Judith Roddy And A Particular Dread

The actress discusses her role in the Lyric Theatre's production of Pentecost

Last year, Derry-Londonderry born actress Judith Roddy found herself at a Q and A film director Danny Boyle was giving for young, aspiring film students at the Foyle Film Festival. How, one student wondered, did Boyle get where he is? How did he get his break?

Boyle told the student that the error of striving for success lay in "wanting to get away". He advised him to write and direct about the places and people he knew: who you are and where you're from, he said, is your strength, and you bring it with you. Anyone can aspire to a different life, but the richest life arises from embracing your roots.

That was how Roddy felt about her home town, and it is how she feels still.

And soon, the experienced young actress, who stood out in the premiere of Sam Shepard's A Particle Of Dread at the Playhouse Theatre last year, will be joining the cast of said play for its US Premiere in New York from this Sunday, October 19, onwards. But for now, she is enjoying – or should that be "enduring"? – another particular dread in Stewart Parker's Pentecost, currently in the final week of a one-month run at Belfast's Lyric Theatre.

The production has received praise from all corners, this website describing it as "a remarkable achievement – intelligent without being impertinent, driven without being didactic". Roddy herself was attracted to the production because of its late writer: "(Parker) was razor sharp and eloquent. His work, particularly this play, holds a mirror to both us and our times. His characters are striking, but they can melt you with humour."

Pentecost especially resonates with Roddy because she is from Northern Ireland yet rarely gets the opportunity to work in these parts. It is the first play she has starred in at the Lyric. Like A Particle Of Dread, there's a contained foreboding energy in Pentecost that penetrates a confined space: both plays feel like memory pieces, recollections of strange haunted histories.

But Roddy also finds beauty and challenge in the language of Pentecost: claustrophobia sets the scene from the outset, ensuring that focus is in textual inhabitation.

"There's directness and honesty here like no other in the north, but also terrific buoyancy", she says. "The text has to be lived in, but not leaned on. Parker has done the work; lightness of touch on the actors' part is the challenge."

Roddy has often been cast in very physical roles on stage. Prior to Pentecost, she played Susie Monican in the National Theatre's production of The Silver Tassie, who was a big presence in a cast of twenty-two. The role of Marian, who functions as some sort of "leader of the pack" in a party of five – four people, and one ghost – appears no different, both roles giving Roddy a welcome opportunity to "score" their physicality, like music. "The 'score' here lies in the arc of the play, with Parker setting up moments and breaking them with laughter in the same beat. I love it."

When rehearsing, Roddy found it impossible to ignore Marian's strength, practicality and sense of humour, but ultimately, what all those things were masking in her. Portraying the character's stern but open exterior was paramount. "If, as an actor, I choose to play her as damaged or neurotic, I've nowhere to go. I chose a more difficult path, because while there might be little sympathy for her, the payoff is undeniably better: she reveals her very core as the play unravels. It feels more truthful to me, and most important.”

Yet despite the undeniably unifying bond that forms among the four human characters, no bond seems more significant than that between Marian and the ghost of Lily, the previous owner of a house Marian is now trying to habitate. Both, it would appear, have more in common with one another than either would like to admit, and Roddy sees this bond as essential: two characters united by a shared loss.

"Without the connection, Marian would never reveal herself, and Lily would never tell her story. It creates moments of stillness in the play. The audience can see a tangible character going through a crisis, and another character reliving her past and a haunted presence."

It's an indisputably downcast tone that Pentecost presents, one that represents much collapse: in characters, society and religion. But Roddy sees a less downbeat message, one in which Marian ceases to bite her own wounds and the characters come to accept and make peace with themselves.

"Pentecost is a play about history. It speaks of the past through the present in the characters and looks to the future. The resolved cadence in the piece is very tricky, but magical. The lights may literally be off in the play, but there's brightness in its future."

And there's brightness in Roddy's future as she prepares to set off for an experience like no other on Broadway. "I'll be there until the New Year, and possibly longer. It's an exciting time. The nieces and nephews better improve their Skype skills or they won't get any Christmas presents!"

Pentecost runs at Belfast's Lyric Theatre until Saturday October 18. Read more...

Synge & Byrne

Si's Sights And Sounds investigates Derry-Londonderry's latest "coffice", or "caffice" on the day of its official opening

Once upon a time, a Guardian staff writer coined a concise, catchy, crossover term – The Coffice. Half coffee shop, half office, hence the name, it is a word that now seems fitting for all coffee houses or cafes in existence. There's coffices, or caffices if you prefer, everywhere. Eateries and drinkeries, transformed into workplaces for the freelancing writers, project developers and entrepreneurs of our wired world, with free wi-fi, nice background music, a dependably delicious menu and a lovely window view.

The latest Derry-Londonderry coffice, or caffice, Synge & Byrne, has all of the above, and a little more: a friendly ambience and a unique aesthetic that blends both past and future elements of its city of residents to create a new monument to its surroundings. A trifle and a tribute can be enjoyed within brothers Damien & Adrian Garvey's "coffee kitchen", situated right at the top entrance of the Foyleside Shopping Centre, close to the historic walls and Ferryquay Gate. It's the third of its kind, following successful Synge & Byrne openings in Newry and Newtownabbey, and may well establish itself as the welcome, modernist "cousin" of the popular Legenderry coffice near the Guildhall Square.

Synge & Byrne, however? What a name, catchy yet comedic. When someone reads those words, he or she surely can't help jocularly suggesting that the food and drink in the cafe may singe and burn them. Although, according to co-owner Damien Garvey, he stumbled across the name purely by chance: "I was putting up bunk beds at home one night. My youngest daughter was bouncing on the top bunk, and my wife said, 'Be careful, your hair will singe and burn the lights!'"

Eureka. That was that. The name of Synge & Byrne had originated. Although the backstory runs deeper than that: J(ohn) M(illington) Synge was a key figure in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century Celtic Revival, and co-founder of Dublin's Abbey Theatre. Charlie Byrne was an eight foot tall man famed for parading himself in country fairs and on village greens in the eighteenth century.

An artistic giant and a literal giant, with names that wouldn't sound out of place when spoken in the food business. It really does work well.

The logo (pictured above) represents the historical Synge and Byrne as a kind of yin and yang, a two headed schizophrenic beast. "One is modern and one's traditional", says Damien. "It's like looking forward and looking back at once, and it encapsulates what we're trying to do with an artisan cafe that resembles both sides of who we are in Northern Ireland."

As owners of O'Briens, the Garvey brothers have already been operating in "Stroke City" as businessmen for nearly seven years, and they find it a fantastic city for business. To them, it is small, but very proud and vibrant, the ideal place for another “coffee corner” - for Damien, the events of the City Of Culture year and Music City attest to that.

"Each cafe must find its own environment, and here we've found somewhere to develop the musical and culture side, where everyone from the shopping centre and the centre of the town can get involved. We've opened, we look good, but that's the easy part – keeping it going for the next ten years is the hard part."

It is left for me to sit back and enjoy a Synge & Byrne coffee in the corner of this "coffice" while hoping that the Garveys' latest venture pays dividends for both brothers and this historic city. Read more...

