Alley Theatre gets ready for One Big Music Fest fun
19 June 2024
Strabane’s Alley Theatre has an exciting range of events scheduled in over the summer months as part of its One Big Music Fest that is taking place in June with something for every member of the family to enjoy.
A trip to the local theatre is the perfect night out and a great way to support the local arts and cultural sector and give your support to local artists and musicians.
The One Big Music Festival is a five-day event for music lovers far and near with a packed week with different genres of music to suit everyone. The Alley will have cabaret seating from 25th June - 29th June 2024 . Doors opening from 7pm each night and all shows start for 8pm. The festival offers a great mix of local and internationally renowned talent with something for all musical tastes. Make sure to book early to avoid disappointed.
A key part of the festival is the much CRAIC, an evening of local Irish Music, Song & Dance scheduled to take place on Tuesday 25th June at 8pm. This concert celebrates the wealth of local talent from Strabane, Raphoe, Plumbridge, Letterkenny and other neighbouring areas as the opening event for The Alley's One BIG Music Fest. There will be variety of Irish Music, Sets, Ceili, Irish Dancing and Song - it is sure to be a great night. As well as experienced performers, this event will also be the first time on stage for many including 'new youth Irish language accordion group - An Bhuíon Boscaí Ceoil’ Join us for what will be a memorable night of local culture. Tickets are priced at £10.
One of the most popular elements of the festival is the Strabane Unplugged session - A Night for Joe - that takes place on Wednesday 26 June.Joe Clarke was a Strabane musician who played with the likes of Sandy Kelly, Frankie McBride, even Lily Allen along with his own band The Brambles. Joe also played a key role in the success of the very popular Strabane Unplugged, where he did the sound for all the musicians that graced the stage as well as being an instrumental member of the committee. Joe unfortunately passed away at the beginning of this year.This night is a chance to celebrate the life of this phenomenal musician. Unfortunately tickets for this fantastic night of entertainment is sold out but if you are lucky enough to have a ticket have a great night!
On Thursday 27th June 2024, Victoria Geelan and her band of superlative musicians will perform a carefully selected set of songs made famous by the ‘High Priestess of Soul’, Nina Simone. An award-winning artist, Victoria is best known for her passionate and powerful vocals, evinced by her most recent album, 2020’s Sophisticated Lady. Victoria will be supported by the supremely talented pianist and composer Dr. Neil Burns, himself a classically-trained, genre-defying musician and virtuoso players Rohan Armstrong (double bass) and Andrew McCoubrey (drums) who, together, capture how exceptionally affecting this music is live, moving effortlessly through Jazz, Gospel, Blues, Soul, Classical, Folk and beyond.
This performance will be followed by Gerard Bradley and friends in the cafe bar area for an intimate post show vibe. Get your tickets now -priced at just £10 - and don’t miss out on this amazing musical experience.
The weekend will get off to a fabulous start with music from Bone Machine - Tom Waits on Friday 28th June 2024. Bone Machine are a band of internationally renowned touring and recording musicians that perform a rebrand, melancholic and punk jazz set of Tom Waits songs. The band comprises of Jack Healy on vocals and social strategy, Conor Brady on guitars and sonic sculpting, Shane Fitzsimons on bass and positive vibes and Ger Farrelly on drums, keys and rhythmic karma. A very talented band they have performed with the likes of Damien Rice, Mundy, Lisa Hannigan, Jerry Fish and Mike Flannery to name a few and laid down dozens of tracks on albums, EP and singles. Priced at £15 tickets this show is a fantastic opportunity to experience at first hand the monologues and funny anecdotes that Tom Waits is universally celebrated for.
Saturday night festivities will kick off with performances by Belfast indie rock band The Scarlett Cavaliers who will perform on Saturday 29th June - Scarlett Cavaliers. The band comprises of two Strabane men so it’s a great chance to support local! The band started back in 2019 in Queens University when the founding members Jamie Bonner and Ross Galway met whilst studying music together. Ever since they've been working on all original material, writing, recording, mixing, and mastering independently in that time releasing two EP's and three singles, one of which was picked up by the BBC for radio play. The band recently showcased a new set at the famous Mandela Hall in Belfast and will as the closing event for The Alley's One BIG Music Fest with new original songs and some special covers for this homecoming show.
For tickets for all of the above shows and for more information contact the Alley Theatre Box office on 02871384444 from Monday to Saturday 10am- 4.30pm or visit the website at - www.alley-theatre.com