Northern Ireland Tunes - Round-Up #27

Here's a round-up of a few songs from "our wee province" that are likely to float your Metaphorical Boat in the month of May, with a little bit of something for everyone, provided the something that everyone is after includes indie, hardcore, singer-songwriters, and something a little bit nutty - 
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Callum Stewart - Free

17-year old Magherafelt singer/songwriter Callum Stewart may have only just released his debut single "Free" this month, but it's fair to say that he hasn't already made an impact. He was longlisted for Chordblossom's Kickstart competition, has received airplay on local radio, and its music video has already recorded over 3,000 hits in two weeks (which for an NI artist is pretty good going). And it's no surprise, as "Free" is a pretty great, finely produced pop-rock song, very much in the mould of early 00s American MOR radio rock. If he can keep up the quality, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with.


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3D Shark - My Name Is Brian Clough

And from the sublime to the sublimely ridiculous. 3D Shark are a Belfast four-piece who make power-pop with pop-culture references and a pretty hilarious sense of humour. Their most recent E.P, "Some Boys Like To Hide Away", contains such gems like "Ronnie O'Sullivan", an ode to one of the most successful snooker players of his generation, and "Spuds", a song mourning the loss of one of the finest post-drinking food establishments within the vicinity of Queen's University. The highlight of the E.P however is "My Name Is Brian Clough", a semi-spoken word song looking at the various successes and failure of the eponymous football manager. It's rare to see many local bands embracing a sense of silliness, so it's great to know that we've got bands like 3D Shark plying their trade here.


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Hot Cops - Kenzie's Farmhouse

Belfast indie-rock 5-piece Hot Cops released their debut E.P "Another Teen Age" back in March. Taken from it is "Kenzie's Farmhouse", a decent Vaccines-esque tune that doesn't need to resort to gimmickry to make an impact.


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Towers - Untitled

And to conclude this month's batch, here's something a little heavier than usual from Belfast hardcore 4-piece Towers. "Untitled" is taken from the band's debut E.P "Seasons", which the band have kindly offered as a free download. Northern Ireland does have a good reputation for well constructed metal, so Towers are sure to find a certain amount of favour.