Rhys Dunlop And Lauren Coe: Punk Rockers

The stars of Simon Stephens' Punk Rock on their characters, their experiences and the meaning behind the play

Meet William Carlisle, a painfully shy and bright seventeen-year-old boy with something of a "God" complex. He genuinely thinks he's better than everyone else in his Stockport school. An awkward, over-compensatory, nervous, kind, funny and unpredictable soul, William's world will be turned upside down when he falls for new arrival Lilly Cahill from Cambridge.

Lilly herself is far from nervous, but eager to please. She has moved around a lot and finds her new surroundings very welcome. On the outside, Lilly is worldly, cocky, streetwise, opinionated and superior, but inside she hides neediness, loneliness and emotional insecurity. And her very arrival will be the catalyst for the central chain of events in Simon Stephens' Punk Rock.

For almost a month, Belfast's Lyric Theatre has played host to the trials and misadventures of seven confused teenagers at Stockport Grammar School. The tension between William and Lilly, brought to life by Rhys Dunlop and Lauren Coe on their stage debuts, is the nucleus of the play.

Dunlop & Coe, both graduates of The Lir, Ireland's National Academy Of Dramatic Art in Dublin, speak to Si's Sights And Sounds about their roles in and experience of making Punk Rock.

What does Punk Rock mean to you in the context of this play? Personally, I see it as representative not so much of the music, but of the personality that goes into the music; the flip side of good vibrations and teenage kicks.

Rhys Dunlop (William): I agree completely. The children in the play are by no means "punks" but rather share the energy that the music lends itself to. It charges the scenes and play accordingly.

Lauren Coe (Lilly): Definitely. To me, it means anarchy, rebellion, the constant struggle against authority, which is often the main cause of a violent undercurrent in teenagers. It's in these characters' every attitude, vocabulary and the way in which they wear their uniforms. They're trying to carve out an identity for themselves in a world of adults who either show little interest or far too much.

Dunlop: Simon Stephens, the writer, inserted songs into the script for the top of each scene, which really do give a unique dynamic to what follows them. He said he wanted to give audiences the feel of being at a rock concert, and I believe the explosive energy of the music between scenes helps to achieve that.

Coe: Punk Rock is also hugely about hormones. Sex and lust are massive themes within the play, to the point where pent-up desire is almost unbearable, and the action of sex provides some sort of animalistic release from the systems of emotional instability.

How did you decide to approach playing your characters?

Dunlop: Because, to me, the play's text is so good, I found that if you just trust the language and punctuation, then the character takes care of itself. It is often said that character is as character does, or says. I think that rings true for William in Punk Rock.

Coe: Lilly has never had a place to call home, therefore she has no reference point for her identity. So she has created a shield of bravado around her, to feel protected. At one point, she reveals to William that she cuts and burns herself; I spent a bit of time on self-harm forums as research, to get an understanding of the self-harmer's psyche.

But what I found really interesting was that a lot of sufferers said their self-harm wasn't an attempt at suicide, but a way of dealing with emotional pain: coping and surviving. To me, Lilly is a survivor. The animals she uses to describe herself in the play – a wolf, a leopard, a rhinoceros, a gazelle, a cheetah, an eagle and a snake – are all predatory. They survive because they are clever, strong and ferocious, just like her.

Dunlop: Of course, there are also a number of technical obligations regarding preparation; dialect, back story, social & cultural context, to name but a few. Thankfully we explored a lot of this in the rehearsal room. (Director) Selina Cartmell invested a lot of time in creating the world of the play together as an ensemble and sharing our research materials with the group. We also worked with dialect coach Brendan Gunn right from the start of rehearsals, which was massively important.

How do you view the compelling dynamic between William and Lilly in Simon Stephens' script? Having seen and reviewed the play myself (read the review here), I'm convinced that one would struggle to get by without the other...

Dunlop: I think they are very similar in many ways, despite their possible diametric opposition on the social ladder. They see the world through the same frame. William finds an equal in Lilly, someone worthy of his presence, conversation and indeed life. I mean that in a marital sense as opposed to a sacrificial one.

Coe: In the rehearsal process, Selina Cartmell talked a lot about the idea of matter versus antimatter. She asked, were our characters matter (positive) or antimatter (negative)? Lilly knows that William is, in many ways, part of the same "antimatter" tribe as her; explosive and dangerous. He notices her scars. They understand each other within the "academic zoo" of Stockport Grammar School. They both have a contempt for the mainstream and they feed off each other, and need this connection to validate themselves. They are two dangerous energies, and when they collide, it detonates and causes a tragic outcome.

Dunlop: Lilly is the catalyst for all that happens in the play, the kerosene that sets William's journey alight and ultimately causes it to burn out of control. You're right, they do struggle to get by without the other, or at least William does, further evidenced in the play.

Coe: I think Lilly knows she's playing with fire with William. She knows he really likes her, but she can't resist feeding the flame because her own desperate need to feel wanted makes her ask for more. Her flirtations are overt, so it's no wonder that William builds up the confidence to ask her out, thinking she'll say yes.

But, of course, it's not all about William and Lilly. There are five more characters in this Stockport Breakfast Club – bully Bennett, cynical Cissy, sporty Nicholas, idealistic Tanya, and extremely geeky Chadwick. How do you think your characters perceive them?

Dunlop: Intellectually, William acknowledges Chadwick's brilliance, and he is indeed a friend. However, he still positions himself above Chadwick in his head, due to his social background. I think William hates Nicholas, because he's probably everything William wants to be: athletic, good looking and charming, with the power and social position to step in and stop the bullying in the play. William admires and is jealous of the relationship that Cissy and Bennett have. He wants a girlfriend; if he has one, he believes that he will be seen as the alpha male of the group, not Bennett.

Coe: Like William, Lilly has a superiority complex. She seems to have something to say about everyone; she tends to be judgmental. After being at the school for merely a week, she's not entirely sure she trusts Chadwick, nor likes him: "He's not normal". She also says Bennett does her head in, and I don't think she's alone there! But I think that when Bennett becomes increasingly cruel to Chadwick, Lilly feels really bad about judging Chadwick so quickly. She's very contradictory, which makes her a very truthful teenager and really enjoyable to play.

Dunlop: As William free falls through the play, I think he is trying to make his mind up about how he perceives everyone else. He gravitates to and from them all at different points in the play, suggesting a dissociation with the group and arguably society.

Coe: I think Lilly's relationship with the other girls is an interesting one. They have a laugh, but I don't think she would be friends with either of them without the other. Neither of the two girls are exactly Lilly's type of person: Cissy is a girly girl, very bitchy, and Tanya's a bit hyperactive, though I think Lilly admires her kindness. Lilly has a strong sexual chemistry with and physical attraction to Nicholas... in my opinion, Nicholas's level-headedness and normality provide Lilly with positivity, a respite from her own mental health issues.

How challenging have both of you found this, your stage debut?

Dunlop: Massively challenging and equally rewarding. I've been so lucky to work on such an amazing character with and an incredible company. Long may it continue!

Coe: A fantastic experience. It's been really comforting to work with two of my peers from drama college and a cast of other people from our age group. We've had a lot of fun together and I'll miss them a lot. I guess the biggest challenge is the length of the run, and the size of the theatre – you need a massive amount of stamina! Lilly's a very complex creature as well, so there was a lot of problem solving along the way too.

Are you pleased with the reception so far, both from audiences and critics?

