By Amy Pollock
AN aspiring singer from Newtownards will soon debut her jazz talent following support from Open House Festival and the wider local music scene.
Madi McCullough (22), who works as a senior supervisor at The Court House in Bangor, is preparing to switch roles to perform her most diverse set yet as a musician at the same venue.
At Open House Festival’s upcoming Blues and Jazz Week, Madi will be singing an hour-long set with a live band to bring upbeat rhythm and soul to The Court House on Friday, August 22, followed by The Living Groove jazz-funk quintet.
She will also be hosting an afrobeat and Ethiopian jazz DJ set alongside Katie Rose Gilmore at The King’s Quay on Sunday, August 24.
Prior to securing her Open House Festival gigs, Madi said since delving deeper into the local music scene, she has enjoyed a wealth of experiences that have opened up ‘incredible’ opportunities for her.
By putting herself forward for open mic nights in Donaghadee and Bangor, Madi’s captivating talent was spotted by local musician Stephen Macartney, who also runs Fealty’s Back Bar Sessions.
“Stephen got me gigs and we would sing together with our guitars in Fealty’s and The Court House and it was just really good fun. He’s been a great mentor to me and helped build my confidence,” she said.
Maximising her exposure in Bangor opened up even more opportunities for Madi, including a few impressive features on major artists’ records.
“[Stephen Macartney] also got me an opportunity to sing backing vocals for Snow Patrol on their new album alongside him, David C Clements and Hannah McPhillimy, which was amazing. The track was released on their new album Forest is the Path and is called Never Really Tire,” said Madi.
Following a collaborative set with Stephen Macartney at The Court House, Madi then secured a five-week residency where she performed solo with her acoustic guitar on Sunday afternoons.
Through her existing connection to The Court House, Madi was able to further explore her passion for jazz with the help of Kyron Bourke and Linley Hamilton, who are firm favourites at the venue.
“I started to sing a lot more jazz whenever Kyron and Linley would play at The Court House – they would always invite me up to sing a couple of songs with them.
“I’ve always loved jazz as a genre, but that’s when I started singing it. Then Linley mentored me for a bit, which was really helpful and really kind of him, and then this is my first gig doing purely jazz and soul, which I’m really looking forward to,” she said.
Her upcoming DJ set opportunity came as a result of Kieran Gilmore, director of Open House Festival, noticing her vast music taste while working at The Court House.
Madi said: “I started messing about with the controller and whenever I’m at work, I get to put my own playlist on sometimes. It’s so great to work in a creative space and be able to play your own music.
“Kieran was listening and asked whose playlist was on, I told him it was mine and he said he thought it was good. He then asked me ‘do you want to do a DJ set in here sometime?’, and I said I would love to,” she said.
Madi said she wants to use these opportunities to ‘give back’ to everyone who has supported her on the local music scene.
“I just love music and I feel the community has been very supportive of me, so I just want to give back. I’m not overly looking into being big, I just really love what music does for me personally, it’s a huge form of release and for me to get to share something that I’m proud of, I think that’s a really nice opportunity to do that, when and where I get to do it,” she said.
She credits Open House Festival for giving her a chance to uncover new interests.
“I think networking is a really big thing and if you do put yourself out there, there’s opportunities that can come to you and Open House and The Court House are really good at doing that.
“They do that for a lot of young girls that DJ as well the more mature generation who’ve never really had the opportunity to do things like that before, which I think is so important.
“I’m just really grateful to them for supporting me and having faith in me,” said Madi.
For more information on Bangor Blues and Jazz Week, visit openhousefestival.com/bangor-blues-and-jazz-week/
