Made of Belfast and Northern Ireland

Belfast is home to Snow Patrol, Ash, Bicep, Stiff Little Fingers and Van Morrison. It is a UNESCO City of Music. From punk to proms, trad to rock and right now lots of new bands to discover, music runs deep in the city and the whole of the north east coast. In this episode of City Soundtracks, Emily Pilbeam is joined by Taylor Johnson of BBC Introducing Northern Ireland. Taylor will be giving Emily top tips on upcoming bands and the unsung heroes of the region. And Taylor takes a trip to the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast, the grassroots venue at the heart of the city's thriving indie music scene. Co-founded by Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol, the Oh Yeah is named after the Ash song of the same name and was started to support music in the city. Today, the Oh Yeah curates the Sound of Belfast, the annual festival that shines a spotlight on the city’s music scene, and the Northern Ireland Music Prize, which honours the best of Northern Ireland’s musical talent.

It seems to be working. This episode features some of the great talent coming out of Belfast, from Joshua Burnside to Chalk, unsung hero AM Shanley to new bands Careerist and Reflect. Plus Snow Patrol, Van Morrison, Divine Comedy, Ash, Two Door Cinema Club, Duke Special and more.

Produced in Birmingham by True Thought Productions for BBC Radio 6 Music Indie Forever.