Dunlop: It's been great that the play has been received so well. I think this is a really exciting piece of work and fearless programming from Jimmy Fay. I just hope that it gets supported by good houses so that we can earn and ultimately expect new, bold and exciting work like this from now on.

Coe: Responses have been incredible. The play really seems to blast a hole in the centre of people, which I'm sure was Simon Stephens' intent. We've had very vocal audiences too – lots of laughter, applause in random places and even a few "Oh God" cries!

Contemporary theatre is so important to me, as I believe theatre should always be reflecting the present day real world. Hopefully Punk Rock will be a step towards more new writing being programmed in Irish theatres, and drawing new, younger audiences.

Punk Rock runs in Belfast's Lyric Theatre until Saturday September 6 2014, with a special performance featuring a post-show discussion with writer Simon Stephens on Thursday September 4. Read more...

Frightened Rabbit At Stendhal

The Scottish Indie rockers look forward to their "home-away-from-home" coming gig

Stendhal Festival of Art returns to Ballymully Cottage Farm, Limavady, on August 8 and 9 for what promises to be the biggest and best instalment of the award winning Music and Arts Festival. And Scott Hutchinson, front man of Frightened Rabbit, says the band can't wait to get there for their headline slot.

A huge part of their excitement at headlining the festival is that The Scottish indie rockers consider Northern Irish crowds to be as fervent and passionate about their music as their fans in their native Scotland, which always makes for a fantastic live atmosphere any time they play in the province.

"We are really looking forward to Stendhal," Hutchinson says. "We love coming over to Northern Ireland as for me, the highest compliment I can pay our fans over there is that they are very similar to our fans in Scotland in terms of getting into a gig. Whenever we play there it feels like we are playing at home. 

"We are also delighted to be given the opportunity to headline the festival. We love playing the larger festivals, like Reading and Leeds, but we would much rather headline smaller events such as Stendhal.

"At some of the bigger events you feel like you are just on a revolving door of bands, whereas at smaller events, you really get the impression that it matters much more to the guys involved in running the show. They take more time to make you feel valued, and as a band it's great to be a part of that.

"On top of that, by the time we get on stage, everyone will be full of the festival spirit, and if our previous gigs in Northern Ireland are anything to go by, that should make for an absolutely brilliant atmosphere.”

It has been a busy summer festival season for Hutchinson as he has not only been touring with Frightened Rabbit, but has been busy over in America making a mark with his solo project Owl John and has recently started writing new material for a fifth Frightened Rabbit album.

"I've really enjoyed the start of the solo stuff", says Hutchinson. "It's a really enjoyable contrast with playing with the band as it means that I have been able go back to much smaller venues and really get engaged with an audience on a much more personal level.

"We do that with Frightened Rabbit, but as we have progressed, and the venues got bigger, sometimes as a performer you can feel that more social side of being on stage drift away a little bit. But with the Owl John shows I get to be right back into the spontaneous and social side of performing."

As for the new Frightened Rabbit album, Hutchinson says that it is early days in the writing process but he has a clear idea of what he wants the new record to sound like.

"We have been in Wales writing for two weeks and while we are happy enough to go with the flow in terms of the direction of the songs that will be on the album, we do want to make the record sound a bit more raw than Pedestrian Verse, a bit more like it sounds when we play live.

"It will be a case of keeping the key elements of what makes us Frightened Rabbit and what our fans have come to know from us, but we will be looking to have a more stripped back feel to the record and make it a rawer affair."

Festivals have played a big part in the career of Frightened Rabbit and Hutchinson says that performances at events of such ilk are a great gauge of how a bands career is coming along.

"My favourite festival appearance as a punter or as a performer was at The End of The Road Festival in Dorset.

"It was the first festival we ever played back in 2007, in the smallest tent in front of 100 people.

"We went back there in 2013 and played on the main stage just before one of my favourite bands, Belle and Sebastian, and it was a really good representation of just how far we had come as a band. That gig was an amazing experience and my favourite festival experience to date. Hopefully once all is said and done at Stendhal, there will be contender for that spot."

As for what fans of the band can expect from their set at Stendhal, Hutchinson can confirm that they will be covering tracks from all four of their albums and that the aim is to produce a high energy performance that will round off Stendhal in style.

"It's a bit early for any new stuff," he says, "so people who come along to see us will get a selection of songs that everyone will know from all four of our albums. We'll be looking to keep the energy up throughout so that the festival finishes on a really upbeat fashion."

Frightened Rabbit headline the Stendhal Festival of Art on Saturday August 9. For more information, visit www.stendhalfestival.com. Read more...

Raymond Sweeney and Titanic Dance

Irish choreographer brings the tale of the HMS Titanic to life in a world dance premiere in Belfast and Derry-Londonderry

Raymond Sweeney has an extensive background in dance. Born in Drumkeen, Co. Donegal, he has been dancing since his first foray into the Terri Lafferty School Of Dancing at the age of nine. Titles and medals all over Ireland, Britain and the world followed before he became a professional at age 16 with Michael Flatley's own Lord Of The Dance.

Six and a half years in this prestigious production both included and preceded more worldwide touring for Sweeney and his proverbial feet of flames (also the title of his first ever professional dance performance, in London Hyde Park).

Today, Sweeney resides in Co. Donegal with girlfriend Louise Hayden. Both have their eyes on a new kind of dance: and it's about a certain ship.

Once upon a time, it was claimed, by film critic Tom Shone in particular, that James Cameron created a "magnificent romance" seventeen years ago - has it really been that long? - but the true "romance" was between Cameron and the infamous HMS Titanic. As if the amount of energy invested by the director into creating a brand new hunk of metal, letting it sail and then sinking it was much more significant to Cameron than any of the characters in it. (And in retrospect, it still seems so.)

When Titanic Dance makes its World Premiere at Belfast's Odyssey Arena this Saturday and at Derry-Londonderry's Millennium Forum this Sunday, the focus will be on a new kind of romance: merging dance and the story.

"I couldn't believe no one had thought of telling the story that way before", Sweeney says. "Maybe they just didn't know how to fit the numerous intricacies of the Titanic story - the shovelling of coal, the different classes, the sinking and so on - through dance."

It all began over a meeting with two Derry-Londonderry-based friends, Sean McAnaney and Kevin Toland. What, they wondered, was the best tourist attraction around? Especially in Belfast? Titanic, of course. The area on the east bank of the River Lagan formerly known as Queen's Island has enjoyed a surge in popularity since an already relatively iconic exhibition building opened there two years ago. And Titanic, in McAnaney's words, was also very popular in China.

Won over by Titanic's worldwide appeal, ideas turned to choreography in the hands of Sweeney, Hayden and an old friend from Lord Of The Dance, James Keegan. Words and expressions have become rhythm and movement. But it hasn't all been plain sailing.

"At the start, we thought we'd be better off with some basic chorus steps. But matching music with dance, and dance with music, and trying to choreograph at the same time felt problematic."

So Sweeney, Hayden, Keegan and company will be handling the Titanic story through a mixture of elements - projection, costumes and real facts will merge with both music and dance as the company set out to provide a learning curve for viewers. It will be a case of sticking with the gist of the James Cameron film - in Sweeney's words, it's hard to deny the appeal of first-class girl meeting third-class boy - while approaching certain things, particularly the ending, somewhat differently.

"We're telling our story in an easy-to-follow manner, differentiating classes through light, colour, costumes and music. There'll be a mixture of Irish dancing styles and four sung numbers on show."

