud and clear. 'We are here, and we will not be ignored!' is what ASIWYFA seem to be saying. It’s been a difficult year for the band, who lost a key member in Tony Wright towards the end of the year. Victory could be a great way to start a new chapter.

Amongst the rest of the contenders, Jape, aka Richie Egan, has previous form, his Ritual having won the competition in 2008, but whether his most recent effort, Ocean of Frequency (Music is for Losers) can repeat the trick, remains to be seen.

Bell X1’s Bloodless Coup (Belly Up Records) is a career high for the band, but their understated brand of sweeping melancholia can take a while to work its magic, perhaps not providing the immediate thrill that tends to make the grade at such awards.

All in all, the ten artists represented on the list have everything to play for, and the end result is sure to be controversial, whatever the outcome.

The competition still can’t avoid the issue of how small the music industry in Ireland is: lets just say, there wasn't much to choose from. But the bickering, arguing, and informed debate is part of what makes this so fun. So, place your bets and get ready to start mouthing off. See you at the finish line.

It was, once upon a time, considered dangerous, sexy music. The slinky waltz rhythms positively encouraged couples to get down and dirty, aristo-fashion.

Strutting marches and zippy polkas set the blood racing, and champagne fuelled the revelry, drawing the opprobrium of Vienna's moral majority and the church authorities.

It was the music of the Strauss dynasty, specifically that of Johann Strauss II, the 'Waltz King', which blazed such a dizzy trail across the ballrooms and dance floors of 19th century Europe.

Nowadays Strauss family music is familiar mostly through the annual telecast of the New Year’s Day concert from Vienna, where a well-heeled audience in stuffed shirts and spangled jewellery projects an image distanced from the racy, edgier environment in which the ‘Waltz King’ plied his trade.

Some of the zap and playfulness originally associated with Johann Strauss II’s own concerts was recreated at the Ulster Orchestra’s New Year Viennese Gala at the Waterfront Hall to help bring 2012 in with a bang.

Strauss himself directed his orchestras while playing along on violin with them. Belfast-born Christopher Bell uses a baton most of the time, abandoning it at strategic moments to quaff champagne, choreograph audience clap-alongs, and become one of the few (perhaps the only?) conductor in orchestral history to dance a solo can-can (twice) from the podium, while the orchestra whip up Offenbach’s overture to Orpheus in the Underworld.

A succession of ever blingier costume changes, an easy line in ready banter, and some deftly informative spoken segues between the musical items make Bell an ideal front-man for an evening designed to entertain and energise, rather than prompt deeper reflection.

Musically, Bell acquits himself more than adequately. Occasionally, however, he spends too much time with nose in score for less familiar items, allowing the orchestra to cruise a little and blur the sharp, incisive attack Strauss needs to effervesce properly in performance.

Some of his tempos also drag a little in waltz episodes, creating an episodic feel disguised by great interpreters of this repertoire like Clemens Krauss or Carlos Kleiber.

Yet Bell draws responsive playing from the Ulster Orchestra, who might perhaps have been prevailed upon to look a little more like they too were enjoying themselves performing this marvellously colourful and zesty music.

Mezzo-soprano Rachael Lloyd (mic'd up, which won’t have pleased operatic purists) performs a series of delightfully characterised solos from operettas by Strauss, Offenbach and Lehár. Her whoops, yelps and tipsy slurring during Offenbach’s ‘Ah! Quel dîner je viens de faire’ are especially effective.

Extended stagefront cameo appearances by Camilla Dallerup and Ian Waite, both multi-series veterans of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, are further highlights.

Performing mainly waltzes (though they also tango slinkily to Piazzolla’s 'Libertango'), they provide an intriguing flashback to the elegant, dashing ballrooms of Old Vienna, where Strauss’s music was routinely danced to, not played as concert pieces to a seated auditorium.

The magically reflective coda to 'The Blue Danube Waltz' is inexplicably omitted (cue minor temper tantrum on the part of your reviewer), and the dampening effect of the ungrateful Waterfront acoustic occasionally drains the upper strings of bloom and shimmer.

But overall this is a joyful and life-affirming evening, warmly applauded and appreciated by a capacity audience. ‘Prosit Neujahr!’ as they say at this time of year in Vienna.

‘People need to be committed in a choir. There needs to be huge loyalty and commitment. Unless that’s there, a choir’s not going to succeed.’

The words of Nigel McClintock, director of music at St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, and of Schola Cantorum, the boys’ choir he founded there in March 2008. He has since built Schola into one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious vocal ensembles.

McClintock is uncompromising on the levels of dedication necessary to be a member of a working choir like Schola Cantorum. ‘These boys have got to come in at a quarter past nine on Sunday morning. They’ve got to come on time, be respectful, and co-operate with those in charge,' he says.

The idea of starting a boys’ choir at St Peter’s came originally from Father Hugh Kennedy, the cathedral administrator. With the renewal of the traditional Latin liturgy and the refurbishment of the cathedral building itself, Father Kennedy wanted music as an integral part of life at the new St Peter’s.

‘To bring people back,’ as McClintock puts it, ‘to the high standard of music that on the Catholic side maybe wasn’t known. The traditional repertoire that had gone by the wayside since Vatican II.’

The specific idea of forming a Schola Cantorum (‘singers’ school’) came from McClintock himself, who was inspired by what he had observed while teaching at London Oratory, the school which three of former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s children attended.

There, McClintock saw the Oratory Schola, under the direction of Mike McCarthy, ‘develop into a very good choir very quickly', eventually featuring in the Lord of the Rings film soundtrack.

McClintock’s plan to replicate McCarthy’s work at St Peter’s was ambitious, not least because he started with just 14 voices, the remnants of the old Down and Connor Boys’ Choir, established in 2000. It was ‘a basis to build on', as McClintock puts it, but he needed three times as many singers to make Schola Cantorum a viable proposition, able to reach the high standards he envisaged.

It was crucial to identify potential new members of the choir quickly. Was it difficult to attract them, given the allegedly short attention span of the modern young person, the dumbed-down attitude to ‘culture’, and the lack of any established tradition of local boys singing in the kind of choir McClintock was proposing?

