Belfast’s Music Hub: What’s On At Oh Yeah Centre
Emily Hanna
The Oh Yeah Centre is a music hub in Belfast’s arts community, nestled in the heart of the city’s renowned Cathedral Quarter. A charity and social enterprise with a mission statement to ‘Open Doors to Music’, the centre has welcomed many an acclaimed artist to its stage in recent years, from Madison Beer to Nina Nesbitt.
Undoubtedly, the past two years have been incredibly difficult for Northern Ireland’s music venues, with Covid-19 restrictions leading to countless gigs being cancelled and rescheduled. However, in spite of this uncertainty, staff at Oh Yeah have strived to be proactive during this time, rather than dwell on the negatives. Dee McAdams, Operations Director at Oh Yeah says, “Our entire event diary emptied virtually overnight when the pandemic began and then due to the restrictive laws put in place by the NI Executive, which essentially banned live music.” However, Dee continues, “In spite of this we were able to adapt and still host bands, albeit virtually, and shine a light on NI's best and new emerging musical talent. While it’s been a challenge and a struggle it has also been good to learn new skills, try out new ideas and work creatively.”
With live music now back in full-swing, Oh Yeah is excited to provide an array of events for audiences over the next few months. Here’s what’s lined up for February:
For Independent Venue Week, an event “celebrating the spirit of independence and the culture of live music”, SOAK will be headlining Oh Yeah on February 5 at 7.30pm. Described as “a vivid portrait of teenage deep-thinking” by The Guardian, SOAK is a singer/songwriter from Derry, best known for their 2015 breakthrough hit ‘Sea Creatures’.
On February 18 at 7pm, Kate Nicholson will launch her new album, ‘Fallen from Grace’, with support from Andy McGibbon. The mother of two has been writing music since the age of 16, but rekindled her love for it during the pandemic thanks to Oh Yeah’s ‘Mothers in Music’ programme.
February also sees the return of ‘GET ON IT!’, a monthly showcase of local live music. The first of 2022 on February 24 at 9pm will begin with groove-pop singer Aimee Thompson, joined by a live band, and will be followed by a funk-based set with Jai Sain, accompanied by drummer BlackJack Franco. Closing out the night will be BBC Radio DJ Kwane Daniels, who’s previous performances have included AVA Festival. Students can get discounted tickets to this event and can even bring along a friend for free – it’s too good to miss!
Finally, the month will close with an unmissable Paper Tigers gig on February 26 at 9pm. The alternative rock group promise a night of energy, glitter, and incredible music and will also have support from new talents Lauren Ann and Casual Riots.
The next few weeks at Oh Yeah Centre promise to be full of fresh talent and original performances, so make sure to check out all their upcoming events, projects, and volunteering opportunities. The light at the end of the tunnel is now shining a little brighter for independent venues like Oh Yeah, who “can't wait to welcome back the wonderful Belfast audiences”.
Emily Hanna is a Culture reporter at The Scoop and an English student at Queen’s University Belfast.