After months of anticipation, Sound of Belfast has finally arrived and what a perfect event to start it all off, ‘Getting to Know with Leah McFall’. A festival dedicated to showcasing everything that’s great about local music Sound of Belfast also helps to provide a platform for artists, bands and performers. ‘The Getting to Know’ event which has been part of a regular series at the Oh Yeah gives artists and bands an opportunity to connect with an audience in a more personal and intimate environment. As well as performing songs the artist is able to give insights behind the writing and recording process of each track and allows the audience to become involved by asking them to participate.
For the special ‘Sound of Belfast’ edition of ‘Getting to Know’ we were treated to the remarkably talented Leah McFall. After capturing the nation’s attention with her mesmerising voice in BBC’s ‘The Voice’, Leah has spent the last few years crafting her own sound and style. Her rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I will Survive’ helped to demonstrate Leah’s powerful vocal prowess and secured her runner up in the show. Leah who released her debut six track E.P ‘Ink’ back in March is currently working on brand new material for her next record.
The evening which was hosted by the very charming Emer Maguire made everyone feel immediately at ease as we settled in for the show. For her first song of the night Leah performed her track ‘Language’ which was very accurately described by Emer as vocal acrobatics. Starting off the discussion by asking how Leah would describe her music to someone who hasn’t heard it there is a lovely relaxed atmosphere in the room.
Not only asking questions, Emer also provided entertainment throughout the evening with a few games. As well as involving the audience and developing a good rapport with them the games also helped us find out a bit more about Leah. Learning that Leah had not only eaten grass before but that she had also practiced kissing ‘Michael Jackson’ on his ‘Bad’ CD left everyone not only laughing but definitely feeling as though we knew her a bit better.
With an audience of both new and older fans the crowd was transfixed for her second song of the evening, ‘Wolf Den’. The song which Leah describes as incredibly emotional and about her journey to becoming an independent artist is flooded with sentiment. The song truly emphasises Leah’s unique vocal ability as she flawlessly’s moves from one note to the next.
Leah’s final performance for the evening was an unreleased track that she has been working on ‘On My Own’ and was the perfect song to end the night. Emer Maguire’s completely natural sense of humor along with her charisma made the night thoroughly enjoyable. ‘Getting to Know’ is a wonderful event where you come away really feeling as if you got a personal insight to one your favourite performers. Despite, being very well known Leah was incredibly warm and open and just genuinely good craic, making it a really fun event for everyone involved.
Aine Cronin-McCartney 