‘Recruiting was very easy indeed, compared to what I’d experienced when I was director of music at St George’s, Belfast,’ recalls McClintock. ‘The Catholic schools were an untapped source. So I went into the schools. I wanted to tell people what this new choir’s vision was. The fact that this was going to be different, it was going to work to a higher standard.’

Auditions for membership of the new choir must therefore, I suggest, have been fairly stringent? Not at all, according to McClintock. ‘Anybody who could pitch from a piano!’ he laughs. ‘It’s not about the voices, because you make the voices afterwards. It’s actually just getting the ear.’

The raw talent, ‘the ear’, was certainly there in plenty. ‘I could have started the same choir three times over,’ is McClintock’s recollection of the vocal potential he identified during the recruitment process. The hard work of actually building Schola Cantorum into a fully functional choral unit singing to the highest possible standard was, however, only just beginning.

‘You can’t wave a magic wand and create results overnight,’ observes McClintock. ‘It does take time.’ Crucially, though, McClintock had a clear plan of action in place long before the first rehearsals started. ‘I knew the method I was going to use, and I was fortunate enough to be organ scholar at St Alban’s Cathedral when Barry Rose was director of music.

‘I sat in on every rehearsal he did. I took copious notes and watched how he worked with the boys, and what he was trying to achieve in terms of the sound he wanted.’

So what is the ‘McClintock method’ of choral training, distilled from those painstaking years of apprenticeship observing an acknowledged master of the craft in operation?

‘It’s basically a series of vocal exercises, creating everyone singing on unified vowels,’ explains McClintock. ‘And enthusiasm! My enthusiasm. That is a huge factor. People have got to want to sing for you. To enjoy the fact that you’re there trying to get the best out of them.’

McClintock is also keen on adding what he calls ‘continental edge’ to the sound, allowing Schola boys ‘to express the natural vocal quality they have’, which he claims can be ‘tamed’ by the cloistered, hermetic nature of the Anglican choral tradition.

It is evident from Schola Cantorum’s achievements in the three and a half short years of its existence that McClintock’s blend of enthusiasm, vision and technical know-how has paid rich musical dividends. The choir’s uniquely pioneering mission was initially rewarded by the patronage of Mary McAleese, then President of Ireland. Television and radio broadcasts followed, and two CDs have been recorded.

Schola has sung to great acclaim in Westminster Cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris, and for Pope Benedict XVI at St Peter’s Basilica, Rome. All, of course, in addition to the choir’s commitment to weekly services at St Peter’s, where it also gives a monthly recital.

McClintock, however, is far from resting on his laurels. He is a believer in the culturally enriching influence of touring, and wants to take his Belfast boys to sing at St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, in 2013. ‘But we need a year off to save up!’ he says ruefully. ‘Anything we have in the small kitty the boys fund-raise themselves.’

There will also be more recordings. ‘That’s the biggest legacy a choir can have,’ says McClintock. ‘I would love to record the Duruflé and Fauré Requiems next term.’

As he approaches five years in his job as the first full-time choirmaster ever to be employed by the Catholic Church in Ireland, it’s clear the boys of Schola Cantorum continue to challenge and delight McClintock as together they venture further into previously uncharted territory.

‘They are actually the ones that stretch me, rather than the other way round,’ he smiles, and offers an anecdote in illustration. ‘All the boys watched the recent Royal Wedding,’ he remembers. ‘When we came back after the Easter holidays, they said, "Can we do that 'Ubi caritas' by Paul Mealor from the ceremony?"

‘I said, "No we can’t, it’s too hard". But they said they wanted to do it. And right enough, within a month, we’d learnt it, they were able to pull it off. And so they’re always surprising me by what they’re actually capable of doing.’

For nearly any singer/songwriter on the planet, the idea of collaborating with Mark Knopfler would be the stuff of fantasy. But for Belfast's Bap Kennedy, it was just the latest in a long line of projects with high profile, and highly respected, musical legends.

For a man who has worked with Steve Earle and Van Morrison, to name just two, an offer to record an album in the Dire Straits frontman's own studio was another musical milestone. The Sailor's Revenge, Kennedy's forthcoming album, features songwriting that grows stronger with every listen, assisted, of course, by Knopfler's distinctive delicious guitar and tasteful widescreen production.

Kennedy's first encounters with the record business were as rhythm guitarist, lead singer and primary songwriter for Belfast rockers Energy Orchard, with whom he recorded five albums. When the band left Belfast, they established themselves as legends of London’s live music scene.

It was while he was in Energy Orchard that Kennedy first worked with compatriot Van Morrison, who gave the band several support slots to supplement their own hectic touring schedule of both the USA and Europe.

When Energy Orchard split up, Kennedy had little time to rest, because alt-country superstar, and longtime Energy Orchard fan, Steve Earle soon contacted him, suggesting that he would produce Kennedy’s first solo album. Kennedy agreed, and soon found himself on the plane to Nashville, TN, where he would record Domestic Blues.

Earle described Kennedy as 'the best songwriter I ever saw', and the album featured several of Nashville’s most highly regarded musicians, including Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan and Nanci Griffith. It was a real success, getting into the top ten of the Billboard Americana chart.

Kennedy’s song 'Vampire' appeared in the soundtrack for Hollywood film You Can Count On Me, which won two awards at the prestigious Sundance film festival and received two Oscar nominations, and three songs from the album were used for cult classic Southie. More touring of the USA cemented the acclaim.

The follow-up album, Lonely Street, was an artistic project based on, and dedicated to, two of Kennedy’s childhood musical heroes, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley. In more ways than one, it was music that was made for the love of music, and this was reflected in the consistently positive responses from critics at respected music magazines including Q and Mojo.

Once again, Kennedy’s work was used in a Hollywood soundtrack – this time it was ballad 'Moonlight Kiss', used for one of the key scenes in hit rom-com Serendipity (starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale), which is now a modern-day Christmas classic.

