With More Than Conquerors celebrating 10 years in the scene at the end of 2019, Rory McConnell takes a look at how the scene in Northern Ireland has grown with them, and how healthy a state it's in as we turn to a new decade.
We were punching. Colin Murray was a household name across the UK, David Holmes was soundtracking Hollywood, Gary Lightbody was a rock god across the world, we had our own Radio 1 show and ATL was of legal drinking age. The nation had united with a little solidarity in 2008 and a flickering light had ignited to become a blast of excitement and possibility. Snow Patrol soundtracked the decade, Virgin Megastore became Zavvi, and closed its doors in the UK and Ireland, and the way we consumed music changed completely. CD’s are dead, the iPod essential, and suddenly music was off the shelf, in our pockets and with us wherever we went.
From humble beginnings in a small back yard 9 years earlier, Glasgowbury Festival in Draperstown was now massive, selling out Eagles Rock for the first time with ASIWYFA headlining. Meanwhile, a man called Michael MaGowan hands out sunflowers in venues around the North, preaching of future happenings on Tubby’s Farm. In 2009 unsigned, under the radar music feels like the place to be.
A Plastic Rose, Six Star Hotel, General Fiasco, Fighting With Wire, Two Door Cinema Club, and Oppenhiemher all teased and taunted success on their own terms; any one of them could have broken through. Some got closer than others. In the middle of it all, More Than Conquerors were peaking through the velvet curtain with rhythm and melody that made them stand out from the others. Recordings of ‘Home Is a Red Dress’ and ‘Go On, Go On, Get Out’ had surfaced, and BBC Introducing on Radio 1 and ATL on Radio Ulster took them to their hearts, playing them to anyone who would listen. As Northern Ireland rioted, More Than Conquerors composed themselves and set out their ten-year plan. Becoming regulars on the bourgeoning scene, they appear as one of the now 60 unsigned acts performing at Glasgowbury’s 10th year celebrations in 2010. A Plastic Rose capture our hearts with the anthem ‘Kids Don’t Behave Like This’, while LaFaro’s ‘Tuppenny Nudger’ rattles open the cage. Northern Ireland flaps its wings, puffs its chest, and sings songs of possibility. The caged bird sings loud and proud. We’re flying.
It feels finally as though we’re ready to fly the nest, and while big labels no longer seem to see opportunities in smaller bands, the dollar is in the DIY. The ‘do it yourself’ ethic is cooler than ever, and king of them all is Smalltown America Records, established by Jetplane Landing frontman Andrew Ferris. From their small room in Derry, Smalltown America show big-time ambition, offering advice, distribution and recording. Trying to nurture a scene, offering artists total control and with no compromise, they start building a new nest from which we’re free to fly. It feels like family when More Than Conquerors sign with the label to release their self titled EP in November 2010.
By 2011 venues in Derry and Belfast are crowded with excited audiences watching unsigned music. Local acts are revered, while conversations revolve around endless possibilities, setting up industry, taking on the world, and winning. Rihanna danced in fields of gold as this “hopeless place” opened a new Lyric Theatre, hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards, and began filming the biggest TV show in history, ‘Game Of Thrones’. Stendhal Festival of Art takes the first stride on what will become a very successful journey. They couldn’t possibly be aware of the success that lies ahead. ‘A Lion, A Man’ is a statement of intent, and the ‘Boots & Bones’ EP kicks up a fuss with its hip, soul sound as the Belfast boys take a step closer to conqueror status. Meanwhile, there’s nothing tender about the most anticipated album of the year, LaFaro’s 2nd album ‘Easy Meat’. A tough, gristly mix of unforgiving riffs interspersed with outtakes and incomprehensible ‘banter’. If we were hoping for another mainstream hit like ‘Tuppenny Nudger’ to worry the airwaves, we didn’t get it with this. Perhaps the perfect release to celebrate the DIY sentimentality of their record label Smalltown America on their 10th anniversary.
