Volume Control are hosting an extra special Belfast Pride event at City Hall on Saturday 29th July! Live music kicking off straight after the Belfast Pride Parade. This is a FREE non-ticketed event.
The festival will be headlined by Strange New Places, a queer Belfast-based band that describe themselves as “nestled between folk punk and power pop”. The band is made up of Ash as frontwoman and guitarist, Caleb on bass, drummer Sam, Rory on keyboard and Michael as lead guitarist. They are a voice that the LGBTQ community in NI can identify with, with a discography that is both politically-aware and unapologetically queer.
Strange New Places’ lyrics put authentic queer experiences to music; ‘Sappho and Star Wars’ explores sapphic identity and relationships, while ‘Mr. Gumble’ describes the feeling of gender dysphoria and the realities of dating as a trans woman.
Strange New Places are a band that don’t shy away from promoting equality and acceptance in Northern Ireland - In fact, being fronted by Green Party’s equalities officer, they are a band with fingers on the pulse of the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in NI and are unafraid to use their music to provide a platform for those who don’t often see their experiences reflected in art. We are thrilled to invite them onstage to show their pride!
Formed in 2018, queer based punk band Gender Chores have carried on the legacy of the Northern Ireland punk scene with their raw and witty lyrics, capturing the essence of the rage of the politically aware youth of the city especially when it comes to fighting against the patriarchy, LGBTQ+ discrimination and reproductive rights. The band is made up of singer Sam, guitarist Sophie and drummer AJ. AJ described their live shows as a celebration “people are coming together to share the same thoughts about subjects that are important to them.”
Their first single ‘Territory’ was recorded with vocals sung under a duvet to dampen the sound and programmed drums. Their DIY recordings continued in ‘Womansplain’ and ‘Toast Sandwich’ which have cemented Gender Chores as an integral part of the underground music scene in Belfast.
Gender Chores were shortlisted for the Oh Yeah Contender Award at the NI Music Prize 2020. The band were also part of the Scratch my Progress project Volume 9 where they released ‘Night in the Woods’ inspired by an indie video game of the same title and take a stand against landlords and gentrification. We look forward to them taking to the stage and providing ‘moments of punk spirit and alternative thinking’ to the show!
Sheela is a young band based in Belfast having met through the Oh Yeah Centre’s youth programme 'elevate' they now put out a grungy, punk rock sound. Sheela, who recently performed their debut single ‘Polish Cocaine’ at an Oh Yeah Centre open mic and are gaining some recognition as they have been signed with the ‘2n’ label.
The Sheela band players include: Amy MacAree (drums), Louise Leonard (bass), Caoileann O'Rourke (vocals), Charlie Harding and Toby Hughs (guitar and bass respectively) who are both temporary fill-ins.
While all members have some mutual influences, many are also vastly different, allowing them to bring something new to the table when it comes to your same-old 'rock'.