Kennedy’s next album, The Big Picture, was a return to working with Van Morrison. The Big Picture was recorded at Morrison’s studio, and included a Kennedy and Morrison co-write, 'Milky Way'. The album also featured guest vocals from Shane Magowan, lead singer of the Pogues, on the song 'On the Mighty Ocean Alcohol', and a reading from Carolyn Cassady, one of the leading figures from the Beat generation of American writers, at the end of the beautiful 'Moriarty’s Blues'.

The time following the release of The Big Picture was to mark profound changes in Bap’s personal, as well as professional, life. Shortly after Kennedy had brought his hard-living ways to an end, he worked with Mark Knopfler for the first time – appearing as a special guest for Knopfler’s tour of the USA and Europe, including five nights at the Royal Albert Hall.

It was during this period that Kennedy met his future wife, Brenda Kennedy, an artist and songwriter herself who had also written several bestselling books on Autism and Asperger Syndrome under her previous name, Brenda Boyd. Kennedy also produced Brenda’s album Banish the Blue Days.

For Howl On, released in 2009, Kennedy recorded in his native Northern Ireland for the first time in his solo career and, much like with Lonely Street, returned to writing a series of songs on a subject that had fascinated him in childhood.

This time, it was a look at his youthful love for all things American, and the story of the moon landings, not portrayed as a technological feat, but as a moment in the lives of the real people who worked on the Apollo program. This was a collection of human stories held together by the shared thread of Apollo, and told beautifully by Kennedy.

This was followed by a successful tour of the UK and Europe, highlighted by a memorable performance at the Glastonbury festival. Kennedy continued his touring with several highly successful one off gigs, including work with the renowned Belfast/Nashville festival, and performing in the highly regarded South by Southwest festival in America.

The Sailor’s Revenge features Kennedy’s most mature and sophisticated songwriting to date, as well as the instantly recognisable guitar work of Mark Knopfler. Knopfler is joined by a collection of respected session musicians, such as Jerry Douglas and Glenn Worf, combining to ensure that the musicianship on The Sailor’s Revenge is every bit as good as the songwriting.

The Sailor's Revenge is due for release on January 30. Kennedy will officially launch the album at the Empire Music Hall in Belfast on February 23, 2012, as part of the Pan Arts Belfast Nashville Songwriter's Festival.

It seemed unlikely, but 2011 turned out to be just as strong a year for Northern Irish music as 2010 had been, and 2010 was indeed a vintage year, with Two Door Cinema Club's award-winning debut, Tourist History, and The Divine Comedy's tenth studio album, Bang Goes The Knighthood, proving particular highlights.

2011, however, saw some of the great and the good release strong albums to increasingly widespread attention. In case you missed out, here are five of the best. Snow Patrol's Fallen Empires isn't included, but then all 'best of' lists are subjective. Feel free to post your own favourites below.

And So I Watch You From Afar – Gangs
Label: Richter Collective

An instrumental outfit that are highly respected amongst other Northern Irish musicians, the pressure was on ASIWYFA to follow up their incredible self-titled debut album from 2009. The stopgap Letters EP hinted at a different sound – jazzy riffs replacing the delicate sonic interplay of before – but no one expected Gangs, a tour-de-force of righteous power and emotion.

Strident and euphoric, Gangs is the sound of a band on a mission. Interesting that the band's previous signature tune, ‘The Voiceless’, because with the release of Gangs, suddenly the virtuoso foursome found that they had something very important to say.

An apocalyptic tone hangs heavy over the album, and one can almost smell the fires burning as they lock together tightly around coiled riffs and world music-inspired grooves. This is inclusive music, a wordless call to the alienated and dispossessed.

Ending the year with key line-up changes means that 2012 is going to be a crucial time for the band. Whether or not this latest collective will be able to mine the rich seam of inspiration they struck on with Gangs is yet to be seen. But, suffice to say, that it would be unwise to underestimate this consistently exciting band.

The Japanese Popstars – Controlling Your Allegiance
Label: Virgin

By what yardstick do you measure success? After making a splash with their debut album back in 2008, the stage seemed set for Derry~Londonderry based dance outfit, The Japanese Popstars, to come crashing into the mainstream, turning their underground credibility into crossover success.

Roping together a stellar cast including guest appearances from The Cure’s Robert Smith, Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion, Lisa Hannigan and James Vincent McMorrow, Controlling Your Allegiance initially met with mixed reviews. There were accusations of 'too many cooks spoiling the broth', and, in my opinion, the dance three-piece's unique approach to songwriting was overlooked in the process.

Taken on its own merits, the album does perhaps have a scattershot feel, with the frequent guest star collaborations diluting the impact of the collection as a whole, but this is to ignore the strength of the tracks when considered individually.

Their collaboration with Robert Smith on ‘Take Forever’ is one of the best things the indie godfather has produced in years, while ‘Let Go’ featuring dance legend Green Velvet is a guaranteed floor-filler.

So, whilst Controlling Your Allegiance might not have been the step up into the big league that was predicted, it provides an interesting road-map of where The Japanese Popstars may go next. Whether it be as producers for other artists, a studio band, or simply as a world-beating live act, this is not the last we’ve heard from The Japanese Popstars.

Cashier No.9 – To The Death of Fun
Label: Bella Union

In one of the year’s more unlikely success stories, Cashier No.9 took their own brand of affable, charming indie pop to a nationwide audience and found them to be hungry for more. The Carryduff band have been local favourites for a number of years now, but it seemed increasingly likely that their David Holmes produced album would linger in development hell.

Fast forward a year and one of the most respected indie labels in the UK seized upon the band as the discovery of the year, radio fell in love with them, and they proved themselves contenders for 'best act of 2011'. And they accomplished it all by refusing to compromise on their sound.

To the Death of Fun succeeds because it draws you into Cashier No.9's world on their terms. Musical reference points abound, with the shimmering exotica of Air lingering behind some of David Holmes' production choices, the motorik drum pulse of Neu! powering the engine room of the band, and the whimsical, laid-back wordplay of Pavement colouring the vocals.

But the sound is all the band’s own, converting even the coldest heart. The world is surely theirs for the taking.