David Holmes soundtracks the world stage when ‘I Heard Wonders’ is used at the Olympic Opening Ceremony, also featuring our own Keneth Branagh, and of course directed by Danny Boyle. Our Krypton Son delights with ‘Catalonian Love Song’, but it seems the year will finally belong to More Than Conquerors. Singer Kris Platt confesses he only wants water ‘When the Well Runs Dry’ and only talks to God when there’s something he needs. A Plastic Rose release debut ‘Camera.Shutter.Life’ which will go on to be shortlisted for the first NI Music prize the following year. It was great also to see Tennents Vital Festival returning to NI after a five year hiatus, and with it announcing their ‘Untapped’ programme to offer unsigned bands an opportunity to perform on a bigger stage. Trucker Diablo and Gerard i2 take the honours as gates open. The programme doesn’t run in following years. There’s a welcome reminder of how things used to be done with the release of Good Vibrations, a film about the life of DJ and promoter Terri Hooley, a pioneer and flag flyer for underground music coming out of Ireland. Lest we forget the lessons of the past, it feels like Belfast has a reason again in 2012.
The rebirth of what would become a staple of the NI Music calendar saw the death of an investment made by the BBC over 10 years previously. BBC Introducing in Northern Ireland, which kickstarted Colin Murray and Phil Taggart’s radio career, and previously hosted its own stage at the Vital festival, had been given the news in the dying stages of 2011 that it was to cease broadcasting. Peaceful protests and an objection raised in parliament fell on deaf ears, with the BBC significantly reducing its on-air Introducing offering. More Than Conquerors drummer Jamie Neish releases 2 solo tracks ‘Sailor, My father’ and ‘Bones & Blood’ to critical acclaim.
After Liverpool’s success as European capital of Culture, the eyes of Europe were on Derry~Londonderry in 2013 as they took the new, refined title ‘City Of Culture’. It’s a spectacular year long celebration of culture, arts and music, but DIY artists at the coal face ask what this investment from the Dept of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport means for them once the circus leaves town.
Radio 1’s Big Weekend brings the party as it transforms Ebrignton (a former British army barracks) into a festival of lights, music, and memorable moments. Usually Northern Ireland, when awards and plaudits are offered, the active way of working would be to remain humble, not mention it and keep a tight line of self-deprecation, but in 2013 we decided it was time to build a beam and evaluate. The Northern Ireland Music Prize was established, and the list of nominees is long and varied. Bangor’s Foy Vance wins with his second album ‘Joy of Nothing’. Fighting With Wire finally release their 2nd album, but ultimately implode. Space dimension Controller promises revolution but becomes stagnant. Obama brings ‘The Beast’ to Belfast ahead of a meeting of the world’s leaders attending the G8 in Lock Erne, Fermanagh. MTC release ‘Everything I’ve Learnt’. “This album is eleven tracks of pent up aggression, frustration, bewilderment and a sense of weird belonging,” according to vocalist/guitarist Platt. “It’s everything we’ve learnt.” The band reveal early influences lie in Six Star Hotel and Panama Kings, defunct now that frontman Nial Kennedy has joined ASIWYFA, who would be announced as headliners of the final Glasgowbury Festival. Meanwhile, pretenders to the throne Stendhal win ‘Best Small Festival’ at the UK Festival awards. Have we just seen the passing of the baton?
2014 is the year for splinter groups with an album from former And So I Watch You from Afar guitarist and founder Tony Wright, who now goes under the somewhat catchier name ‘Verse Chorus Verse’. If Snow Patrol have a darker side, the rock roots of guitarist Nathan Conolly have a lot to do with it, and he allows himself to indulge with his Little Matador side project. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve heard from Snow Patrol, but we’re told the album is coming along nicely. New album next year we’re told, but little did we know that seven years of struggles will ferment behind the scenes as the band gather to steer its captain through difficult waters. Robyn G Shiels finally sees shore as the industry award his album ‘The Blood Of The Innocents’ ‘Best Album’ at the NI Music Prize. There’s a strong current underneath this win that carries good will with this announcement, those once distant objects on the mainstream horizon growing clearer. Glasgowbury as a festival takes a bow, but returns for a lasting encore with its hub in the hills of Draperstown. The new generation of music makers will train the next, as the Glasgow name glows in the Sperrins. Not to be outdone, Belfast City Council steps up and commissions the Output Festival. It provides money for well organised visits from industry leaders, media masters and influencers, with a bit of a party afterwards. It becomes known across the UK, an essential part of the Northern Ireland gig calendar, the dates of which are filling nicely as the decade moves on.