Such an approach has already worked very well in recent workshop performances in Letterkenny, which have brought standing ovations from audiences at the town's An Grainan Theatre.

Sweeney is rightfully optimistic about similar reactions in Northern Ireland's largest cities. "I don't think anyone has been more fascinated by Titanic since the release (of the 1997 film)", he says. And I can personally vouch for that, having begun to read illustrated histories of the ship and testimonies from survivors in the immediate aftermath of the film. But how does Sweeney feel, overall, about translating this fascination to the stage?

"Telling this story, a story with so many possibilities, in the form of dance is both exciting and unique. But it's not just about the dance - it's about projecting a whole spectrum of emotions through music too. We feel like we've created something that's not just your everyday Irish dance, but has a universal appeal."

Here's hoping that, unlike its historical inspiration, Titanic Dance stays afloat.

The World Premiere of Titanic Dance takes place in the Odyssey Arena on Saturday May 10 and Derry-Londonderry's Millennium Forum on Sunday May 11. For more information, click here. Read more...

We've Made It Happen: Our City Of Culture 2013

A message from the editor on the final night of a momentous year for Derry-Londonderry

My fellow City-Of-Culturistas...

This is the 92nd time I'm going to be posting to you from this website in 2013, and the last. The end of this Legenderry year, as we've liked to call it, is almost upon us. It has been a pleasure, a privilege, and a downright honour to be one of your "correspondents" in writing and photography in this city, this year. Many of you have spoken to me and said, "well done", but I could say as much to you, if not more. But before the year ends, I'd like to share some thoughts with all of you in relation to this lovely city we live in.

I can still recall when, as a slightly younger man who didn't quite know where his career was going, I first heard when Derry-Londonderry was up for this inaugural cultural honour. It was there when I realised, like no doubt many of you did at the time, that I could make a difference, and passions for both writing and photography that I once thought were on the verge of dying were reawakened.

We won the honour. We had our moment. And now, two and a half years later, the city's cultural landscape shines strong and tall in a Silver City Risen from darkness to light. A new vision and a new legacy, created by the fittingly titled Sons And Daughters of Derry-Londonderry, so many of whom swept us up in a tidal wave of musical glory near the start of this remarkable year.

That, of course, was only the beginning of a series of standout events that defined Derry-Londonderry, so good they named it twice, as a thriving arts and cultural landscape. But it was, and is, more than that, of course.

When watching Finding Nemo for what seemed like the umpteenth time recently, seven words in the screenplay truly resonated with me: "When I see you, I see home." Seven words that are worth a thousand in the context of Derry-Londonderry, for it might not have been, and still might not be, the best place in the world to everyone, but it is our place. We created it. We are in tune with absolutely everything about it: people, landscapes, landmarks and opportunities.

And to my pleasant surprise, that was exactly how Derry-Londonderry felt to just about every tourist and traveller I’ve met on my travels around the city throughout 2013. We are a City Of Culture, but we are also a City Of Community and Great Company.

During these last twelve months, I've made it my aim, in some way or another, to both develop as a cultural writer and bring you the best from the City Of Culture 2013. Last year, Si's Sights And Sounds was born, and continues to thrive today. But it never belonged to me. It belonged to you, the people who provided me with the material to write about. I spread the word, but you made the words. I was just the messenger, someone who was lucky enough to be in the right places at the right times. The real heroes of Derry-Londonderry 2013 are the people as a whole, the technicians, artists, actors, directors, writers, photographers, musicians, spectators and so on who made it happen, men and women who relayed a continuous cavalcade of sights and sounds to a global audience. Without the people, the cultural "delights" we praised would not have had the heart and soul that they undeniably did.

No doubt, you will ask me if I have regrets, and I do. The economy is one of them. As much as Derry-Londonderry has flourished on the surface, there is the clear and present fear that the city is, in reality, dancing on a volcano, and that the lack of job opportunities may force many of our great talents, be they newly found or established, to look elsewhere. Tonight is no night for dwelling on that, but another significant matter ought to be addressed: what will we do now our year in the spotlight is over?

With that in mind, I refer to what was done with the famous Crystal Palace after the Great Exhibition of 1851: remove the building blocks of a short-term success and relay it for the long term. Even with both Ebrington's Venue and the Turner Prize Exhibition on their way down and out, respectively, there remains the chance to cement the whole of Derry-Londonderry as a cultural city by the people, for the people. Because that is what it should be, if it isn't already. Our newly found momentum must be carried well into the future, for there remains the danger of living in the moment and not considering the long-term consequences. Even if a feeling of "could do better" exists in the Derry-Londonderry air, what also exists is a genuinely warm, winning and welcoming spirit that will surely endure.

It has also been asked that, as big as a certain Big Weekend was, was there really a need for it? And the answer, in my view, is a resounding Yes. Not everyone was fortunate enough to live the experience at the Prehen Playing Fields nearly a decade ago, and this truly was Big. Even the music, to me, was almost irrelevant; what we saw during those nights were unprecedented levels of confidence, light and unity spreading around the city. All may not really be hunky dory in this current climate, but for the audience on those days, all was. They wanted big moments, and we delivered. Sons and Daughters. The spectacular Political Mother. CHIC, so good he came twice. The Fabulous Fleadh. Music City, especially the Sky Orchestra. The inaugural Walled City Tattoo. The Return Of Colmcille. Lumiere. And many more. Events that told the tale of a city both in touch with what made it what it is, and the wider artistic world.

Even something as simple as a tweet or a Facebook status update could reach out and touch thousands, millions even. My own City Of Culture status updates were inspired by legendary American actor Stan Freberg, but who, or what, inspired you? You may have found such things as the cobblestones on London Street, and the views from the walls, as inspirational as anything you could read. That's a cultural strength for you; inspirations, assets, success, from the least likely of places. And there have been many of those.

It's been a year of contrasts, a year of history. And one night, as I looked across the River Foyle at the illuminated STITCH IN TIME sign, an endeavour of industrial light and magic that stands proud and tall over everything around it, I found it hard not to contrast the numerous aspects of the city. The big and the small, the past and the future, the understated and the grand.  It is not merely, as Ronald Reagan put it, a "shining city upon a hill", but a city at sixes and sevens, as skilfully illustrated on one memorable summer night at The Guildhall.

A Stitch In Time may symbolise several of the things in this city, be they factories, craft or camaraderie. But we must not allow this year to remain a mere stitch in time, a footnote to be cast away into the forgotten annals of history. Better, instead, to think of what At Sixes And Sevens, and indeed every single cultural endeavour in 2013 illustrated: we have made history, and we have history, still, to make.

There isn't one aspect of this city that I take for granted today, from the wide open space in Ebrington Square, to the numerous art galleries, to the walls, to venues both indoor and open air, to the spectacular foot and cycle bridge that has symbolised our city for more than two years. We've made it happen. We, the sons and daughters of Derry-Londonderry, have made the city what it is.

And here's to carrying our spirit and soulfulness through to 2014 and beyond.

Happy New Year to all of you. Read more...

Boyle 'n' Boyce At The Foyle Film Festival

The Oscar-winning director and local screenwriter open up to the Derry-Londonderry public in a warm and genial chat

By the time they take their seats in Derry-Londonderry's St. Columb's Hall, Danny Boyle and Frank Cottrell Boyce have been walking around the City Of Culture 2013 all day. It is believed that Boyce was asked for his photo more often than Boyle; either way, this duo seem tailor made for one another.