Boxcutter – The Dissolve
Label: Planet Mu Records

Lurgan’s Barry Lynn has been quietly making a name for himself as one of the premier electronic auteurs of recent times, and his 2011 album The Dissolve brought a cinematic sheen to his music that has long been hinted at.

Leaving some of his earlier dubstep influences behind in favour of a retro sound that gives his work a warmer ambience than before, The Dissolve is the sound of a truly gifted artist finding a new palette of colours to paint with.

Ultimately, what impresses about this album impresses is Lynn's songwriting. Calling to mind 1980s cop show themes and the hazy fuzz of a television tuned to a dead channel, Lynn has tapped into the sense of retro nostalgia that’s permeating music so heavily in recent times. Rather than being consumed by it, however, he has allowed that nostalgia to take him in more interesting directions.

‘TV Troubles’ floats by on waves of synthy ambience and angular bass, whilst a heavily treated guitar leaves mathematical doodles over the skyline. The title track features an impressive guest spot from Brian Greene, bringing a kind of dislocated soul to the proceedings.

Dubstep purists cried foul, but The Dissolve shows an artist refusing to be constrained by the trappings of genre. In light of his overall body of work, The Dissolve might turn out to be an interesting diversion for Boxcutter, rather than a full blown re-imagining of what he does.

But it’s unlikely that this restlessly creative individual will settle on one thing for too long. As he pushes himself further and further out, we stand to reap fine rewards.

LaFaro – Easy Meat
Label: Smalltown America

Refusing to play anyone else’s game but their own, LaFaro followed up 2010’s debut with a sprawling, chaotic bundle of songs that guaranteed to leave a section of their fanbase scratching their heads in puzzlement. Interludes, on a rock album?! Were this deliberate obstinacy, or were LaFaro simply enjoying themselves?

The band’s influences, no matter how obfuscated they might be, shine through on Easy Meat. Echoes of the primal thrash of the Jesus Lizard come through, as well as the pummelling riffs of Helmet ramped up in the mix.

The vocals of Jonny Black are buried in the mix, allowing the guitars to take centre stage this time, unleashing all manner of breakneck angular riffs that charge along before you can get a handle on them. Easy Meat rocks – and it rocks hard – but often at the expense of the listener.

However, repeated listening allows for an appreciation of the depth of this album. Here, LaFaro show a natural gift for melody and arrangement that could yet take them to new and explosive heights. And the skits and sketches that are scattered throughout the record leave the listener in no doubt as to the record’s place of origin. LaFaro have created their own uniquely Northern Irish take on post-hardcore.

Come for the riffs, stay for the banter, but it’s the writing that you’ll be taking home with you for a very, very long time.

The Ulster Orchestra's pioneering series of lunchtime concerts continues to draw healthy audiences, with people apparently combining a spot of city centre retail therapy with a bite-sized, 50-minute helping of classical music.

Arias in Advent is the latest concert in the sequence, playing to a near-capacity Ulster Hall on the penultimate Wednesday before Christmas. It features Newtownards-born singer, Rebekah Coffey in a programme dominated by Handel and Mozart.

Coffey's is a relatively light, lyrical soprano voice, at times almost soubrettish in quality: a perfect fit for Handel's operatic music. Coffey confirms her affinity for this composer in fluidly dispatching the excitable coloratura passages in 'Tornami a vagheggiar' (from Alcina). The pinging acrobatics in this piece strikingly pre-echo the Queen of the Night's arias from Mozart's The Magic Flute, written over half a century later.

Coffey's sparing use of vibrato accentuates the fresh, youthful impression that her voice creates. Her 'Deh vieni, non tardar' (from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro) is recognisably the pert, resourceful piece of amorous teasing that it ought to be, but sometimes isn't, if a fruitier, more mature voice-type is singing Susanna.

'Ach, ich fühl's' (Pamina's Act Two lament from The Magic Flute), the other Mozart selection, requires more inwardness and intensity. Although Coffey's voice is not naturally muscular or aggressive, her upper register surges and expands impressively here, vividly communicating the character's emotional desolation.

Bellini's 'Oh! quante volte', from his opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi, explores a similarly love-lorn situation. Coffey's delicately modulated phrasing again evokes the girlish fragility of Juliet most effectively.

It’s easy for an orchestra to slip onto auto-pilot in this kind of singer-dominated recital, but conductor David Jones, whose early musical training occured at St Columb’s Cathedral, Derry~Londonderry, ensures a quality response from his players.

This is particularly evident in a gorgeously phrased, sweetly expressive account of the famous ‘Intermezzo’ from Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana. The upper strings in excel themselves.

Jones is an exceptionally musical but completely modest conductor. He skillfully creates elbow-room for the orchestra’s excellent oboists to duet piquantly in 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' by Handel, which opens the concert.

Jones’s measured pacing of the overture to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (too often treated as a frantic dash to the finishing tape) also allows time for the deft counter-balancing of upper and lower strings to register. The frequently inaudible bassoon detail in the mini-Mannheim crescendo signalling the piece’s climax is brought successfully to the surface.

There is further outstanding solo work from Ulster Orchestra section leader Paul Young, whose obligato trumpet part in Handel’s ‘Eternal Source of Light Divine’ tartly counterpoints Coffey’s vocal contribution. Young is a superb player. The orchestra will, I hope, continue to provide him with solo opportunities in the future.

Coffey sings a single encore, John Jacob Niles’s brooding carol ‘I wonder as I wander’. It is a contemplative, even melancholic note on which to end a festive concert.

It's hard to pin down Lisa Hannigan’s musical style. She’s a very unpredictable performer. Yet, somehow, that is an effortlessly endearing quality.

Contrary to her folksy image, her approach to both her live performances and recordings is anything but understated. She makes more of an impression at the Mandela Hall this December evening than many excellent indie live acts, even Belle and Sebastian, have managed to do.

With catchy instrumentals, thoughtful lyrics, delightful vocals and a welcoming atmosphere, her performance has everything. There isn’t one moment in her fifteen song set that doesn’t work.

With such talent on show, support act The Ambience Affair have a lot to compete with. And it’s to their credit that, despite their experimental nature, they do an admirable job.

