Lawrence Watson has spent over 40 years photographing music's biggest names, from Paul Weller, Oasis and Bowie to Run DMC, and Public Enemy. His portraits have graced countless album covers and NME pages, and he is known for an unobtrusive, fly-on-the-wall eye for the decisive moment.

Gig in a Gaff are launching its first free public event.

It will take place in the Harland and Wolff Staff Club on Thursday 5th November from 6-8:30pm. There will be 3 bands performing on the night, just like our usual order of things.

Punk rock has been a dynamic feature in the North of Ireland since 1976. It has inspired so much great noise, fever and self-awareness. This new photo exhibition by Stuart Bailie presents the alternative faces who have made it such a vital, cultural force. The camera has searched out early pioneers like RUDI, The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers and The Outcasts. It remembers how the attitude had been passed down to flame-keepers like Therapy? and Ash. And it celebrates the new contenders like Chalk, Problem Patterns, Tramp, Mucker and Éabha. The images have been shot on film and hand-printed in Stuart’s darkroom. It’s a rebellious family album. The best we ever had.

To celebrate the launch of Alter Your Native Land, we have invited some of the artists featured in the exhibition to perform. Tramp, Éabha, DJ Terri Hooley & Stuart Bailie + surprise guests.

Handmade Music is a brand-new experimental music night specially curated to feature an amazing mix of well-known artists, lesser-known artists, and surprise guests! All performing music from the edges of their craft.

Promoter Spotlight - Blue Pool x Nu Muze present Casual Riots final gig with support from SCHTICK. After years of packed rooms, chaotic live shows and making their mark on Belfast’s music scene, Casual Riots are calling time on Casual Riots.

Join us at the iconic Harland and Wolff Staff Club for an eclectic night of electronic music from women and non-binary artists emerging in the Belfast Scene. The line-up is made up of three artists with different styles within the electronic space from indie-electronic to experimental soundscapes.

Vein of Folly 2 is Miyagee and Eulogy Beats’ exploration of the evolution of UK hip hop — a project built from a lifetime of listening, absorbing and eventually contributing to the culture.

For Sound of Belfast 26, we are hosting PULSE#2 — a daytime clubbing experience for anyone who wants to move, connect, let go and feel joy! Join dancer lead Aisling McCormick along with DJ Venus Dupree in an immersive music‑led experience.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

Enjoy an exclusive 30 minute performance by a talented local musician, to round out this popular music-filled journey across the city. You'll to hear about the wealth of musical talent in Belfast across a wide range of genres, while enjoying a specially curated music playlist. Along the way you will hear anecdotes about Van Morrison, Gary Lightbody and Snow Patrol, James Galway, Ruby Murray, Ottilie Patterson and many other music ‘legends’.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

Recently nominated for Best Live Act at the 2025 NI Music Prize, ‘tessio’ are a singer-songwriter duo from Derry, - Callum Feeney and Jude McCandless. They play acoustic guitars, sing close harmonies, write, record and produce their own songs.

The Old Town Music Project brings an extraordinary collection of artists together at St Joseph’s Church, Sailortown for the launch of The Old Town Project Album as part of Sound of Belfast.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

A safe and welcoming place for young people to showcase their musical talent.

Take this gentle two-hour walking tour to explore the area in East Belfast where Van Morrison grew up! See the parks where he played, the primary school he went to and the house he first lived in.

JUJU is Belfast (and Ireland’s) first Japanese-style jazz kissa – a dedicated café for listening to jazz, hosted by Belfast-born photographer and writer, Philip Arneill, creator of the acclaimed TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS project.

Join us for a celebration of disruption through art and music with Rarewitch aka Patrick Maguire. Rarewitch is a visual artist, animator and musician based in Belfast known for his prolific and subversive online animated shorts and outsider folk music. His live performances entail a chaotic fusion of frenetic banjo playing, surrealist humour and anarchic social commentary.

Breaking Into Music is a Creative Industries Day curated by the Oh Yeah Music Centre as part of the annual Sound of Belfast Festival in November.

To mark 10 years since Bap Kennedy’s passing, his wife Brenda Kennedy launches his biography, Bap Kennedy: All the Dreams of a Boy.

Join us for Offbeat Live, a special showcase celebrating the incredible songwriting talent brought together through Offbeat Songcamp, developed as part of Output 2026.

Want to understand how to make money from your music, build your network and explore funding that could support your next step?

Join us on Tuesday 10 November at Oh Yeah Music Centre for PRS Members’ Day at Sound of Belfast – a free to attend day of industry insight, education and networking opportunities to help you take the next steps in your career.

Join us on Tuesday 10th November as we celebrate the new wave of homegrown talent at our annual Scratch My Progress Showcase. This special night marks the culmination of our 9-month talent development programme supported by PRS Foundation and IMRO, where emerging artists have spent time honing their craft with dedicated mentors, weekly sessions, industry advice, studio time, photoshoots, and creative guidance.

Black Moon have teamed up with Gig Buddies Belfast to co-host Transient Visitors (London) for their Belfast debut gig.

Screening of The Spin, filmed in Omagh, with an introduction from Mark McCausland. This warm-hearted Irish road-trip comedy follows two record-shop friends racing from Omagh to Cork to save their store. Based on Mark's semi-autobiographical story, the film features an original soundtrack written by the Omagh musician and member of The Lost Brothers.

Following on from the success of last years event - Oh Yeah is back with the Music Industry Speed Networking brunch.

This is your chance to meet a wide range of music industry professionals face-to-face from gig promoters and festival bookers to marketing, PR, content creators and social media experts, through to videographers labels, publishers, managers, trade bodies, funders and more.

The NI Music Prize returns to the Ulster Hall on the 11 November 2026 for one of the biggest nights in Northern Ireland’s music calendar.

