Entertainment

Essential Festival: BelNash 2016

US musician Jim Lauderdale is appearing at BelNash 2016
US musician Jim Lauderdale is appearing at BelNash 2016 US musician Jim Lauderdale is appearing at BelNash 2016

Belfast Nashville Songwriters' Festival, March 2 to March 6

BELNASH 2016 brings 40 live concerts to Belfast over the course of five days, featuring more than 100 performers from around the world.

Along with US talent such as Grammy-award winner Jim Lauderdale, Stephen Bishop, Kevin Gordon, Krista Detor and Songwriter Hall of Fame man Gary Burr, there's also plenty of homegrown music on offer from the likes of Iain Archer, Ulaid, Liam O Maonlai, John Spillane, Anton Glackin. Brian Houston, Triona, Ciara O'Neill, Best Boy Grip, Peter McVeigh, Brigid O'Neill, Colum Sands, Cup O' Joe, Simon Murphy, AER Club, Society Session, Belfast Guitar Society and Ben Cutler.

Legendary Scottish songwriting duo Gallagher & Lyle will feature in the one-hour TV special Belfast to Nashville. Filming at The Empire on Friday March 4 and set for broadcast later this year by the PBS channel in the US, the show will document many festival artists performing their own songs along with traditional music from the 18th and 19th century.

This year's BelNash includes a wide range of music styles, such as the jazz and swing sounds of James Huish, jazz from The Savage Five, Sandrunners supported by Dutch band USED and a Musical Theatre Songwriters Show featuring West End star Anna O'Byrne with the Belfast Performing Arts School.

:: See Belfastnashville.com for tickets and full programme information.