It initially sounds like we’re in for a Blue Tuesday – not very cheery, considering the time of year! – with very New Order-ish techno beats opening their set. But once they settle, we get something that resembles the rawness of very early U2.

The use of two large video screens either side of the stage helps bassist Yvonne Ryan, drummer Marc Gallagher and singer Jamie Clarke convey a message to the crowd.

The only downside is that their material doesn’t really resonate. But it’s good natured, and hopefully with a bit more practice and exposure, their time will come.

By contrast, it only takes a couple of songs – one gentle, one not-so-gentle – for Hannigan and her band to establish themselves. The crowd are spellbound midway through the first number, with the fine lighting and excellent sound helping to set a wonderful mood.

It’s when we come to 'Venn Diagram' and 'Ocean And A Rock', two excellent numbers from debut solo album Sea Sew, that she’s able to use to full range of her talents to brilliant effect. She’s a mistress of all trades, combining her angelic voice with bass, guitar, and a series of 'broken down, wheezy old instruments', as she puts it.

With a fine backing band behind her, it all adds up to an utterly unique performance – Norah Jones with more energy and less pretence.

She dances during 'Ocean And A Rock' and jokes when the pianist hits the right note at the wrong time, before 'O Sleep'. She establishes a real family rapport with the crowd that enables singer, band and audience to all enjoy themselves, especially during the funniest moments of the gig.

There are quite a few of those, like when she mentions her guitarist’s 'amazing ‘tache' before saying that she needs to grow one herself! Or 'Safe Travels, (Don’t Die)' which teaches us a lot about life in her own quirky, comedic manner.

When she hits a high note, it really resonates. And when she waxes nostalgic, for example, during the Louis Armstrong-esque 'Hope', we feel it along with her. This is a performer who clearly has 'all the time in the world' for her audience.

The tone of the set list is absolutely pitch perfect. A great example of this is when Hannigan, realising that we need a breather after the show-stopping 'I Don’t Know', with its layered instrumental harmonies, bouncy rhythm and pensive lyrics, walks on with a cup of tea and sings the title track from her second album Passenger.

By the time Hannigan finishes, with the effervescent 'Knots', she seems somewhat overwhelmed by the rapturous applause she is receiving. It is well-deserved though, so maybe she should get used to the praise.

It was, apparently, the boys of the Schola Cantorum choir, performing at St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, and not their director Nigel McClintock, who requested repeated re-takes of the 15 tracks comprising O Come Let Us Adore Him, their new album of Christmas music.

Now that's dedication. In just three short years, McClintock has instilled in his young singers a desire for perfection that bodes well for the future. This fledgling choir could yet go on to much bigger and better things.

McClintock is, however, a firm believer in the spontaneity and urgency of the moment. What you hear on this new disc is a collection of real-time, live performances that are unadulterated by the dark arts of the digital post-editing suite, where mediocrity and dullness can nowadays be cut and pasted into a cosmetically perfect commercial product.

The choir's enthusiasm is immediately apparent, and you get the sense of living, breathing music-making from the opening, ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. In the last verse the trebles’ descant soars elatedly over the full-voiced unison of the tenors and basses.

It’s a long way from the cloistered reverence that can stifle choral singing in the Anglican tradition, with which McClintock is intimately familiar. This is a deliberately edgier sound, with a more direct, visceral impact on the listener.

There’s plenty of finesse leavening the physicality, however, especially in the unanimity of vowel sounds, a desperately tricky area to get right in choral singing. Small details such as the repetition of the words ‘comfort and joy’ in the refrain of ‘God Rest You Merry Gentlemen’ are also telling.

Often these phrases become an inaudible mush, but McClintock deftly etches out a space for his boys to articulate them properly, without sounding over-punctilious.

The quieter singing is also highly impressive, and well supported technically (young voices in particular can droop like wilted flowers at low volume levels if not trained properly). This enables a performance of ‘Silent Night’ that is disarmingly direct in expression, brightly lustred tonally, and with a pleasingly natural, integrated balance between the upper and lower voices.

Two of the Schola trebles recently reached the final of the National Choirboy of the Year competition, and both have solos. Donal McCann features on Kenneth Leighton’s ‘Lully Lulla’, a challenging setting with tricky intervals, to which the choir is fully equal. McCann takes centre stage in a poised, affecting rendition of Michael Head’s ‘The Little Road to Bethlehem’.

Joe Zubier, meanwhile, was the other national finalist, and his limpid tone adorns Adolphe Adam’s ‘O Holy Night’. McClintock’s clever variation of dynamics avoids the soporific effect this beautiful music can easily create in too soft-centred a performance. Zubier also impresses in a confident, crystalline ‘Come unto Him’ from Handel’s Messiah, complete with authentic Baroque ornamentations.

The CD comes complete with informative notes about the history of Schola Cantorum and St Peter’s, a detailed specification of the cathedral’s Kenneth Jones organ, and a full listing of choir members (over 60 singers participated in the recording).

It’s a timely issue for the Christmas season, and showcases the extremely high standards of singing currently being achieved by the boys of Schola Cantorum, a gleaming star in Belfast’s musical firmament. For further information about Schola Cantorum go to their website.

O Come Let Us Adore Him can be purchased for £12 in the bookshop at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. All proceeds go towards supporting the work and future development of Schola Cantorum.

Runaway GO - 'Delicate Man'
Available now

This Belfast-based five piece have been around in a number of different incarnations over the last few years, but under the moniker Runaway GO, they really seem to be setting their sights on the top.

Utilising a classic boy-girl vocal, ‘Delicate Man’ is one of those classically overwrought anthems. Soaring guitars meld with the vocals of Fiona O’Kane and David Jackson, each covering different emotional aspects of the song, O’Kane’s voice intimate and hushed, Jackson’s powerful and dramatic.

It’s accomplished stuff, and it’s not hard to see a lot of people falling for their polished sound. The only real complaint would be that there’s not really anything particularly original here. No matter, as the results, if not spectacular, are certainly strong enough to attract a well deserved audience.

Best Boy Grip - 'Barbara'
Available now

Derry-based songwriter Eoin O’Callaghan clearly has a strong appreciation of the songwriting craft. Calling to mind the work of national treasure Neil Hannon, Best Boy Grip’s is intelligent, literate pop. It is not afraid to take the listener on a journey, without being overly didactic.