As we approach the midway point of the decade there’s a change in the air. But while there’s positive news with AVA Festival launching, and some key releases to look forward to, there seems to be a distinct lack of wind in the sails. Portstewart trio Axis Of create a ripple with the their second album ‘The Mid Brae Inn’, the follow up to phenomenal debut ‘Finding St Kilda’, but it’s to be their final album. More Than Conquerors release ‘They’ll Make Art From the Things I’ve Seen’ through Oil Tape records, their first release not on Smalltown America, and with it they announce a farewell show in October at the Mandela Hall. Despite a few demo releases and a one-off show in 2019, this is indeed the end for the band. Could it also be the beginning of the end for SmallTown America Records? We’re leaving 2015 sailing into the wind.
In 2016 Oh Yeah boss Stuart Bailie passes the baton as he steps aside as CEO of Oh Yeah. He’s given Northern Ireland’s young bands a running start, spirited away by the guidance of Gary Lightbody. “What is needed is a nexus to focus musical energy into and to unite the Belfast music scene in a way that has been elusive until now. It is staggering how simple music is when you boil it down: people, together.” If we’re to stay ahead in the race, the right leader needed to be found. Charlotte Dryden takes the ribbon. It’s a new era, and she leads in strides as she keeps the centre in the right lane, no finish line in sight. This is a marathon not a sprint, after all. Smalltown America release what will come to be their final release to date. It’s the second album ‘Quioxta’ by Brighton band Broxer. More Than Conquerors surprise everyone by releasing unheard track ‘Coco’, a demo from the ‘They’ll Make Art…’ sessions. One year on from their public split, rumours are ripe of a reformation, but with singer Kris now living in Paris this is more une rêverie than réalité. It’s clear they’re not conquered just yet though, “There’s more to come,” we tell ourselves.
As 2017 officially sends us into the late naughties, The Oh Yeah Centre reaches double digits. Smalltown America tweet for the last time, which although significant in hindsight, went unnoticed. Daniel and Kris from More Than Conquerors continue to write despite Kris living in Paris, and together form Blue Americans. They release their debut single ‘Bull On Venice Beach’ through their own label Oil Tape Records. Drummer Jamie continues to make music and peruses a solo career.
2018 Blue Americans release their second single, ‘Apparition’ and perform together in Belfast at the Output Festival. The Wood Burning Savages come into their own and the year is theirs, winning Best Album at the NI Music Prize, now taking pride of place in the world famous Ulster Hall. Callum Stewart poses as JC and it’s immediately clear he will one day carry the pressures of promoting NI globally. Gary Lightbody isn’t polishing the crown just yet though - Snow Patrol are back, with one of their best in ‘Wildness’
ATL changes guard in 2019, with Draperstown resident and Glasgowbury graduate Gemma Bradley stepping up to the microphone. Blue Americans release the ‘Sum Yen’ EP on 12th April via LAB records. More Than Conquerors surprise once again with ‘NETYME’, a song that seems so effortless that yet again album rumours begin. There’s no album, but we can be sure of one final performance. Their 10 year anniversary. ”We’re really, truly back for one night only”, singer Kris Platt tells the newly branded ‘ATL Introducing’. Perhaps his over-emphasis a reaction to the strong will from us all for another 10 years, and with releases as strong as ‘NETYME’ and a back catalogue of their calibre, who could be against them?
Perhaps however, we’re being nostalgic? Looking at what the last 10 years have given us, why would we do it all again, when we can build another legacy? We batted against all the odds, consistently punching above our weight. Bangor bands and an Omagh boy rule the airwaves, Game Of Thrones ruled the world, and the music scene is healthier than ever. In all these things we are more than conquerors.