Celebrating the very best of our homegrown music, the NI Music Prize brings together artists, musicians and the wider music community for a special evening of live performances and awards, shining a spotlight on the remarkable music being made in and from Northern Ireland.

This nostalgic talk will celebrate the showbands that dominated the Belfast music scene back in the 1950s and 60s. It will highlight the characteristics of showbands from this period -from the music to the snazzy suits – and explore how they evolved and adapted in later years.

A masterclass in social media presence for new artists by Matt Bacon of Dropout Media.

A concert of artists representing international family roots and featuring a curated music dance collaboration between Palestinian dance, Hanna Tams and artists from the tradtronica collective Huartan. The concert will be followed by a Q&A discussion.

The Factory Sessions are back - and this time, we're bringing, not one, not two but three brilliant artist to one of Belfast's most unique spaces.

Cora Harkin, is a dynamic singer-songwriter from Derry. Specializing in indie pop, Cora's impactful year includes headlining at Derry's Nerve Centre and releasing four resonant and spirited singles. Her live performances, have become synonymous with energy and authenticity, drawing fans locally and beyond.

Conor Mallon from Keady, Co. Armagh started his musical career with the Armagh Pipers Club where he attended Uilleann Pipe lessons.

Dara Dubh is an Irish indie–folk–rock artist whose songs sit somewhere between heartfelt confession and a good kick up the road.

McKowski Café at The Harrison presents Ed Cosens. Singer-songwriter and former guitarist and songwriter with Reverend and the Makers. A key figure in Sheffield’s 00s music scene, he has also worked with artists including Damon Albarn, Richard Hawley, Beth Nielsen Chapman and the Wandering Hearts. With two albums released and a third in progress, Ed is a multi-platinum and gold-selling songwriter and artist whose career spans two decades.

Ever wondered how to look after your body as a performer - or what you should actually do when something starts to hurt?

Join SoundBody Physiotherapy for an informal 60-minute injury prevention workshop designed for performers and creatives. We’ll chat through common performance-related aches, pains and injuries, how to reduce your risk of injury, and what you can do to support your body through rehearsals, recording, gigs, touring and everyday life.

Your body is your instrument - so let’s look after it!

Join SoundBody Physiotherapy for a 45-minute, physio-led injury prevention class designed specifically for performers. We’ll explore practical movement, mobility, strength and body awareness strategies to help you stay healthy, resilient and ready to perform.

Join and listen in full to the new five-hour 100 track, album by Robocobra Quartet titled Hundred Pieces. A low-key hang out with the band and friends to celebrate the release, inspired by the durational art of Marina Abramović, and specifically her memoir Walk Through Walls. Across the track listing, the band morphs through genres - travelling from abrasive saxophone blasts to sound experiments and pensive post-hardcore tinged miniatures, then slowly disintegrating into dub mixes and austere ambience.

Volume Control's annual battle of the bands competition. Live Final with 5 of the freshest new musical acts to hit in the scene in Belfast and beyond. They will battle it out in front of an audience of their peers and industry judges in order to win some brilliant prizes and opportunities for their future. Details to be announced soon.

Imagine it’s 3am, you're sittin on the floor of a house party, with your mates, with a few cans and a class singer or musician performs to everyone. In these intimate moments of music, connection, community and craic there is something magical. I wanted to recreate this atmosphere in my home - a space where the incredible artists around me could be fully appreciated, by myself and others.

BBC Introducing and Shine announce a new music showcase on Friday 13th November at Ulster Sports Club, hosted by BBC Introducing’s Taylor Johnson.

Join alt-folk musician Alana Henderson to celebrate the long-awaited release of Fine - her independently made, co-produced debut album.

As part of Sound of Belfast, a special one-night-only party will take place at a secret Belfast location, bringing together live electronic music, collaboration and a few surprises.

Belfast punk music holds a special place in music history, near and far. Take this walking tour to explore the story of punk music on Belfast’s streets, with a passionate punk music loving guide, who saw live back in the late 1970s the city’s best-known bands, including The Outcasts, Rudi, Stiff Little Fingers, Ruefrex, Victim, etc – and loves today’s punk bands too.

Belfast-based songwriter Tom Gee launches his long-awaited new EP, Doubting Thomas, with a special full-band performance as part of this year's Sound of Belfast festival.

Announcing the 20th Anniversary Belfast show, celebrating one of Ireland’s most unique and timeless records, Songs From The Deep Forest.

Hard Rain with special guests Malachy Frame and Sarah Richmond.

Since picking up the guitar at age twelve, Mark’s achievements have been numerous; from sold out shows and tours across Ireland and the U.K., to NI Music Prize nominations and airtime on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 and RTE Radio 1.

Join Dolores and Melanie in the comfortable surroundings of The Harrison hotel to enjoy an engaging new music experience, that combines storytelling, music, and hospitality to offer a novel way to explore the rich music heritage of Belfast - the only designated UNESCO City of Music on the island.

Atóg is a live collaborative performance that explores the traditional Irish session; not simply how it sounds, but what it feels like to be part of one.

What happens when Belfast’s showband legacy meets a new generation of musicians?

The Strand ran as a Variety Theatre from 1984–1987 and has hosted many showbands over its 90-year history. For this event, we bring together long-standing musician George Jones of Clubsound with emerging Belfast musicians from Shamrock Showband, with special guests including Trevor Kelly.

Acclaimed songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Dani Larkin has announced a NEW Belfast show at Crescent Arts on Sunday 15 November.

Tia Bow launches her debut album Blackberry Path, a multidisciplinary live work combining songwriting, spoken word and video design, with a sound described by Hot Press as “bridging folk, rock and electronica.”