"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' first release on their Apple record label and one of the "First Four" singles by Apple's roster of artists, marking the label's public launch. "Hey Jude" was a number-one hit in many countries around the world and became the year's top-selling single in the UK, the US, Australia and Canada. Its nine-week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 tied the all-time record in 1968 for the longest run at the top of the US charts, a record it held for nine years. It has sold approximately eight million copies and is frequently included on music critics' lists of the greatest songs of all time.
Timmy Mallett is an English TV presenter, broadcaster, author and artist. He is known for his striking visual style, colourful glasses, colourful shirts, and giant pink foam mallet, known as "Mallett's Mallet", as well as his "utterly brilliant!" and "blaaah!" catchphrases.
Snow Patrol are a rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. The band currently consists of Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly, and Johnny McDaid ; Lightbody is the band's sole remaining original member.
David Peter Gray is a British singer-songwriter. He released his first album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later. White Ladder was the first of three UK chart-toppers in six years for Gray; it became the fifth best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK and ranked as the tenth best-selling album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom in October 2019. Gray is also known for the hit single "Babylon" from the White Ladder album. He has received four Brit Award nominations, including two nominations for Best British Male.
The Irish Rovers is a group of Irish musicians that formed in Toronto, Canada in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover". They are best known for their international television series, contributing to the popularization of Irish Music in North America, and for the songs "The Unicorn", "Drunken Sailor", "Wasn't That a Party", "The Orange and the Green", "Whiskey on a Sunday", "Lily the Pink", "Finnegan's Wake" and "The Black Velvet Band".
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.
Across the Line is a radio show on BBC Radio Ulster. It broadcasts Fridays from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, presented by Gemma Bradley, who also presents the national BBC Music Introducing on BBC Radio 1. It is also known for its website at www.bbc.co.uk/atl.
Gama Bomb are a thrash metal band based in Northern Ireland. The band's 2009 album Tales from the Grave in Space was one of the first albums released as a free download by a band signed to a record label.
The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is a full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, including performances at the Belfast Festival, the BBC Proms, the Wexford Opera Festival, the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and the National Concert Hall, Dublin. The orchestra currently employs 63 full-time musicians and 17 administrative support staff.
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.
"Take Back the City" is a song from alternative rock band Snow Patrol's fifth album A Hundred Million Suns. It was released as the lead single from the album on different dates in October 2008, depending on the region. The lyrics were written by Gary Lightbody and the music was composed by Snow Patrol. The song has positive lyrics, and is about Lightbody's love for Belfast. The song has been officially remixed once, by Lillica Libertine, and it appeared as a B-side to the single.
Florence and the Machine are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and a collaboration of other musicians. The band's music has received acclaim across the media, especially from the BBC, which played a large part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part of BBC Music Introducing. At the 2009 Brit Awards they received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award. The band's music is renowned for its dramatic, eccentric production and Welch's powerful vocals.
The Vals are a psychedelic pop band from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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.
This is a summary of the year 2011 in the Irish music industry.
Forfey Festival was an annual music festival held on Forfey Farm near Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The festival was last held in 2014. Each year's memorabilia featured a different animal as its theme, predominantly drawn by Neil Gillespie. 2014 was subtitled "Anno Rex", in memory of the farm's sole permanent resident, Rex.
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.
The Jepettos are an alternative folk band from Belfast and Derry, Northern Ireland. The band was formed in February 2011 and consists of writer members Michael Aicken and Ruth Aicken alongside an alternating line-up of musicians. Highlights in the band's career have included supporting rapper Tinie Tempah and sharing the bill with Foo Fighters and The Black Keys at Tennent's Vital in 2012.
Nine Lies are a Northern Irish rock band from Belfast. Formed in 2003, the group consists of Stevie Mann, Dave Kernohan, Nick Black (guitars), Stephen 'Stoogie' McAuley (drums) and John Rossi. John started his professional career in the late 1990s playing keyboards for another Irish rock band Snow Patrol. Nine Lies' early sound was rooted in post-Brit Pop but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music. Throughout the group's musical pursuits, they have maintained a sound built on melodic instrumentals. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal themes and sociopolitical concerns.
