Alice's voice is husky, with a touch of rasp, giving her own music a slight folk-tune feeling, encapsulating something truly original about her style. She played her new debut single, 'Return The Ghost', live and it was somehow even more haunting than the recording! Return The Ghost is filled with feelings of suppression that are demonstrated clearly by Alice's soaring belts, varied time signatures and intense runs. Alice Sloan was a perfect opener for Banshee and really set the bar high for the evening.

Following on from Alice Sloan was the fabulous AQUA TOFANA. Their lead singer, Eva Kearney, has an ethereal voice that's packed full of perfect vocal flips and belts that mix beautifully with the instrumentation of the band. Their second song of the night, 'SOB', was painstakingly filled to the brim with relatable emotion. SOB touched the heart so deeply and Eva's voice grabbed every member of the crowd's attention.

The band's sound was similar to that of Mannequin Pussy or Florence and The Machine, bursting with power and meaning behind each lyric sung. One stand-out moment for me was Eva's high, pressed belt during one of their tunes, 'I'll Be Getting Over It'. The set was finished with their newest single release, 'KISS ME', which was loaded with grit and story-telling live and was released only hours after their performance.

To finish off the night, Banshee took to the stage for their first ever Oh Yeah Centre headline, and what a headliner they were! 'Seven Days', from their debut EP, 'When They Opened the Sky', was a crowd favourite of the night and stood out by far, filled with purely smooth introspective enchantment. Rosie McGinn's raspy vocals, reminiscent to Portishead's Beth Gibbons with some slight hints of Fiona Apple, were absolutely gorgeous and gagged everybody watching! The stage presence of Rosie was beyond impeccable throughout the night and it's safe to say that she had the entire audience in the palm of her hand!

Furthermore, her use of a tambourine added real character to the band’s pieces, giving a variety of the songs a more upbeat feel, with one similar to that of Stevie Nicks' Edge of Seventeen. Banshee were one of the best live local performances I've ever seen and I can't wait to see them live again in the future!

All proceeds from this event were donated to Women's Aid NI. A total of £454 was raised from ticket sales and donations on the night.

Words by Eimear Gallagher

Photos by Josh Mainka

Tay’s energy brings the band together and you can’t take your eyes off them. Accompanied by dreamy guitar riffs and intense drum fills, their set reached a climactic end as Tay broke down into an amazing Kittie-esque scream.

Cora Harkin and her four piece band began their headline set with a classic Fleetwood Mac cover ‘Silver Springs’ in Cora’s signature style. She sang so gracefully and with their double rhythm guitars, created an incredible chorus-y sound.

Cora’s voice is sweet like honey and she warmed the crowd with the storytelling in her songwriting. After the band broke into a bluesy jazz groove, they finished with ‘Dreams’ to end their unforgettable performance.

Words by Roisín McCarthy

Photos by Lia Silina

The eponymous opening track has a slow, appreciative tone that mirrors a morning breaking - a scene often associated with quiet hope. The guitar’s melody is soft and gentle, yet strong, complementing the powerful refrain “I won’t give up/I am an Afghan girl ready to ignite”.

Faded is an intimate track layered with a jazzy vibe; its lyrics are political and lamenting, but not pessimistic. Questions are put to the listener and serve as a call to action, and the palpable discomfort that lingers following the line “We are all responsible” holds so much power, as Faded circles back and ends with the sultry melody.

Bird Song touches upon the theme of hopelessness - “desperate for sunshine as flowers die”. The lyrics are sad - an attestation to the loneliness that follows governmental misogyny. Against melancholic instrumentation, the glimmers of perseverance (”kept in the darkness, determined to fight”) provide a hope essential to human existence. Gorgeous harmonies replicate a community’s voice rising up, transforming the EP’s end into one of collective trust and promise.

A short expression of feminist strength, Afghan Girl represents taking back power, when Afghan girls face marginalisation and repression for simply being. Zarifa’s lyrics take up space, having been told to hide, and with Eva’s helping bring her words to life in such a poignant and emotional way, this is one of the most important, beautiful releases to come out of Belfast this year.

Belfast stands with Afghan Girls.

The EP is available to download from Beyond Skin's Bandcamp page.