Home-grown Hollywood songstress to sing a song for Londonderry

ACTRESS and musician Bronagh Gallagher is teaming up with local singer-songwriter Paul Casey to boost the city's campaign to become UK City of Culture 2013.

The pair are to write a song backing Londonderry's bid for British cultural glory and the finished product will be previewed at a special concert next week.

Bronagh, who is one of the bid's Cultural Champions, is looking forward to performing the tune entitled "Our Town" next Wednesday June 8.

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A critically acclaimed musician in her own right Bronagh's Precious Soul (2004) record featured a collaboration with erstwhile Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno who has produced bands as well-known as U2 and Talking Heads.

But she is perhaps best known for her acting career having appeared in Hollywood blockbusters - The Committments, Pulp Fiction and Star Wars - to name but a few of her film credits.

"Paul and I toured the country together a few years ago and I was delighted then when Paul asked me to sing on a couple of tracks on his last album.

"When I came back and was asked to become an ambassador for the City of Culture, I thought no better man to help create a song and put on a gig than Paul," she explained.

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Like Bronagh, Paul has been delighted to have an opportunity to lend his support for the bid.

"It's great for me and for Bronagh to be involved in something that's so positive for the city, and to be able to contribute through a writing a song and playing a gig is something I'm very happy to be doing," he said.

And Paul believes that a successful bid could provide local musicians with a platform to showcase the depth of talent that exists in the city.

"The city is a great venue for other bands coming in here but there should be a big focus on really supporting local upcoming musicians here and getting them out and making the play, giving them confidence and opportunities," he said.

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Like Paul, Bronagh has no doubts about the talent that exists in her home town and she believes that winning the City of Culture designation would provide a massive boost for the music scene in the city. Not just in terms of the potential of this unique opportunity but also in the confidence it would provide for the city.

"I don't think talent has ever been an issue in Derry, our problem has always been a lack of outlets and facilities for people to learn professionally, i.e. the business and technical side of the music world which is as important as the artistic side.

"What we need now is a structure to support people who are involved in music and want to take it to the next level and to create opportunities for all of the arts; film, music, acting - any form of artistic expression.

"This will allow us to point the way to creating the necessary infrastructure, supported by the City of Culture," she said.

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The concert at Sandino's bar promises to be a fantastic night's entertainment as Bronagh and Paul are set to put on fantastic show with a great support act in the form of Denis and Caolan McLaughlin.

The McLaughlin brothers take influences from all genres of tasteful music and intertwine these in order to create something sheerly original, putting their own signature on their music. You could say they are upbeat, acoustic and dam folking funky.

The family duo includes Denis on main vocals and the six stringed box. Caolan also sings while playing the fine tuned keys of his electric stage piano/organ with bodhran getting in on the act too.

All in all great night is prospect, so get yourself along to Sandino's next Wednesday and enjoy a super gig while helping to support the Derry-Londonderry bid.

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Tickets for the concert cost 5 and are on sale at the City of Culture in the Northern Counties Building, Waterloo Place. Telephone 02871 363558. Opening Hours Monday – Saturday 9:00am – 5.30pm , Sunday 1.00pm – 5.30pm

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