Kelly’s Harmony dance nights to be made into a documentary

A young X-Ray at a Harmony night in Kelly's.

Love Peace and Harmony - its working title - will explore the dance phenomenon which brought both sides of the community together in the early 90s.

The film will focus on the legendary Harmony nights at Kelly’s in Portrush, as well as looking at the wider club culture across Northern Ireland.

During those years thousands of clubbers came from all over Ireland and the UK to enjoy ground-breaking dance music.

Tony Cochrane and Ian Robertson who promoted the Harmony events at Kelly's.

Film researchers have already begun unearthing hundreds of pictures and footage from the nights and are now looking for people to tell their own Harmony stories.

Dundee nightclub businessman Tony Cochrane, who promoted the Harmony events with Ian Robertson)during the 1990s, will produce the film under his company TC Film Productions.

He confirmed that the 90-minute film will be directed by Chris Atkins and will involve actor and director David Arquette in Los Angeles.

Desmond Bell, who made the iconic 1995 documentary Dancing on Narrow Ground, has also been brought in with his Belfast company Glass Machine forming a joint production

Hands up: Clubbers pictured during a Harmony event in Kelly's.

“We have a lot of old footage that we can make use of for the film as well as hundreds of photographs,” said Tony, who was speaking ahead of a Harmony Night reunion at Kelly’s on Saturday, August 1.

“We have archive material from Kelly’s that no one has seen and we will be filming over the summer, getting people’s stories about what Harmony meant to them and how it impacted upon their lives.”

Tony said that Harmony flourished in Portrush during some of the worst days of the Troubles; lifelong friendships were formed and some couples who met at Kelly’s even got married.

“We want people to come forward and tell us their stories.

Clubbers at a Harmony night in Kelly's in the early 90s.

“We know that squaddies and off duty RUC officers mixed with people from all religions at the nights and many people became friends. So Harmony was more than just a dance event.

“So if anyone has a story to tell they can get in touch with us on [email protected], or at the facebook group LINK.”

Researchers will be posting photos of clubbers at Harmony in the 90s, and are looking for people to have a look and tag their friends.

Next month’s reunion is being organised by local DJ X-Ray and Harmony fans will travel from all over the UK and Ireland, South America and South East Asia to renew old acquaintances.

Those were the days: Kelly's clubbers at the Harmony nights.

The bill:

BATTLE OF THE GODS

Ramirez ITL

(La Musika Tremenda, Orgasmico, Terapia, Hablando)

Interactive GER

(Koma, Amok, Forever Young, Sense of Eternity, Living Without Your Live)

Dream Frequency ENG

(Take me, Feel So Real, One Nation, Good Times, Live The Dream)

Joe Inferno ITL

(Tribal Church, Music Of The 90s, Hysteria)

Chill Fm SCO

(On And Beyond, Grinder, Follow me, Shocker, StrobeLight)

Dancing Divas ENG

(Let The Rhythm Flow, Weekend, Kicking In The Beat)

HOME CREW

X-ray (Kelly’s/Harmony/intelligence)

Gleave (Harmony/Thompsons)

Col Hamilton (Lush/Kellys)

Sci (intelligence Kelly’s)

Mark Wesley (Coach/Planet Love/cool Fm)

Fred Underground (Kellys/Underground)

Milky (Tokyo Joe’s/Kelly’s)

Shimmy (Harmony/Kellys)

Big K (Unite/Masters of the Oldskool)

Stevie T (Fresh Underground)

Tickets cost £20 from www.kellysportrush.com/tickets