Over a bed of piano and delicate instrumentation, O’Callaghan sings caustic love songs. Melodically, ‘Barbara’ is faultless: a lilting, rollicking piano line suggests some arch deviant sitting in the parlour, wearing a smoking jacket and sipping a brandy.

But it’s the lyrics that really impress, delivered in O’Callaghan’s sweetly poisonous voice. 'This ain’t gonna be a love song Barbara / This ain’t gonna be the one for you / This is gonna be the one for Elaine,' sings O’Callaghan, and one cannot help but feel sorry for the (assumed) target of the song.

As an opening statement, ‘Barbara’ is a beautifully eloquent first shot, and announces Best Boy Grip as one of the most accomplished and promising songwriters to emerge from Northern Ireland for quite some time. It has very little to do with the world of contemporary pop music, and it’s all the better for it.


Gacy Threads - The Ignorance of Purity
Available now

For a few years, hardcore noise merchants Gacy’s Threads have been unleashing their punishing brand of metallic grind upon the receptive ears of the Irish metal community, sonically bludgeoning all who stand in their way.

Unlike many of their peers in the thriving Northern Irish metal scene, Gacy’s Threads have no small amount of crossover potential, popping up on the radars of hipsters and tastemakers alike. They are the indie fans metalcore band of choice.

As if throwing down the gauntlet, The Ignorance of Purity EP is easily the band's harshest, most hardcore release to date. Listening to it demands a feat of endurance almost designed to test the strength of the weak-willed. Ferocious blast beats pound the listener into submission, whilst the guttural screams and barks of Aaron Vance leave claw marks upon the soul.

Gacy’s Threads’ brand of metal could not be considered ‘melodic’, and as the discordant guitars tear through the riffs, their controlled fury threatens to overcome the sound. It can all become a bit too much for the causal listener. Which is no doubt exactly what they want.

‘Black Heart’ is absolutely terrifying, a white knuckle journey right into the depths of hell, whilst ‘To the Death’ succeeds in capturing an epic sensibility, without sacrificing any of their attack.

This kind of extreme metalcore is increasingly finding a bigger audience, and Gacy’s Threads have unleashed an EP that will separate the wheat from the chaff. In all likelihood, with a release this strong, Gacy's Thread could be gracing much bigger stages in the years to come.


 

With the internet, home recording and self publishing, there’s never been a better time to be creative and get involved in music. All over Northern Ireland, people are sitting down with guitars and keyboards to write songs. Why? Because in February, more than 100 artists will play in 35 concerts at the 8th Panarts Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival.

The annual event is a celebration of the art of songwriting, bringing together award-winning talent from around the world. And in March 2012, Northern Irish artists will have a chance to showcase their talent in Music City, Nashville, Tennessee.

Panarts director, Colin Magee said: 'We started these unique music events in Belfast and Nashville eight years ago. We work with international performers who are willing to share a stage with great local artists like Shauna Tohill, Aaron Shanley and Thom Southern.

'The Songwriters In The Round gigs have become our most popular events and give a real boost to emerging writers. We also attract an audience from many different countries, helping the local economy during the quiet winter months.'

Rosa Solinas, Head of Music, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: 'The Belfast Nashville Festival places songwriters centre stage, providing a platform for them to develop their craft and perform alongside some of the most celebrated names in the business. It raises the international profile of the music and musicians emerging from this island, which is very good news for Northern Ireland.'

Along with the 35 concerts and showcases, country music fans have the 8th Panarts Songwriting Convention to look forward to, when music industry experts and writers share their skills and knowledge in 15 workshops and panel discussions.

World-class songwriters such as Nick Lower (pictured above), John Oates, who wrote ‘She’s Gone’ and ‘Maneater’, and Mark Nevin, who wrote ‘Perfect’ and songs for Morrissey and David Bowie, will demonstrate how they write their award-winning songs. Representatives of PRS for Music and BMI will also be there to answer questions on copyright, royalties and income streams.

The Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival runs from February 22 – 26. But tickets at the Belfast Nashville website, Ticketmaster.co.uk, and Belfast Welcome Centre on 028 9024 6609. Watch a video featuring one of last year's star performers, Thom Southern, below.

VerseChorusVerse – EP
Stream VerseChorusVerse EP here, also available on iTunes

When Tony Wright announced that he would be leaving north coast instrumental powerhouse And So I Watch You From Afar, more than a few heads were turned. After all, ASIWYFA were the band that represented the heart and soul of the Northern Irish music scene. A bastion of integrity and ambition, they were arguably the lynchpin band that made it cool to make music again in this country. Why would anyone walk away from that?

Re-branding himself as VerseChorusVerse, Wright’s first EP provides us with the answer. Over a bed of strummed acoustic guitar, piano and restrained drums, Wright’s sweetly sincere vocals hold centre stage, a slight quiver on the edges revealing either a restrained passion, or the hints of nervousness at stepping into the limelight.

In interviews, Wright has previously talked of his love of 'classic' songwriters like Neil Young, and stylistically, there’s a classicism on display here that indicates that years have probably been spent honing his craft, just waiting for the opportunity to unleash it on the public.

‘One Fine Day’ has an anthemic quality, whilst ‘The Accused’ is much more contemplative, beautiful washes of cello wrapping around Wright’s voice as he plaintively sings, 'We were promised another chance.'

As an opening statement of intent from a ‘new’ artist, this is accomplished, moving stuff. Wright’s guitar playing in his previous band was frequently the focal point of their bruised charm, a hopeful yet battle-scarred instrument. Who knew his voice – both lyrically and otherwise – could carry exactly the same kind of power?

Morning Claws: Pet Storms, Ancient Clouds EP
Available December 1

Morning Claws are a difficult band to pigeonhole. A six piece using predominantly electronic instrumentation, they are capable of shoe-gazing with the rest of them. They’re a pop band, essentially, but there’s something about this particular brand of pop that fits best with the head, rather than the heart, or the feet.