Having collaborated successfully in 2004's Millions and, more notably, the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games, the high-profile pair are delighted to spill the beans in front of a simultaneously relaxed and expectant audience. Boyle, he of Trainspotting and the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, forms a warm and genial rapport with the crowd that spreads around the old hall and regularly inspires laughter and cheers.

"I've been in Derry(-Londonderry) many times", Boyle admits, "but the Peace Bridge has sort of passed me by!" What doesn't pass us by is his revelation that Trainspotting (watch a scene below) - in this writer's opinion, Boyle's best film and still an undoubted must watch - had its first ever public screening in Derry-Londonderry!

Allegedly, the audience was baffled, for as Boyle points out, sequels always score highest in test screenings. That, and it was deemed "a lost cause" to make a drug movie at the time, although the subsequent reviews ("Hollywood, come in please: your time is up" – Ian Nathan, EMPIRE) and box office surely quelled Boyle's fears.

The Lancashire-born director does not think that film is a reflective media, but that "its origin stems through working class culture". Hence action movies, to him, are the purest, for they "connect with the origins of film". But Boyle's 2002 zombie flick 28 Days Later went beyond that, for reasons unknown to even Boyle himself before filming.

"We thought it would be about social rage and loss of temperament”, he says. “But 9/11 transformed the film into a parable about the vulnerability of cities. Tangentially and entertainingly, it illustrates that the big cities aren't safe."

Frank Cottrell Boyce then recalls Tony Wilson, the late co-founder of Factory Records, and the inspiration he drew from both Wilson and news reports while writing his screenplay for 24 Hour Party People, in which Steve Coogan plays Wilson. Boyce says, “Wilson’s vision reeked of freedom. He said that you could either go away and make a great career for yourself, or stay at home and make it a better place.” Something that no doubt many who live in the City Of Culture 2013 would relate to.

While Boyle regrets not being able to attend the momentous Return Of Colmcille, conceived by Boyce, both men are delighted to discuss what Boyle considers his crowning achievement: the opening ceremony at London 2012. (Watch my favourite moment from said ceremony below, featuring Daniel "007" Craig and HM The Queen.)

"When devising London 2012, we thought: what is it that defines us, represents us? We're not that good at films, but we're great at music. And reproducing that kind of music (in front of everyone) is the defining representation of a nation. Everywhere has its own music."

"We could have got anyone to help us", Boyce adds, "but we kept loyal to our friends and to people we had worked with before."

But how on earth did Boyle, Boyce and their crew all raise their game for such a ceremony?

"You have to believe", says Boyle. "You have to believe that on some level, the work you do and the people you work with truly are the best there is. You take the job not because of the money, but because you believe in it. Look at Stevie Wonder and John Lennon; Wonder may have been a better musician, but Paul McCartney didn't do his best music with Wonder."

Of course, response was divisive. Giles Coren initially described the whole show as "Punk Rock Teletubbies", yet within a matter of minutes, according to Boyle, Coren believed it was the "greatest night of his life." Perhaps he acknowledged that Boyle had recognised what the event meant to people as a symbol, as a means of bringing people together.

Boyce backs Boyle up. "The footballer motivated by money ends up on the bench at Real Madrid, but the footballer who actually wants to play football ends up doing so much more." Some things are so much better for what they do than what they are; here, Boyce cites both London 2012 and David Shrigley's mechanical model at the Turner Prize.

As the Q & A begins, Boyle moves on to the intriguing topics of Millions (a "moving and fantastic" script that he only regrets not making as a musical) the sequel to Trainspotting (which he’ll consider doing with a “Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?” tone) and his upcoming seven-part series for television, Babylon.

But the very mention of Millions has piqued my interest. Boyle is a director, after all, who was compared to Hitchcock and the Coen Brothers near the start of his career, and made a name for himself with quirky, grimy, “independent” work such as Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. What on earth caused the shift in tone in his filmography that led to more "family-friendly" and middlebrow fare like Millions and Slumdog Millionaire (watch the trailer above), I ask him?

"I saw Slumdog as another version of Millions. They were both films about a boy who loved money and a boy who understood it. Also, when we made The Beach, in Thailand, we were given everything we needed, and it didn't suit me. It made us behave very imperialistically. I couldn't profit from such a set up.

"So I thought that, when we were doing Slumdog, we'd make the film with a smaller cast in Mumbai. I learned that being beholden to where you're working is more important to you than money. Trust the city and it gives you back a sea of prosperity at the end."

He parts with some valuable words of wisdom for young filmmakers: "Cinema is about fresh, new blood. It needs you more than it needs us. Work with your peers, and you will find everything you need."

Which, in turn, leads us to think. Of what Lennon & McCartney, and what Boyle & Boyce, have achieved. And who would bet against the next truly significant filmic partnership emerging from this very city? Read more...

The Walled City Tattoo 2013: A Performer's Point Of View

In an interesting turn of events, Si's Sights And Sounds found themselves backstage for Derry-Londonderry's first ever Tattoo. Our writer recounts his experience as a performer of the Londonderry Musical Society on opening night

What is the first thing one thinks about when he or she hears the word "tattoo", apart from the body marks that seemingly have little to do with the spectacle that will lie before our eyes tonight?

Well, would you believe, the Tattoo as we know it is actually derived from "Doe den tap toe" or "tap toe", which is Dutch for "last orders" or, more literally, "close the beer tap". Adopted by the British Army during the War Of The Austrian Succession as a means of signalling the closure of taverns at night, Tap-toe, later Tattoo, eventually came to symbolise not just the last duty call of the day, but also a form of ceremonial entertainment performed by musicians in the military.

This brings us to the Tattoo we all know and love... The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which emerged from "Something About A Soldier" at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens in 1949 into a sell-out extravaganza attracting over 200,000 viewers worldwide. It's an integral part of both the Edinburgh Festival and the international cultural calendar - rows and rows of seated spectators seemingly reaching to the sky, lost in a delightful medley of worldwide culture amidst the epic background of Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile and the beautiful city itself. To many, something of that magnitude in Derry-Londonderry this year was more than a recommendation. It was a necessity.

And, largely through the efforts of one James Kee, it has become a reality.

I had always wanted to go to the Edinburgh Tattoo; now I'm set to experience the next best thing. Except I won't; at least not quite as I imagine. As a performer, a member of the Londonderry Musical Society (LMS) choir, I will find myself the equivalent of backstage almost all night as the citizens of our Maiden City and beyond soak themselves in the Celtic song and dance that surrounds them, a one-night cross cultural celebration to be repeated four times over.

Prior to arriving at Ebrington Square and the Venue, I deem a "private" warm up necessary, and so do up the final button up on my shirt before a thorough vocal workout with the best of - what else? - The Divine Comedy. It turns out that the pitch could be better on my rendition of "Tonight We Fly". No matter, perhaps tonight, we will be flying on stage in front of all those people.

Something's still not quite right as I stroll down St. Columbs' Road towards the now famous square. The buzz is brilliant, as it has been with all City Of Culture events, but the humidity's getting to me. Rehearsing in icy temperatures last night convinced me to put on an extra layer today. It's a decision I already feel I may come to regret.

