Derry man headlining Belfast Pride concert

A Derry musician will headline Belfast Pride's Party in the Square this year.

Derry man Patrick Saint James who currently lives in Manchester will perform at the event on Saturday 29 July.

He said he is honoured to be playing at the show and hopes to see as many Derry faces in the crowd as possible not only for his performance but to show support for this year's theme.

“One of the main reasons I'm doing it is because Belfast Pride's theme this year is 'Stand by your Trans'. I think it's really important that not only the queer community, but the whole Irish community and Northern Irish community come together and really stand up for the trans community at this time, because they need it,” he said.

“I really hope I get to see some familiar Derry heads at the show because I haven't been in Derry since October and haven't played a show in Derry since April. I know there are already quite a few people already planning to come up so that's exciting,” he said.

“The first audience I ever had was the Derry audience and they've been so supportive over the years. This is my only Irish show this year just because of other engagements that I've got.”

He said playing the event feels like a 'full circle moment' as he wasn't comfortable living in Derry as a young gay man and moved to Manchester where he found attitudes to be more liberal.

“I started to see my experience of being gay isn't actually what it's like elsewhere in the world. I found that once I moved away things were much more liberal. I think we're getting there with Derry but we've still got a long way to go.”

Patrick has had a busy year with shows in the UK and the US. He has opened for Brit Award winner Kate Nash and Duncan James from Blue and played several Pride festivals including Manchester Pride where he shared a line up with Nadine Coyle and Mel C.

While he's gutted he didn't cross paths with Nadine in Manchester, he did get to know Kate Nash while playing at her show.

“It was amazing. I love Kate Nash. The first song I ever learned to play on piano was Foundations and then I sang with her in the dressing room.

“She's everything you'd expect her to be and more. They say never meet your idols but she is one everyone should meet.

“She really took me under her wing. I got engaged that night as well and she actually facilitated my proposal while she was on stage. So yeah that's a core memory that night.”

Patrick I released his debut EP Mood Swings & Roundabouts in 2021. He wrote it after being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder during the first Covid-19 lockdown.

He said he finds songwriting therapeutic and that process along with his partner's support helped him through that very challenging time.

“I've always kind of known that I have mental health issues but in the first lockdown, I really struggled – like everyone did. We all started to feel claustrophobic but I knew that there was something more there.

“Prior to lockdown, I could always kind of hide it. I could hide away from people.

“Whenever I was feeling low, and then I was everyone's best friend whenever my mood was elevated or manic but I had just moved on with my partner as lockdown was happening so it was inescapable. So I seeked help for that and eventually got the diagnosis.

“There's a track on there called blue eyes, which is very much a nod to my fiance. And the support he was giving me at the time because I'm not sure I would have got through it without him to be honest.”

The songs on the EP are 'snapshots' of that time in his life and out of every word written the title holds the most meaning for Patrick.

“ I actually came up with that name outside my psychiatrist's office, not long after I'd been diagnosed.

“Honestly out of every lyric that I wrote for that EP - it isn't actually' isn't even a lyric but 'Mood Swings and Roundabouts' is my favourite. I just think it's such a poignant phrase

Patrick’s latest single Broken Hearts is available on all major streaming platforms and his website can be found here: https://patricksaintjames.com/