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麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 6 Music has been celebrating the music of Northern Ireland on New Music Fix Daily (available now on 麻豆官网首页入口 Sounds).

Highlighting the grassroots music culture across the country, Deb Grant and Tom Ravenscroft heard from Bicep, Kneecap and Problem Patterns. Many of the artists celebrated the Irish scene as well as Northern Ireland, as they congregated in Belfast to celebrate the venues, scenes and characters who've helped define their music up to now.

“The breadth of musical talent here is just amazing… Obviously we play new music all year round on the show on 6 [Music] and quite a lot of it just happens to come from Belfast because there is such a rich new music scene here, it's amazing!” - Deb Grant talking to 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio Ulster

The week climaxed with a special extended edition of the show at Ulster Sports Club, with performances by Enola Gay, Jock and Dirty Faces in front of a live audience.

For electronic music duo, Bicep, Shine's vibrant dedication to techno music and the underground music scene in Belfast has played a key role in the foundations of their career.

Reminiscing about growing up in Belfast and the sounds that shaped them, Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar shared on the programme: "I don't think we would have gotten into this type of music if Shine didn't exist; it very much started to shape our taste over the last decade or so. It was a really good starting point for our career."

After four years of being known as Bicep, 2013 saw the pair return to the sounds of their youth.

"It took us a bit of time to actually get back to the sounds [of Shine].

"And the main reason was that it was very, very hard to recreate a lot of that analogue technosign with a laptop when we first began. It was only after we signed that we were able to buy some of the equipment and say to ourselves: 'Ok, now we can actually make the sounds that we remember."

Now with over 15 years on the scene, they explained how the imported nature of the electronic sounds held a stronger role within social contexts at the time, describing it as the 'summer of love after the peace protests'. Now representing Belfast on the world stage, Andrew and Matthew feel it is 'surreal.'

"It doesn't feel like 15 years. It's very humbling and it's incredible. You don't really have time to sit and think about it but there have been some moments in the past few years that have been real pinch yourself moments. It's great to have Belfast be our home".

Since 2017, Kneecap have steadily gained mainstream success from the release of their debut single ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’

As members Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí spoke with 6 Music at Maddens Bar in Belfast they discussed their latest studio album ‘Fine Art’, how inspiration struck and the significance of the venue.

“We recorded ‘Better Way to Live’ in Maddens Bar, and it was loosely based on it. We have a load of fellas stuck in a rut and that’s why we call bars ‘the ruts’.

“A fella is stuck in Fáinne Sídhe, a fairy ring - the vicious circle of going round and round, trying to find happiness at the end of a pint. The pub in Ireland is the epicentre of craic, is the epicentre of socialising for the young and old, and because of that you will get all walks of life in the pub.”

Thinking back to the musical stylings that influenced them the most growing up, Móglaí Bap shared that ‘Horse Outside’ by The Rubberbandits “changed” how he viewed hip hop here.

“I think hip hop in Ireland before emulated American culture and American hip hop, and here was this band that was just talking about Irish things and Irish culture. The craic, the fun and just the accents [at the gig], and how they maintained their Irish identity in hip hop, I think that changed hip hop in Ireland."

Shifting through records at Voodoo Soup the trio picked out some of their most-loved albums and artists, focusing especially on those who have used their music as a way of communicating beliefs.

Amongst those artists are Stiff Little Fingers, Fontaines D.C, Lauryn Hill and Sinead O’Connor.

Growing up on Inch Island, Co. Donegal meant that DJ OR:LA felt starved when it came to live music.

It was only after moving to the city that her passion for electronic and dance music blossomed. But when it came to Irish bands and folk artists, they were the sounds of her childhood.

Throughout her sound, Orlagh Dooley feels it’s important to incorporate elements of both Greek and Irish mythology into her production. By translating folklore into a more contemporary sound, she hopes to showcase the strength and positivity of women.

“Within Irish mythology women are often presented as healers, protectors or teachers - they’re shown in a very positive light. So I wanted to shine a light on how women were really put in the spotlight in this way”.