I haven't worn a flower of any kind since my brother's wedding last year, and the flower we all must wear tonight - a red one - is as tough to put on as you'd expect. I'm almost as annoyed that I missed the BBC report on the Tattoo - still, knowing that you and your society are part of a significant event in the local news is always a major confidence boost.

If good ol' Auntie's interest wasn't enough of a reminder of what's at stake, the headline act for the night, the Top Secret Drum Corps from Basel, are battering away in the centre of the Venue as we change backstage in the giant tent. These no-longer-so-top-secret drummers - they're world famous, with a recent anniversary tour taking them to Tattoos in Quebec, Moscow's Red Square and Berlin - are tossing drumsticks in the air, testing rhythms, and above all, really enjoying themselves.

Ah, enjoying oneself. The very thing that our vice-chair Margaret McPhillips is advising every single one of us to do after our final practice rendition of the pieces we'll sing tonight. The words "cool" and "calm" seem invented for this remarkable young woman, considering the pressure that is surely on her shoulders, let alone ours.

We haven't much time to ponder our surroundings, as I'm called outside to practice the male harmonic parts of "Danny Boy" with the rest of the male choir members. Sacrilege though it may sound like, I've never fully grasped this Derry air... maybe it'll just come to me on stage? It'll have to... before we know it, it's time to march outside and get ready to enter the limelight.

The very moment I walk through the Venue's front doors and out into the open, it hits me - humidity and light has metamorphosed into cold and dark in what seems like a matter of minutes. My wisdom in wearing that extra layer has been vindicated. And... what's this I hear as I stroll down to the Square with my colleagues? It is the sound of everything I have heard, on both TV and YouTube, that has relayed the Edinburgh Tattoo to my ears. Although the vibrant movement of the dance troupe - co- choreographed by Georgina Kee, daughter of James - and the sight of all the bands are invisible to my eye, the "wow" factor remains.


And why shouldn't it? The sound alone creates the images of bagpipes, dancers, even guitars in the brain; a visionary spectacle one can only look forward to seeing, a stunning fusion of Irish-Scots culture with a bit of popular music tossed in the mix... which includes the theme tune from, of all films, Police Academy. Opinion is divided on the puerile comedy in the film series, but few doubt that Robert Folk's composition is a classic.

Corniness nearly gets the better of me, as I am overcome by the temptation to salute the musicians around me backstage. Although, with military marching songs being played, and the Hymn To The Fallen from Saving Private Ryan in my head, can you really blame me? John Williams' tune is, after all, the song we're about to sing. Despite the enormity and importance of the occasion, everyone in the LMS is very composed. Some take a chance to sit down and catch their breath, others gossip amongst themselves... we know all we have to do is get up on that stage and perform, and then we can look forward to returning for the finale.

I feel that when performing the more classical pieces in a choir, the focus must be on getting them exactly right - concentration, thoroughness, pitch and level of sound must be paramount. I think it is safe to say that everything goes according to plan as Hymn To The Fallen, conducted and arranged by Noel Barr and also featuring the St. Joseph's Brass Band as well as the LMS, starts and ends quicker than expected. The weather is dry. St. Columb's Cathedral and the Peace Bridge are lit up in the distance. The Square, which represents more of an arena tonight, is bathed in red and violet light. The stands are packed. But I've barely time to take it all in as my concentration must be on Barr and Barr only. We do have our music to fall back on for the song, but light is strangely absent on stage, making it very, very tough to read it. It matters not, though... it looks like everyone is pleased with the performance, and now we've some time to kill before the finale!

Some immediately turn their attention to the crepes stand, some hop to check out the merchandise. Personally, I sort of regret that I'm not able to stay behind on stage and enjoy the firecracker that is Zara Montgomery... seconds after Hymn To The Fallen dies out, she launches into a version of Proud Mary that couldn't be more of a contrast to the song that preceded it. At least I can take in the sound of it all while enjoying the company of friends.

For the uninitiated, Montgomery is one of the multi-talented Sontas, a ten-piece group of singers, dancers and musicians that have earned a reputation around Ireland for turning Irish-Scots trad on its head. They have infused bagpipes, keyboards, guitars, dancing and vocals with contemporary spirit and remarkable energy levels. In many ways, their success is the epitome of this Tattoo - if the pipe bands, military drummers, choral singers and Irish dancers and so on provide the bedrock, Sontas provide the vitality. And despite the wonderful athleticism of the Afrikan Warriors, and the extreme professionalism of the Hardly Top Secret Drum Corps, it is Sontas' vocalists that are to linger longest with me at the end of the night.

Montgomery and fellow Sontas singer Karol Harvey do more than bring poignancy and energy to John Farnham's "You're The Voice" and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More" respectively. They take the songs and make them their own; Montgomery has the poise, presence and precision of a human dynamo, and Harvey's take on Stephen Foster goes as far as bringing a tear to the eye.

Better still, the LMS has the privilege of participating in "You're The Voice" - even if we only get to sing the chorus. By this stage, it is more about "letting yourself go" in the atmosphere, losing yourself in what by that stage amounts to a certified level of hysteria. A steady rainfall is forgotten about as Culture Company CEO Shona McCarthy acknowledges me, delighted at how well the evening has gone so far. She's right to be optimistic - I suspect the evening has gone so well that there's some kind of "magic" in our voices. What other reason can you offer for the rain stopping the very moment Montgomery begins to sing?

Our full concentration is called for again sooner rather than later as the opening chords of "Danny Boy" are heard. No excuses now - we must sing it without the words. And sing it we do. What I find most remarkable about singing with accompaniment - singers, instruments or both - is that your colleagues play an invaluable part in removing all fear of forgetting the music or lyrics. Their voices and presence guide you along, allowing you to coast swiftly and smoothly throughout your performance without feeling a twinge of intimidation from the potentially spectacular sights around you.

As "Auld Lang Syne", fireworks, and a touching voiceover signal the end to the evening, we can rest well in the knowledge that we have played a major part in Derry-Londonderry history. Like the first ever UK City Of Culture, the first ever performance of the Walled City Tattoo has set a high benchmark for future Tattoos, and future Cultured Cities, too. The "great sea change" that Seamus Heaney hoped for no longer seems a pipedream.

The Walled City Tattoo continues until Saturday August 31. Tickets are still available for Saturday's performance. For more information, visit www.walledcitytattoo.com. Read more...

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Glasgowbury 2013

Eagle's Rock rocks out for the last time in an atmosphere awash with excitement and emotion

The first thing I notice as I march up to the entrance of the final Glasgowbury is how much bigger the festival site is than when I first came, as a mere reveller, in 2008; already, I hear a punk band playing in a tent worthy of Glastonbury. No one is picking up hot food yet either; it's far too warm and far too early for that sort of thing.

What it's not too early for is some thumping music to shake us from our slumbers, and Sean Breslin and the Clameens provide it on the Small But Massive stage. Little more needs to be said about Pete Doherty's new favourite band, apart from that they seem much more comfortable on the big stage than I thought. Unlike Franz Ferdinand, or worse still, the Kaiser Chiefs, the Clameens successfully hark back to the mid-noughties without needing an intimate setting, a capacity crowd, or both, to thrive. Wisely drawing inspiration from the stage presence of The Libertines and the tantalising song-writing of Alex Turner, they please a sparse crowd and leave one keen to hear more from them.

