The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill, Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley and Billy Doherty (drums). Much of the earlier Undertones material drew influence from punk rock and new wave; the Undertones also incorporated elements of rock, glam rock and post-punk into material released after 1979, before citing soul and Motown as the influence for the material released upon their final album. The Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums between 1978 and 1983 before Sharkey announced his intention to leave the band in May 1983, citing musical differences as the reason for the break up.
Stiff Little Fingers are a Northern Irish punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star, doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They were the first punk band in Belfast to release a record - the "Suspect Device" single came out on their own independent label, Rigid Digits. Their album Inflammable Material, released in partnership with Rough Trade, became the first independent LP to enter the UK top 20.
Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly, Paul Wilson, Jonny Quinn (drums), and Johnny McDaid. Initially an indie rock band, Snow Patrol rose to prominence in the early– mid-2000s as part of the post-Britpop movement.
Reuben were an English three-piece musical group from Camberley, Surrey. Their music is a fusion of alternative rock and heavy metal, as their songs cover a variety of styles, ranging from heavy and upbeat, such as their 2005 single "Blamethrower" to slower, more melodic songs such as their 2004 single "Moving to Blackwater". The former style of song often featured vocalist Jamie Lenman switching between shouting and whispering, a technique often used in heavy metal and post-hardcore music. The band performed in the UK underground music scene. Although they attracted a significant fanbase, Reuben never achieved mainstream success, but did chart four songs in the UK Singles Chart. Their highest charting single was 2004's "Freddy Kreuger", that reached UK No. 53.
SixStarHotel, or Six Star Hotel, are an alternative rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 2001. The group released three self-financed EPs—Circus Music, Everyone's a Critic, These Rosewood Theories—before moving on to full-length albums. They released their debut album A Kind of Crusade in January 2007 and their second album Tides and Tides in December 2009.
The Answer are a Northern Irish hard rock band from Newcastle and Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK. They have achieved success with their debut album Rise selling in excess of 30,000 copies in the UK and Europe, 10,000 on day one in Japan and 100,000 worldwide.
Pay*Ola are a Northern Irish hard rock band formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1998. The band consists of:
Duke Special is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctive long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic". Nowadays, he performs mostly out of makeup and desires to be more like his true self. His live performances have a theatrical style inspired by Vaudeville and music hall, and often incorporate 78s played on an old-fashioned gramophone, or sound effects from a transistor radio. He is most often accompanied by percussionist "Temperance Society" Chip Bailey, who plays cheese graters and egg whisks, a Stumpf fiddle and a Shruti box, as well as the more typical drums and cymbals. Other musicians who perform with Wilson from time to time include Paul Pilot (guitar), Réa Curran, Ben Castle, Ben Hales, Gareth Williams, "Professor" Ger Eaton (keyboards), Dan Donnelly and Serge Archibald III.
Sarah Anne Nixey is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the vocalist in Black Box Recorder. Her debut solo album, Sing, Memory, was released on 19 February 2007, followed by Brave Tin Soldiers, released on 9 May 2011. Her latest album, Night Walks, was released on 5 October 2018. Nixey currently lives in London with her husband, music producer Jimmy Hogarth, whom she married in late 2010 and has one son, Reuben and a daughter, Lola. Nixey has a daughter, Ava from her previous marriage with John Moore.
Wild Beasts were an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in Kendal. They released their first single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", on Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, and subsequently signed to Domino Records. They have released five acclaimed albums, Limbo, Panto in 2008, Two Dancers in 2009, Smother in 2011, Present Tense in 2014 and Boy King in 2016. Two Dancers was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Kodaline are an Irish rock band. Originally known as 21 Demands, the band adopted their current name in 2012 to coincide with the changing of their music. The group comprises Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vincent May and Jason Boland.
Fighting with Wire were an alternative heavy rock and punk band hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland. They have toured with Biffy Clyro, Million Dead, Reuben, Twin Atlantic, yourcodenameis:milo, Kerbdog, Helmet, You Me At Six, Nomeansno, InMe, Brigade, Against Me!, Seafood, and Coheed and Cambria. They have also played at the Glasgowbury Festival and Belsonic.
LaFaro were a four-piece alternative rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They consisted of Jonny Black (guitar/vocals), Dave Magee (guitar), Herb Magee (Bass) and Alan Lynn (drums).
General Fiasco are an indie rock group from Bellaghy, Northern Ireland. Since their formation in 2006, they have toured with Little Comets, Fighting With Wire, The Wombats, One Night Only, The Pigeon Detectives, The Enemy, Jet and Kids in Glass Houses. They released their debut album Buildings on 22 March 2010 on Infectious Records and released their second album Unfaithfully Yours on 30 July 2012 on Dirty Hit.
The Tides was an Indie rock band best known as the predecessor to Northern Irish band General Fiasco. The band was formed in 2002 by Paul McMillan on vocals/guitar and Paul Quinn on drums. Owen Strathern joined the group as bass player in 2004. Later the band included a live guitarist Stephen Leacock, who went on to play drums in General Fiasco with Owen Strathern. The group disbanded in 2007 due to work commitments and General Fiasco becoming more serious.
Window Seats are a three-piece alternative rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They are the first unsigned Northern Ireland artists to be featured on MTV Rocks. The band has self-produced seven music videos, single single releases and an EP under its own record label, Get Out Records. The band was formed in 2007 and currently consists of members Jude McCaffrey, Elliot Russell (bass and Tony Furnell.
Dónal O'Connor is an Irish multi-instrumentalist, producer and television presenter from Ravensdale, County Louth, Ireland. He is a member of Belfast-based Irish traditional groups Ulaid & At First Light.
Runaway GO are a Northern Irish indie pop band formed in 2011. They have self-released six singles to date with the most recent, "I Would Go", released in October 2013.
Girls Names was a band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, formed in 2009 by Cathal Cully and Neil Brogan. Before they disbanded in 2019, the released four albums—Dead To Me, The New Life, Arms Around a Vision, and Stains on Silence—as well as several EPs, singles, and split singles.
Butterfly Child were a Northern Irish group led by singer/songwriter Joe Cassidy, based in Chicago, Illinois. Described as "purveyors of shimmering, oceanic rock," they have released three full-length albums and numerous singles/EPs. Their latest album Futures was released by Dell'Orso Records on 27 November 2015.