However, despite a successful career as a DJ, it wasn’t a path Orlagh originally felt she could go down.

“I never thought that I could have a career in music. It wasn’t until I moved to Liverpool for university that I started creating my own club nights and booking other DJs to play… Then after a while I realised I can actually do this myself - so I taught myself how to DJ. I didn’t have a set of CDJs that I owned, so I would just get booked at certain events and learn on the fly. Eventually I got used to it and picked it up."

Looking back on the past year and ahead to 2025, Orlagh feels she has been focusing on 'making music without much of the pressures of releasing it'.

For SOAK, music has always been considered a safe and supportive space.

Growing up in Derry, Bridie Monds-Watson fondly remembers the 'encouraging environment' when it came to playing an instrument and making music. But feels as though they are truly 'choosing music' for the first time this year.

“To be honest I had a lot of luck at the start of my career. I had a lot of support and people wanted to put me in support of their show. And one thing led to another, and in that way I felt like music had chosen me… That luck doesn’t happen for everyone so it was as if I had to follow this thread.

“But I think the stuff I’ve been working on now I really feel at home in. I’m surprising myself.

“This year has been a big moment when I think I’ve chosen music for the first time as opposed to feeling like it had chosen me.”

Known for their introspective lyrics and indie folk sound, Bridie told 6 Music the music scene in Derry was a 'safe foundation to fail on' and feels their vulnerability within their songs to be an outlet.

“I think the reason my music is vulnerable is because I initially started writing songs so I didn’t have to talk to people and explain what was going on because I was quite shy and reserved as a kid.

“Music was a way to say all of those things. It was expressive. You could hide things in poetry”.

TRAMP’s story began at an open mic night in Bennigans Bar, Derry, where Siânna Lafferty, Ellie McFadden, Fionnbarr Doran and Ciaran McCay first met and found “camaraderie and friendship”.

These open mic nights became a formative experience, offering a welcoming space where people from all walks of life would perform songs from various genres. Looking back, TRAMP fondly recalled the supportive, non-competitive atmosphere and the safety to be vulnerable in front of a crowd.

“It would all just be individuals on a Monday night and an open mic, and we all just became friends.

“We all go to each other’s gigs as well, so it’s been… It prolonged the magic from the open mic.

“People aren’t afraid to be vulnerable when they open up with a song they’ve never played to anyone before.

“It was just so lovely and personal, it didn’t feel like there was a sense of competition or rivalry that sometimes infiltrates some artsy space. It wasn’t like that at all.

“It was just like wandering into this one place and we would all get very real.”

Although growing up in Donegal, TRAMP attribute their growing success to Derry.

“There’s a lot of talent in Donegal, but the music scene is yet to be connected. With it being rural in nature, there are a few different scenes scattered across different towns.

“We have to give Derry credit.”

Blending powerful melodic indie rock with the dreamy, distorted sounds of grunge, TRAMP are a self-proclaimed ‘genre-queer’ band drawing inspiration from a diverse range musical influences include the likes of Lana Del Ray, CMAT, System of a Down and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“I feel like I definitely took over calling our music ‘genre-queer,” shared vocalist Siânna. “We would just want to make noise and it very much depended on what mood we were in that day.

“I’m gender-fluid myself so I feel like there’s a playfulness to it. It’s something people feel safer to have fun with, and with queer being one of those words that was used to hurt people… It's empowering”.

Despite not setting out to cover feminist themes in their lyrics, Siânna told the programme that they emerged 'accidentally on purpose,' reflecting their passion and thoughts on misogyny - especially in the band’s recent EP Bimbofication.

Chatting about the live concert that took place on the 28th of November, Deb Grant told 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio Ulster: "It's always nice to get out in front of people and actually meet listeners, so that should be really fun.”

Catch-up on New Music Fix Live on 麻豆官网首页入口 Sounds for 30 days after broadcast, and see more highlights on 6 Music's social channels.