Slowly but surely, they are finding a loyal following. Furlo, on the other hand, already have one, and are keen to go out with a bang on the G Sessions Stage. That they do – to an extent. It's still too soon to get lost in heartfelt sing-alongs and wild frolicking, but the talent of Jonny Everett and company is never in question, and their experimental electric funk lends itself nicely to the tent's acoustics.



Wild is what the aptly named Wyldling are, or at least try to be. Lead singer Jilly St John, a mistress of many poses, throws herself around the stage a la Natalie Bassingthwaighte (of Rogue Traders and Neighbours fame) while everyone attempts to take it all in. The party atmosphere St John and the band go for doesn't quite come off, but one does warm to her image; that of the tattooed rock goddess with a heart of gold. Clearly, St John is frustrated by the heat, which prevents her from being as perpetually crazy on stage as she wants to be, but strangely, this works to her advantage, giving the band's performance a cool and sensual edge. We could have a gothic Silhouette in the making here.

What is it about punk pop kids The Wonder Villains – siblings Eimear & Kieran Coyle, Cheylene Murphy and Ryan McGroarty – that grabs one's attention? It's quite simple, really. They're exuberant, fearless, synchronic and appreciative of their audience, with a multi-dimensional retro sound - 1980s, to be more precise - that excites the young and revitalizes nostalgists. They are a community group who know their strengths and play to them, giving each band member their moment in the spotlight, and connecting with the G Sessions Stage crowd in a uniquely friendly manner.

Next stop, the Eagle's Rock Stage, for Dungannon-based Alana Henderson and her brand of folky "string pop". With the help of a cello, and backing musicians including Silhouette's Connor Burnside, she uses the intimate setting to display what classical instruments can bring to the popular music arena. Most impressive of all, perhaps, is her voice; laced with a wailing bitterness that glides over the surface of our soul, it channels the likes of Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell, drawing the watchers in. The title track from her "Wax And Wane" EP, with its James Bond-ian opening riff and groovy rhythm, is most promising indeed.

Back at the Small But Massive stage, The Dead Presidents prove themselves to be everything Buena Vista Social Club should have been at the Venue last month; energising, funky, soulful and exciting. There hasn't been a louder cheer from revellers all day. It’s asking a lot for Runaway GO! to match up to this, but Fiona O'Kane's Sharleen Spiteri look, coupled with catchy tunes and passionate stage dynamics that hark back to Ash and The Killers at their finest, provide a great foreground to the lovely view of the Sperrins on this boiling day.

The Emerald Armada inspire excessive clapping with their high tempo rodeo folk at the Eagle's Rock Stage, before Pocket Billiards attempt to create a haven for lovers of ska and brass music at the G Sessions Stage. At first, the party atmosphere is genuinely electrifying, and their sound – Supergrass meets Madness, to these ears – positively charges the tent. Unfortunately, the tunes get rather samey and exhausting after a while; while there's a spark there, it's not really enough to warrant a fifty-minute set. Someone should have told them to cool it a little.

The superb keyboard playing of John McCullough and the even better guitar solos of Paul Casey are a neat tonic before the last shows of the day, and indeed, Glasgowbury as we know it. Rams' Pocket Radio will sign off at the G Sessions Stage, while The Answer will bring the final, FINAL curtain down at the Small But Massive stage. Either set is clearly going to be infused with energy, nostalgia and regret.

Being in the mood for the more intimate option, this writer chooses Rams' Pocket Radio at the G Sessions Stage. A series of sound delays frustrate everyone, to the point where Rams' leading man Pete McCauley asks the crowd if they’re still "with" him. Luckily, they are – and indeed, how could they not be, after a typically powerhouse performance of "Dieter Rams Has Got The Pocket Radios"? – but tonight McCauley and his ensemble will raise their standards to another level altogether, in a style worthy of the occasion.

If the craic isn't as "mighty" as McCauley wants it to be, it is certainly warm. The highlight of the set comes from the songs "with feeling": "Love Is A Bitter Thing" and "1 + 2", among them. All pack an emotional wallop that fills both songs and atmosphere with life and resonance. With a mini-orchestra of cello, trumpet, guitar and additional drums – yes, McCauley is both a drummer and pianist – behind him, as opposed to the couple of guitars and drums we once associated with backing Rams, McCauley feels arguably more isolated, but emerges stronger as both a musician and a personality. It is a thunderous, rich and emotive sound, a cut above the blandness of popular comparatives Keane.



It's also interesting to contrast McCauley's most recent approach to his music with that of his former band mate Shauna Tohill, aka Silhouette. I said in a previous review that McCauley and Tohill had a "near telepathic understanding", and when watching the Rams here, you can see that McCauley has rubbed off on Tohill. Silhouette may be funkier, more intimate and higher tempo than the Rams, but their music has the same positively energising effect on audiences and listeners. From one once-promising three piece act, two potential musical powerhouses have emerged. Once small, now massive.

And that, if anything, should be the ultimate legacy of Glasgowbury.

A festival that has both nurtured up and comers and solidified establishing talents in the eyes of countless people. An annual "had to be there" moment, a festival that will be much missed from the musical calendar, but has left us with countless memories and a potentially strong cultural legacy.

Farewell, Eagle's Rock. We've been extremely lucky to have you. Read more...

We Have Made History... And We Have History Still To Make

Si's Sights And Sounds reflects on Derry-Londonderry 2013 to date, hailing the city's achievements, identifying areas for improvement and looking to the future. Featuring Highlights Of The Cultural Year So Far

It's been said that the strength of a person, or people, is not defined by how he, she or they prepare for everything to go right, but by how he, she or they stand up and move. And that is exactly how Derry-Londonderry is being judged just over half way through the City Of Culture year.

Watching that Voices video (below), which never gets old despite the Peace Bridge being far from complete at the time, reminds one how full of hope and ideas we Derry citizens seemed to be at the time of our City Of Culture triumph back in 2010. As I noted last New Year's Eve, we were basking in an optimistic glow akin to Obamamania. Just Say Yes was our Yes We Can, except No We Hadn't. Not then.

But today, we can take much more than mere comfort in looking back at the numerous positive experiences of Derry-Londonderry 2013 to date.

The New Year fireworks were suitably spectacular. Three times, the city was a record breaker, firstly with the BBC Red Button on Sons & Daughters, secondly with the numerous Annies who packed Ebrington Square, and thirdly with the Brides Across The Bridge. Political Mother blew our minds. The Music Promise has benefitted, and is continuing to benefit, many young people. Almost 40,000 lined the streets for the Return Of Colmcille. The Royal Ballet and the London Symphony Orchestra performed to sell out crowds. Both TV and the naked eye bore witness to iconographic imagery and numerous popular musical genres at Other Voices and BBC Radio One's Big Weekend. And there's still Lumiere, The Turner Prize and The Fleadh to come, among other things.

Everything up to and including City Of Culture 2013 has given many, including this writer, vision and drive; the chance to, as Fleadh volunteer Sheila Kearney put it, rekindle creative energy and explore new possibilities. Previously lesser known artists like Tommy Long have had the chance to exhibit, and pass on their skills to the next generation. John Peto's Digital Book Of Kells has been a valuable historical and technological learning tool for children all over the city. Entrepreneurs like Joanne Doherty of Piece Makers have told stories about the city through their products and technology.