This all stands to change somewhat with the release of their new EP, Pet Storms, Ancient Clouds. Whilst opening track ‘Fight for Your Friends’ is a vintage slice of shoe gazing guitar pedal abuse, circa 1992, second track ‘Fizzle’ possesses a playful feel.

It is a minimalist pop construction with an insistent beat certain to inspire bouts of dancing at the indie disco. Final track ‘Goodbye Moodkill’, meanwhile, recalls The Cure at their best, managing to make sadness sound wonderful, beauty in suffering.

The band’s previous release was an inspired bunch of contradictions, pushing and pulling in different directions, but it’s obvious that their now extensive live experience has galvanised them into something more solid. The rough edges are still there, but this time it feels intentional, rather than a sound in search of definition. This is pop that’s not afraid to scream in your face and dirty up your clothes, before holding your hand as the clouds part, revealing a ray of sunlight.

Seven Summits – I Want Somebody
Available November 18

Back in 2009, Seven Summits released an album which, whilst jam-packed with indie rock goodness, failed to set the world on fire. There were great tunes a-plenty, but there was also an ordinariness to their approach. Fans of the Lemonheads rejoiced, whist the rest of the world shrugged its shoulders.

Who could have predicted that they’d be able to reinvent themselves as one of Northern Ireland’s finest purveyors of the three minute single? The scrappy, ne’er-do-well sensibility has vanished, replaced by an admirably lean approach to songwriting, all chaff cast aside in search of the perfect pop song.

Here, the band have achieved the admirable feat of releasing a series of singles that somehow manages to out-do the previous collection. ‘Burning Heart’ is revelatory, a shimmering indie pop classic that establishes the band as a real force on the local scene, whilst ‘Sooner or Later’ sees the band beginning to attract attention outside of Northern Ireland, showcasing their increasingly effective way with a melody and lyrical bite.

Upon first listen, ‘I Want Somebody’ seems less immediate, the guitars relegated to the background in favour of synth sounds. However, once again showcasing their gifts with arrangements, the song unravels and unfolds, bringing the listener on a journey filled with twists and turns. Without any exaggeration, Seven Summits make some of the most accomplished pop music in the UK at the moment. Get them now, before everyone else gets them too.

More Than Conquerors' anthemic potential has always been best realised in recorded form. While the Belfast band's live performances have often frustrated fans, their 2010 debut self-titled EP led to a Glasgowbury main stage appearance after barely a year together, and it wasn't long before Derry~Londonderry indie label Smalltown America came knocking.

Following the re-release of More Than Conquerors last year, the foursome have been touring the UK relentlessly, winning over a fan base, sharpening their sound and gaining support slots that betray their youth with the likes of Feeder and Jimmy Eat World.

In the relatively long period it has taken to record and release their follow-up, Boots & Bones, More Than Conquerors have had the time and the space to become the band they truly want to be. Appropriately, then, this collection is one that feels and sounds less urgent and more considered.

That is not to say that the band have lost their knack for writing hard-hitting, highly energy songs, but with this release they seem to have smoothed out the jaggedness that previously stifled their emotive alt-rock sound. The stop-start guitar interplay isn't as prominent, which goes to show that they've grown out of the Biffy Clyro mimicking, and none of these new songs are weakened by predictablly overblown crescendos.

Previously released single 'A Lion, A Man' (watch video above) demonstrates this newfound restraint. It drifts pensively into melancholic waters before summoning an impassioned, tidal wave-sized chorus that redeems an otherwise tame closer.

Elsewhere, though, the EP thrashes and fizzes with greater purpose. 'Bear Knuckle Fight' is a mini-mauler with a thick chorus groove; 'The Dear and the Fox' sets Kris Platt's velvety vocals against a noisy backdrop; and opener 'Oh My Son!', the only title without a wild critter reference, is the snappiest, most punk track included, with snarling fight-pop venom coursing through its two and half minutes.

'Hunting For The Whale', meanwhile, is a slow-burning wild card that touches on an altogether more experimental sound. Alas, however, although it demonstrates a willingness to venture outside of the comfort zone, it is one of the more forgettable tracks out of the five.

With as much mosh-pit fodder as there are contagious sing-alongs, More Than Conquerors' ever-strengthening canon is laying the groundwork for some memorable shows. Although at times they play it a little safe, they've shown a songwriting maturity on Boots & Bones that we can only hope their live performances will make the most of.

Order Boots & Bones via IndependentMusic.com now.

Quite aside from the fizz and fireworks of the 2011 MTV EMA were a series of shows that will, for the musicians involved, be remembered as the highlights of a magical month for music in Belfast.

In the days before Lady GaGa and Selena Gomez entertained the glitterati, Cormac Neeson of The Answer took to the stage with Therapy? to sing ‘Alternative Ulster’, a song that was 15 years old before Justin Bieber’s backside was the size of a button.

‘I remember thinking that physically and metaphorically, this is a really good place to be right now,’ says Neeson. ‘Sharing the stage with Therapy?, who are one of my favourite bands, singing ‘Alternative Ulster’, which is one of my favourite songs. It was a special moment.’

Both Therapy? and The Answer have established themselves as world-beating bands, through graft and dedication that began in Larne and Downpatrick respectively. For Neeson, who has just launched The Answer’s fourth album Revival, the performance at the Ulster Hall was a high point in a ten-year career.

‘It was brilliant being slap-bang in the middle of this brilliant thing that's happening in the city,’ he says. ‘Things are going really well with all four of us in the band. The new album’s been well-received all over the UK, but it was just great being involved in all that is good about Northern Ireland right now.’

The song ‘Alternative Ulster’, written by Jake Burns of the band Stiff Little Fingers in 1979, was a sharp punky rant against all that was wrong with Northern Ireland at the time. Burns couldn’t have known that more than 30 years later his lyrics would become the unofficial anthem for the country’s creative, secular side.

‘That song alone is a great reference point to see how far Belfast has come over the last 15-odd years,’ says Neeson. ‘It’s laden with lines that are now null and void, 'the RUC dog of oppression is barking at your feet'. The RUC doesn't exist any more. Alternative Ulster is, to use a Therapy? term, about ‘going nowhere’. But now you've got bands making it at international level. Beyond that, Belfast has become a hotbed for proper, exciting musical talent.'

