Friday just gone, the 4th January, was the launch of my exhibition in the Black Box as part of the Out to Lunch Festival. I woke up to see all that beautiful snow on the ground, just for me of course, but why oh why does it have to bring everything to a standstill. I didn't complain, though I may have been close to falling on my ass once or twice, I still had no problems.

In the end there was a good, yet intimate turnout of some of my good friends and family. Ronan and Ciara of Kitty and the Can Openers very kindly played a few of their beautiful songs, including a track from the newly recorded E.P.



It was a fantastic evening and I'm truely grateful to have been given the opportunity to display my work in such a prominent location, to those who continually support me, and who came down on Friday night.

On Saturday I awoke with quite a hangover. But, onwards. The Black Box was the venue, once again for Astral Weeks Revisited as part of the second day of the Out to Lunch festival. I was looking forward to seeing Foy Vance as I have yet to see him play live though when I got there I heard that he and Bap Kennedy pulled due to "management reasons". Having an idea about the background of the problem, I don't know if I can understand it. It is just unfortunate.

Personally, I don't like the album myself, having listened to it a few times in the last week, though the covers played in the Black Box at 2pm, and again in the Oh Yeah Building at 8pm. Running order was:

Astral Weeks – Brian Houston
Beside You – Cara Robinson
Sweet Thing – The Four Of Us
Cyprus Avenue – Matt McGinn

- interval -

The Way Young Lovers Do – The Winding Stair
Madame George – Ursula Burns
Ballerina – Duke Special
Slim Slow Slider – Tom Mc Shane

Each version was excellent, though extra praise has to go to Matt McGinn, who got the call that Foy had pulled out at 12:30pm that afternoon - 2hrs prior to the event, and played Crypus Avenue like he'd been playing it for years. Also to Ursula Burns who was brought in at the last minute too.

After a very sold out Black Box gig, in which the audience got very into the music, roaring with delight after each song rather than simply clapping. The gig was such a success that everyone was looking forward to the evening show in the Oh Yeah Building around the corner, I was just looking forward to getting some food: McHughes' chicken goujons and a pint. Beautiful.

The Oh Yeah was equally as good as the one before. I've never had an opportunity to experience different reactions from two different crowds at the same event, it was interesting. At certain things that Stuart Bailie said in his introduction the crowd at the Black Box laughed where this crowd did not, and vice versa. It was also being recorded in the Oh Yeah Building for broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster in the near future - I just hope that none of the clicking of my shutter got recorded.

I think this is a great idea, having local artists cover a well known "great" album, whether I personally think so or not isn't really relevant. First there was 'Oh Yeah Computer', another Oh Yeah Project endeavour in July '07, which I didn't manage to get to, but heard went down extremely well, with artists such as The Jane Bradfords, Amy McGarrigle and Driving By Night doing great covers, from those which I have heard.

Stuart revealed that there are plans for another in the series, this time Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska to be held sometime in Feb as part of the Belfast Nashville Festival - check www.ohyeahbelfast.com for more.









More photographs can be found on my Flickr stream.

I had a great weekend, surrounded by great people.
Thank you
:D

My exhibition is running in the Black Box Café [map] until 27th Jan. The café is normally open 10am-5pm, unless there is an event in the evening. The café may still be closed, but ask to see the photos and it shouldn't be a problem.