Clearly, a lasting communal and cultural impact has already been made, stretching beyond sight and sound, and begging to be strengthened and cemented.

It is how we strengthen and cement this impact that will shape the legacy of 2013. We've created energy, an archive that will be with us forever – but what will we do with it? And how will we build on it?

To these eyes, Derry-Londonderry's maximum potential has yet to be fulfilled. An improved transport system, despite the reopening of the train line, is still called for. Some events have been better publicised than others. And I retain my belief that we can more than take a leaf from Our Friends In The East and encourage the many musicians who play in Belfast to also play in Derry-Londonderry. Venues such as the Nerve Centre, Masons and Sandinos are more than capable of regularly exhibiting the best in popular music to all of us. The Jazz Festival is proof of this.

Furthermore, we all know that Ebrington's Venue will not last beyond the end of the year. So how will we go about continuing its success? While a permanent arts venue of similar size would be ideal, it's also a pipedream in today's economic climate.

The multitude of memories and monuments, including the Peace Bridge and the new Guildhall, have been major steps in the right direction, but more needs to be done if the pleasures of the City Of Culture are to become truly substantial. Derry-Londonderry is full of dreams and possibilities, but not everyone has been or will be fortunate enough to experience these.

As convincingly illustrated in the above video, City Of Culture 2013 has given something to believe in, creating and highlighting the undeniable talent, sense of life and potential the city possesses. Whether we choose to create anything lasting with this potential is what will ultimately define us both as a city and as a cultural hub.

We have made history... and we have history still to make.

* * * * *

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CULTURAL YEAR SO FAR...

FILM

Jump: A highly effective, unpredictable mood piece where the "buzz" and "excitement" surrounding our protagonists, (a suitably world-weary Nichola Burley and an excellent Martin McCann) isn't enough to drown out the lifelessness and soullessness they clearly feel.

Good Vibrations: Glenn Leyburn & Lisa Barros D'Sa's chronicle of Belfast punk Godfather Terri Hooley. A well-paced, consistently riveting and at times bitingly funny tale about chasing one's aspirations in extremely turbulent times, featuring a powerhouse performance from Richard Dormer in the lead role.

THEATRE

Annie: The extraordinary talented leads and ensemble of the Londonderry Musical Society sing, speak, shout and scene-steal their way to success in Deigh Reid's highly enjoyable take on a classic show.

Re-Energize: Playwright Gary Mitchell, director Conall Morrison and their cast play with and subvert a cliché-ridden scenario, creating a "rock play" worthy of its title. This one's less about the band and more about the bond.

LOCAL MUSICIANS

Excluding the more established favourites like Paddy Nash, Neil Hannon, Paul Casey, Bronagh Gallagher and The Undertones, here are a series of local singers/artists who have really caught the eye so far this year.

Honorable mentions: Intermission, John Deery And The Heads, We Are Aerials.

GRIM: Otherwise known as Laurence McDaid, his brand of quiet punk reminds one of an angst-ridden Ian Curtis and the surreal humour of Thomas Truax. It's not for everyone, but it makes a strong impression.

Our Krypton Son: Composed, dependable and accomplished musicianship, a deceptively sullen demeanour masking the versatile and sometimes upbeat blend of rock, jazz, country and pop that Chris McConaghy, aka Our Krypton Son, is capable of.

Little Bear: They got their big chance at Other Voices Derry and grabbed it with both hands. Grounded, eclectic, easy to listen to and positively entertaining, Steven McCool and his no-longer-so-little bears are deservedly set to continue making waves on the local music scene and beyond.

The Clameens: Pete Doherty's a fan! And when you listen to single "She's Got My Heart" and watch them perform live, it's easy to see why. Their catchy riffs and inspiring on stage chemistry remind you of Franz Ferdinand in their pre-fame prime, and is tailor made for both clubs and arenas.

SOAK: Both charming and surprising in her graceful simplicity, sixteen-year-old Bridie Monds-Watson has already proven herself capable of providing something for everyone; pleasant, delicate, clear & unforced vocals, remarkably mature guitar playing, and a close-to-home, easy-going sense of humour.

Best Boy Grip: Not just an accomplished pianist, Eoin O'Callaghan is also a terrific songwriter, repeatedly matching catchy and/or entrancing melodies to risque, devious and intelligent lyrics worthy of one of my (and surely one of his) idols, Neil Hannon.

Mairead Carlin: Her vocals and stage presence are impossible to forget. The words that I used to describe her performance at Sons & Daughters still stand today: "Pitch perfect... sweet without being syrupy... powerful without being overbearing... optimistic... humble... genuinely spellbinding. Honestly, what is not to like?"

EVENTS

Music City: The Sky Orchestra: The sight and sound of six balloons on my doorstep that Saturday morning was truly something to behold.

North By Northwest Festival: One of two festivals (the other being The Big Weekend) that gave Derry-Londonderry's music lovers something to believe in again, providing a vast array of local folk, indie and rock talent for all to enjoy.

Home Grown: Three of the city's best known musicians - Paddy Nash, Bronagh Gallagher and Paul Casey - kicked off the City Of Culture year in style. What better way to crowd and energize the Millennium Forum than with a concert that both brings people together and embraces local roots?

Columba Canticles: This quietly uplifting, exquisite and melodic narrative concoction will probably be best remembered for the version of Jerusalem that preceded it; but the stellar musicianship on show at St. Columb's Cathedral that night should not be forgotten either.

Other Voices: Opening Night featured SOAK and Neil Hannon; Night Two featured Bronagh Gallagher and Marina & The Diamonds; and the Final Night featured Little Bear and Beth Orton. What an interesting, eclectic and sometimes exciting mixture of talent we were treated to at the Glassworks. We were lucky to have it.

Macklemore (One Big Weekend): This was awesome. Need I say more?

At Sixes And Sevens: A lively musical chronicle of Derry-Londonderry's past, present and future that offered excitement and elegance in equal measure.

Elvis Costello: The English crooner rolled back the years with a seasoned, slick and stylish Derry debut. Who will forget "She"?

Neil Cowley (City Of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival): The UK City Of Culture's musician in residence, and his band, provided a thunderous euphony of contrasting jazz styles. Cowley may not quite have the musical reputation of Billy Joel, Bruce Hornsby and Sir Elton John, to name but a few, but his tempo, commitment and humility surely exceed them all.

Pink Martini: Again, sheer awesomeness; and it wasn't just the cinematic and televisual musical storytelling of China Forbes and her ensemble. It was the sight of everyone wanting to conga in the aisles of the Millennium Forum.

Sons And Daughters: Much more than a concert; a stylish celebration of musical talent both young and old, an artistic exhibition for both the Maiden City and Ebrington's Venue on both the national and international stage.

Political Mother: Original, innovative, multi-layered, consistently kinetic and, above all, exciting, Hofesh Shechter's piece drew upon a series of cultures, instruments, voices, movements and beats to create a music and dance spectacle worthy of the status Derry-Londonderry has achieved. It was an audio-visual treat, a series of stunning sights and talented artists that were impossible to look away from, where numerous cultures intersperse with one another to create a sometimes haphazard but overall unforgettable kaleidoscope. In other words, it was the perfect fit for these turbulent times, and it set a standard for entertainment in this cultural year that has yet to be equalled at the time of writing.

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