News

Alley's music fest is One Big success

2 July 2024

The Alley’s One Big Music Fest ran over four nights featuring music from a range of genres to cater for the eclectic tastes of local audiences, highlighting the wealth of talent from local artists.

The festival started off with the first sold out night of the event hosting Irish and Trad music, led by well-known local group CRAIC. The opening night featured a variety of Irish Music, Sets, Ceili, Irish Dancing and Song which was hugely successful and included youth showcases.

Next up was, for many, another highlight, Strabane Unplugged – A Night for Joe. This night was sold out weeks in advance such was the demand to support this show in memory of local legend, Joe Clarke. Joe played a key role in the success of the popular Strabane Unplugged nights, where he did the sound for all the musicians that graced the stage as well as being an instrumental member of the committee. Joe passed away at the beginning of this year and this night of music in the Alley was a fitting tribute that has left a lasting memory for those that were in attendance. 

Slowing things down on Thursday night, the highly talented Victoria Geelan and her band impressed with her successfully acclaimed show, "Feeling Good" celebrating the music of Nina Simone, much to the delight of her fans and jazz followers. The performance was followed by an intimate post-show session with residents Gerard Bradley and Friends in the Alley café bar. The feedback was powerful from patrons, and they all did leave ‘feeling good’!

The honour of bringing the weekend to a close went to two Strabane men, Jamie Bonner and Ross Galway, and their band The Scarlett Cavaliers. With some amazing original material and a few well-chosen covers for their hometown gig, The Scarlett Cavaliers certainly closed the festival on an epic high.

Reflecting on the success of the festival, Louise Boyce, Alley Theatre manager enthused, “What a week at The Alley! The venue was buzzing, busy and brilliant, with the highly charged energy and atmosphere of ALL the programming content for festival. 

“At the Alley, we pride ourselves as a hard-working team which focuses on excellent customer service and experience, from the moment you enter the building until we wave you goodbye at the end of the night. With huge numbers coming through our doors in four days, it was such a pleasure to work with CRAIC, Strabane Unplugged, Victoria Geelan, Gerard Bradley, The Scarlet Cavaliers and I truly hope we continue with an annual festival to promote the wealth of local talent. Huge thanks go to patrons old and new for their continued support.

“The Alley really is for everyone. We hope to see you all soon.”

For more information on upcoming shows at The Alley go to Alley Theatre | Conference Centre | Strabane (alley-theatre.com)

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