‘Bands like Cashier No9, And So I Watch You From Afar and General Fiasco are having this success, and you find that more people from the industry across the water are coming to Northern Ireland. Ten years ago I didn't see that there were any other options other than to go to America or elsewhere in the UK. That's thankfully no longer the case.’

Neeson mentions And So I Watch You From Afar, who were this year named as the Best Live Act at the first Northern Irish Music Awards. But despite success in Europe and the American release of second album Gangs, the quartet have lost founding guitarist Tony Wright, who is now pursuing a solo career as VerseChorusVerse.

Wright did, however, rejoin his former bandmates at the Ulster Hall as part of a final farewell during Belfast Music Week. The young singer also cites Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash as inspirations for his new venture. ‘Stiff Little Fingers were always an inspiration,’ he says.

‘I'd probably be more on the side of songs like 'Tin Soldier' and 'Wasted Life', as I didn't grow up in Belfast; I grew up in a nice little seaside town where we didn't have the army on the streets, so to speak. But Cormac got it spot on: ‘Alternative Ulster’ is now, almost, the mainstream.’

Although Wright isn’t a big fan of Snow Patrol, he watched them perform to a crowd of 15,000 at Belfast City Hall. ‘I did get rather emotional,’ he says. ‘It was very touching. I remember seeing Snow Patrol play in the Empire to ten people.

‘It was really bizarre because there were meat wagons around, these signs of an alternate past. I know Snow Patrol aren't the coolest band, but I didn't care because it was so nice to be in Belfast and to have something like that happening.’

Wright is optimistic about launching his solo career from Northern Ireland. Although performing can sometimes be a thankless task, fellow musicians, buoyed by the vibrancy in Belfast, remind him why he does it.

‘I performed at the Belfast Calling show, where 30 acts played acoustic sets. Sometimes, at shows that size, people don’t care about the music. There were a lot of people who'd been drinking all day.

'Afterwards, Duke Special came up to me saying “This is a book I've put together, celebrating the ten year anniversary of my first album. I wanted to give you a copy". There was a little inscription wishing me luck on my journey. I nearly broke down – I just remembered why I want to do this. It’s the importance of songs, to the audience and the performer. They can keep us alive.’

The Answer’s fourth album Revival is out now. Tony Wright’s first EP as VerseChorusVerse is available to listen to here.

New York metallers Manowar are often seen as something of a joke band, a novelty act. With early performances featuring the muscular metalheads taking to the stage in nothing but loincloths and baby oil, such a reputation is hardly a surprise.

Throw in lyrics like ‘Got to make it louder, all men play on ten / If you’re not into metal, you are not my friend’, and the prospect becomes even more laughable.

Something very serious indeed, however, is the ticket price for Manowar’s gig in the Mandela Hall in Belfast. With prices starting at £45 and going up to a whopping £250 (which includes a tour of the venue, and a chance to meet the band), the cover charge certainly seems excessive in these austere times of ours.

However, it is evident from before the gig even begins that the seemingly ludicrous price tag was not an issue for Manowar's extremely loyal fan-base (known as the Army of Immortals). I overhear one audience member remark, without a hint of irony, that his ‘whole life had been leading up to this point’, while another couple have come from America in lieu of a honeymoon.

All the while a rather inebriated gentleman is rallying the crowd together in song, chanting the words to one of the band’s hits, ‘Brothers of Metal’. The feeling is comparable to that of a medieval banquet hall; feasting before the army goes to battle.

When the band takes to the stage at 9pm sharp, they do so in an explosion of strings and shiny stacks. Launching into self-referential opener, appropriately entitled ‘Manowar’, it is evident that this is going to be a loud gig.

Not just loud in fact, but thunderously loud, with driving force Joey DeMaio’s bass guitar rattling ribcages throughout the room. Indeed, on three previous occasions, Manowar have broken the Guinness World Record for the world's loudest performance.

Not only are the band extremely noisy, but they are also very good at what they do. The subject matter might be somewhat silly (occurrences of the words ‘brothers’, ‘metal’ and ‘steel’ surely number in the hundreds), but musically, Manowar are on phenomenal form.

Jaws drop as singer Eric Adams reaches pitch-perfect highs with his bombastic, operatic falsetto vocals. Gone are the loincloths of old, the band members opting instead for tasteful, tight leathers instead. Whilst their muscles aren’t quite as rippling as they once were, this does not look like a group of men approaching their 60s.

For the next hour and 45 minutes, the audience is treated to a smorgasbord of Manowar classics, such as 'Kings of Metal', 'Brothers of Metal' and 'Warriors of the World United' (listen below). A personal favourite is 'Battle Hymn', which juxtaposes rollicking battle-metal with a melodic breakdown that would, frankly, sit perfectly well in an Andrew Lloyd Webber spectacular.

The lyrics range from the ridiculous to the worryingly misogynist ('Let your swords stay wet / Like a young girl in her prime'), but the performance is consistently impressive, with a great sound mix.

In true rock fashion, members of the band exit stage left at various points save for the bass and guitar players respectively, allowing them time to showcase their solo skills. While DeMaio opts for a maniacal two-handed tapping bass performance, guitarist Karl Logan delights with a metal-tastic rendition of 'The Irish Rover', drenched in whammy and pinched harmonics.

This is not the only nod to the Emerald Isle, with DeMaio inexplicably bringing a delighted fan on stage to chug a pint of Guinness.

There is no encore, the band instead opting to go out on a high with fan favourite ‘Black Wind, Fire and Steel’. This concludes a performance that is melodramatic in every sense, betraying both Manowar's age and their joke-band status.

Whilst other 1980s metal giants have cut their hair and donned suits in a desperate attempt to stay relevant, it is quite satisfying to see Manowar stick to their guns. Despite the extortionate ticket prices and overpriced merch, this bombastic performance, replete with long hair swinging and daft metal posturing, delights the audience, including this reviewer. They manage to prove that they are not just talented, but still relevant: proof that there is still a place for Manowar.