MacD on Music: Music City

Since taking up this column two- and a-bit years ago, I’ve written about a lot of Derry’s finest musicians, both new and established names.

This week, for a nice change of pace, I’m going to look at some of the places that have helped them along the way, the places that support the up-and-coming talent and let them hone their craft, the organisations, venues and shop that have helped these artists to grow and flourish over the years.

The Nerve Centre

First up is the Nerve Centre. Located on Magazine Street, the Nerve Centre has been nurturing young talent for many years. Programs such as the Hothouse have allowed aspiring musicians to play and learn among other like-minded people, with many past participants going on to successful music careers themselves. Future members of CHERYM, Polar Bolero and singer ROE have all passed through its ranks since it began seventeen years ago, and more recent participants include rising star Cora Harkin.

The Nerve Centre is an essential part of the Derry musical landscape and an invaluable resource for any aspiring artists.

Northwest Regional College

Next up is the Northwest Regional College. Like the Nerve Centre, the Music and Performing Arts Program at NWRC has produced some incredible talent over the years. The list of past graduates reads as a who’s who of local talent. Names such as ROE (who’s album ‘That’s When The Panic Sets In’ is available in Cool Discs), Hannah Richardson (of CHERYM, who’s debut album ‘Take It Or Leave It’ is also available in Cool Discs), Dylan Bradley (of Parker, who’s debut album ‘Never Let This Go’ is also available in Cool Discs), Clodagh May (singer of Lord Jane, who’s new single ‘It’s Been Too Long’ is out now on all good streaming platforms) have all developed their craft here, and the current crop of students look poised to keep this tradition going.

More recent students of the MAPA course include members of the band Soulstice and rapper Nevn. Make sure to watch this space to see what the future holds from this fine institution.

Cool Discs

I couldn’t do an article like this and not mention Derry’s only local record shop. Cool Discs has been operating in Foyle Street for over a quarter of a century and carries an extensive selection of the finest local talent.

Over the years, Cool Discs has become the place to go for local talent to get their music out into the world. As well as newer artists (see section one of this article), the shop has a brilliant selection of local albums from years gone by. It’s the only place in Derry you’ll get to find music from Lady J, Dead Heroes Club and the (extremely) early works of GRIM17.

As well as this, they are the only record shop in the north that supports nearly every label and distributor in the Ireland and the UK, as well as countless other labels from around the world, guaranteeing that they have something for everybody.

Sandino’s

Of course, all these places I’ve mentioned are great, but one thing musicians need more than anything is somewhere to play. Derry is a city of many great venues, with many local acts honing their skills on their stages. One of the highlights of this job is getting to see new bands opening for established names, gradually making their way further and further up the bill until it’s their time to return the favour to the next generation.

Sandino’s, with its two upstairs rooms, has seen a lot of talent over the years. I’ve discovered some of my favourite local bands at gigs here, including TRAMP, Parker and TomCat. Sandino’s has also played host to important fundraisers such as Femme Sesh, Rock for Choice and last year’s Gig For Gaza.

These gigs usually feature a mix of up and coming and established names and, as well as raising money for vital causes, are a great way to discover new talent. Some of the past, present and future talent to have played these gigs includes Paddy Nash, Nikki Mac, Alix Darwin, Jeanette Hutton, Sister Ghost, TomCat and Dirty Faces.

Of course, there’s more than just Sandino’s. Places such as Bennigan’s, St. Columb’s Hall and, more recently, the 7Twenty and BarZu have all provided stages for the future legends of Irish music to make a name for themselves.

And that’s it for another week. Now time for the socials. The Nerve Centre can be found on Facebook and Instagram @nerve_centre, MAPA at the NWRC @mapanwrc, Sandino’s @sandinosbarclub and Cool Discs @cooldiscs and shop.cooldiscsmusic.com.