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Someday,
we reckon, when you look up the word ‘eclectic’‚
in the dictionary it will read ‘See Cathedral
Quarter Arts Festival.’ Let us count the
ways. Canadian Jewish Punk Accordionist? Check.
Half Naked Australian chefs? Check. Female Elvis
Impersonators? We got them. Icelandic Leonard
Cohen interpreters? We’ve got five (actually
there’s only two). It can’t be said
that we don’t search high and low (mostly
low) to bring you the best in contemporary arts.
Here we are then, four years on, still trying
a different take on how arts are presented in
the city, still trying to ‘eff the ineffable’,
proudly bearing our mantle of the 6th best Festival
in Belfast.
In a festival where the sublime is never too far
from the ridiculous, it’s with no small amount
of pride that this year’s festival contains
names such as Patti Smith., Benjamin Zephaniah,
Desmond Dekker, Billy Bragg, Kila, Mark Thomas
and the great Phil Kay. Big talents, small spaces,
the usual advice holds - get your tickets in early.
At the time of writing, a campaign of ‘Shock
and Awe’ is being applied to the Middle East
and the idea of an Arts Festival could all seem
a bit frivolous. Alternatively, it may be that
we now need the artist’s voice more than
ever to challenge, question, and critique that
which we are asked to believe. This Festival aligns
itself with those voices of social progress and
sanity as the bloodletting looks set to escalate.
And with the Western Military/Industrial complex
suitably told off, we say, let the Festivities
begin. Thanks to all our supporters thus far and
enjoy the Festival.
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