en Across the line Feed This is the home of news, reviews and features on the Northern Irish music scene, courtesy of Team ATL.  Mon, 18 Nov 2019 17:32:17 +0000 Zend_Feed_Writer 2 (http://framework.zend.com) https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/acrosstheline World Exclusive: Mark Hegan, Sasha Samara and Little Rivers Mon, 18 Nov 2019 17:32:17 +0000 https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/acrosstheline/entries/054b83b9-dcaf-4a0a-a6f9-46d358d03173 https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/acrosstheline/entries/054b83b9-dcaf-4a0a-a6f9-46d358d03173 Lauren Johnson Lauren Johnson

Mark Hegan

‘Every Minute After Midnight’ is the new single from Mark Hegan, a singer-songwriter who splits his time between Belfast, Bangor and London. Taking inspiration from fellow Bangor boys Two Door Cinema Club and Snow Patrol, this track mixes glistening pop production with intensely personal lyrics.

‘Every Minute After Midnight’ is about coming to terms with the self-destructive side of his personality, creating an honest and emotive track that’s lifted by an upbeat melody.With this song, Mark Hegan is showing that he knows how to make shiny pop music with substance.

Little Rivers

Little Rivers is the project of Belfast native Callum Cairns. His music is born from a fascination with poetry, and is sonically inspired by the likes of Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow and James Blake.

These influences definitely come across in this haunting track. A collaboration with fellow Belfast based beat-maker Oscar Waves, ‘Skeleton’ is a fragile, moody and intimate portrait of a troubled relationship.

Sasha Samara

‘Broken Vessel’ is the first outing from 22 year old singer-songwriter Sasha Samara. Fresh from the Oh Yeah Centre’s talent development programme ‘Scratch My Progress’, ‘Broken Vessel’ is a heartfelt debut, showcasing Sasha’s soulful voice and charming lyricism.

She’s even joined by Belfast’s funkiest rhythm section, Peter Close and Jamie Hewitt of Jealous of the Birds, bringing bags of energy to her dreamy first single.

]]> 0 World Exclusive: Vale, Colour Arcadia and ARTGIRL Wed, 23 Oct 2019 13:15:26 +0000 https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/acrosstheline/entries/47c388eb-f487-4859-8fad-e4999955439c https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/acrosstheline/entries/47c388eb-f487-4859-8fad-e4999955439c Peter Cinnamond Peter Cinnamond

VALE

This scrappy Belfast five piece is made up of Taylor Walker, Adam Henry, Dylan and Brandon Esdale and is led by boisterous frontman Luke Baxter.

Having spent the past couple of months cutting their teeth with live shows across the city, these pesky indie rock scamps are ready to take on the world with their fast paced first demo.

A song this lyrically gloomy rarely sounds this upbeat, it’s a song that sounds like it was cut right out of Editor’s The Back Room album. With choppy drums and swaggering guitars this track takes aim at those lost in the wilds of their social media second life.

ARTGIRL

Box fresh from the Dublin’s ever reliable music college BIMM, ARTGIRL is moniker of 26 year old Oliva Corless.

A classically trained violinist, ARTGIRL’S sound is anything but tradition, blending bright bouncy synths with infectious grooves, their debut single is a floor filing nugget of dazzling electro pop.

Based on a 6 minute rant from over 4 years ago, you might be surprised to discover that this song is a breezy bop that will have you instantly hooked after one listen.

COLOUR ARCADIA

This feels like the season to join a séance, no?

Well, if you’re not keen, it seems this Belfast five piece certainly are. Colour Arcadia share tales of witches, demons and spectres in their eerie first musical outing as a band, driven by the powerful vocals of Kiera Wins.

There are hints of Deftones with a dash The Cranberries, with plush hard rock guitars intertwining throughout this haunting ballad.

Not much is known about this band online bar their formation earlier this year, but perhaps keeping things mysterious is the way they like it. One thing we do know is that there’s more music on the way, with a debut EP scheduled to come out soon.

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