Oh Yeah Music Centre

Gordon Street in Belfast is the home of the Oh Yeah Music Centre. Opened in 2007 it was made for music makers and those involved in the business of music. It also holds the idea that it’s a valuable agent in NI and acts as a catalyst to change lives for the better. Before its opening though it was an idea. An idea shared between Stuart Bailie, Gary Lightbody and Belfast’s own Snow Patrol and through two years of volunteering the Oh Yeah Music Centre was born. As well as being a performance space for new and upcoming talent in the Belfast music scene it also hasn’t forgotten where Belfast’s musical history started. So it put on a music bus tour. The Oh Yeah Centre’s music bus tour was to celebrate the history of all thing’s music related in Belfast’s rich grassroots music scene. While it was to celebrate the likes of Van Morrison, Bap Kennedy and Ruby Murray and what they’ve done for Belfast’s music scene. More importantly it celebrates Belfast’s punk roots by highlighting the work of the Undertones, the release of Suspect Device by Stiff Little Fingers, Victim and The Androids playing the first ever punk gig at the Harp Bar as well as the first single released by Terri Hooley’s. Whilst putting importance on Belfast’s history it also wants to promote new and upcoming talent with the Scratch My Progress EP. Taking a select few artists every year to produce a single and put it on this EP, the 2020 class included NI’s own Gender Chores and their single ‘Night in the Woods’. They use their punk energy and style to attack the bigotry and intolerance in the highest of political offices of NI. Something not only the international punk movement sought out to do, but something which is still relevant to contemporary Belfast.