MacD on Music: Sister Ghost and Cora Harkin spark a Valentine’s with edge

We’re slowly approaching the end of January. It’s been a long six months since Christmas, but February is a month with plenty to look forward to, especially around the middle.

I am, of course, referring to my birthday, which happens to fall a few days after Valentine's Day, AKA the day two of Derry’s finest will be taking to the stage of Belfast’s Waterfront Hall for what is sure to be one of the gigs of the year.

This year, on Valentine's Day, Sister Ghost will be playing the Waterfront Hall Studio Sessions, with support from Cora Harkin and her band, for what promises to be a night of great music and “romance of a delightfully darker nature”.

I caught up with the ghostly sister herself recently to talk about the gig:

When we were last chatting, you were about to release your debut album. How does it feel finally having it out there?

Feels good! Touring the album last summer and autumn was fun too and it felt great to finally play album songs live for the first time, which I’d waited years to do with some of them like Scorpio Moon or Stray for example. 

What sort of reception has it got so far?

Pretty great! It got praised in Hot Press, which I’d always dreamed of since I was a teenager, getting my album reviewed and featured in Ireland’s best mag! It was also really cool that it made the final of the NI Music Prize Album of the Year, that meant a lot for it to get that recognition because it took so much work to make, from the 15-16 demos I tracked every part of by myself back in 2020 during lockdown to then recording it with Brad Wood in LA in 2022-it was a real journey for ‘Beyond The Water’, pardon the pun!

Tell me a bit about this gig you've got on Valentine's Day in the Waterfront Hall.

The Waterfront and Ulster Hall team reached out to me after the Snow Patrol arena shows last spring and told me about their Studio Sessions project (which is all about supporting the next wave of local artists and giving them the chance to play that historic place). I really liked the ethos behind it and I wanted to make sure my line-up had female musicians at the front and especially the next generation, so naturally I wanted to book Cora Harkin and her young band to open. I’m looking forward to it, me and the band have a few surprises on the set list and I’m going to make sure the room looks fitting for the Valentine’s/Galentine’s vibe as well. Everyone should come along, whether they’re on a date or not that night ha-ha!

What do you think of your support acts for this gig?

Cora and the gang are going to be brilliant, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching a few of them at the Nerve Centre over the years and the future of the scene is safe in all their hands for sure.

Have you got much else coming up this year? 

New music coming out really soon! In fact, a new single just in time for the Valentines show. There’s also another London show locked in and others being booked too. I can’t wait to get back on the road again.

What are your plans for the future? Any ideas for album #2?

I absolutely want to make another album and I’m in the ‘gathering inspiration’ mode currently, looking forward to writing new Sister Ghost material and seeing what story the next album tells.

Are there any other artists/bands you think we should be keeping an eye on?

I’d say Cora is honestly on her way to big things! Some of the kids from Girls Rock School NI, where I direct and teach, play in a band called Unstable Formula and they’re ace. I’ve also heard that Wynona Bleach has another album coming soon too, some people may not realise that Jonny Woods (guitarist) produced the first few Sister Ghost singles!

And that’s it from Sister Ghost. Tickets for the Valentine's Day show £10-£15 plus £3.25 booking fee and are available now at waterfronthall.co.uk. It’s ages 14+ and doors are 7pm.

Now, onto other business. This year marks ten years of IMBOLC International Music Festival, with this year’s events taking place from February 1st-7th in Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin. The festival offers something for everyone, whether it’s “traditional or contemporary, sessions, workshops or even late-night hip-hop gigs as Gaeilge”.

READ MORE: MacD on Music

The week’s 30+ events are based around a series of nightly concerts, this year featuring Brian Finnegan and The Hunger of The Skin Band (high-energy contemporary trad), a special collaboration between The Henry Girls and Gazelleband (a Palestinian duo that features the pioneering oud player, Reem Anbar), and Daughters of Ceithleann (a new, women-led trad musical based on Enniskillen’s folklore, held on Lá Fhéile Bríde/Saint Brigid’s Day). More information about the festival can be found at imbolcfestival.com.

Also, this Wednesday (28th January) will see Countervela playing Sandino’s along with support from Shasma and Hong Kong Nocturne (and both of whom have albums available in Cool Discs). Tickets are £7 and available on Eventbrite.

Finally, time for the socials. Hong Kong Nocturne can be found on Instagram @hongkongnocturne, Shasma @shasma.music, Countervela @countervela, Cora Harkin @coraharkinmusic and Sister Ghost @sisterghostofficial.