PHOTO BY GARY MCCALL
NO HALF MEASURES Halves’ Brian Cash on their Choice-nominated debut album.
SKATE TO THE TOP new urban sports complex takes off in belfast If you took a random wee drive around the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, what you’d mainly see would be an expanse of wasteland, some big buildings under construction, the almighty H&W cranes, and some industrial sized office space and factories. You might also spy a huge T13 sign on a behemoth of a tin shed. If you were brave enough to venture up the door, beyond it you would find the largest alternative playground in Ireland. Now, when we say ‘playground’ we don’t mean swings and roundabouts. We’re talking about a 12,000 sq ft bike jump room, Europe’s first bike assault course and a street-style skate park. The sheer size and scale of this place really needs to be witnessed with your own eyes – when AU first stepped into the room, the urge to grab a skateboard, hurtle around the place (and probably break a bone) was nigh on unstoppable. If we hadn’t been wearing office shoes then we’d have been right in there (that’s our excuse and we’re sticking to it). T13 founder Liam Lynch (no, not the ‘Whatever…’ guy) explains the idea behind it: “We believe the time is right to represent the vibe on the street. There is an energy in the air and we wanted our self-styled counter-culture movement to have a HQ.”
Arguably, skateboarding in Belfast was at the height of its popularity in Belfast before the space in front of St Anne’s Cathedral was renovated (i.e. flattened) to become Writer’s Square in 2002. Up to then, it was a skater’s dream of ledges and steps. Every dry day of the year, hordes of skaters would congregate at the spot, creating a community, and inspiring many others to get involved in not only this urban sport, but also rollerblading and BMX. With the demise of St Anne’s, Belfast skateboarding was driven a little more underground, but the scene never died. Over the years there have been a number attempts to get skateparks off the ground in Northern Ireland, but nothing has managed to stand the test of time. With the arrival of T13, there is a real chance that this could be the new home that Belfast urban culture has been deprived of for so long. “T13 is what Belfast was already thinking – most people will say that it’s about time a place like this existed,” says Lynch. “We feel T13 is a family of cool where everyone is welcome and that it represents everything that’s great about the new Northern Ireland.” Jonny Tiernan For more information check out www.t13.tv
Being able to claim that Efrim Menuck from Godspeed You! Black Emperor recorded your album and that Stars and Broken Social Scene vocalist Amy Millan was delighted to add her contribution to it are no mean feats for an Irish indie band; especially for a debut LP. But Dublin-based Halves have done all of the above and the fruit of their labour, It Goes, It Goes {Forever & Ever}, was released before Christmas on their own label, Hate Is The Enemy Records. With the record receiving rave reviews and being placed on many Best of 2010 lists, Halves began 2011 with more good news. For starters they have been confirmed to play SXSW and Canadian Music Week in March. Before this, they are playing their first major tour of Ireland, while the band also received Choice Music Prize and Digital Socket Awards nominations. Frontman Brian Cash’s reaction to this recognition is characteristically humble. “It’s funny, we’ve never thought about that end of things so to be nominated for the Choice is just amazing. It’s so nice to see the record being acknowledged like that... Of course we don’t expect to win but the nomination will hopefully get the songs out there.” Halves were born four years ago when long time friends Brian Cash, Tim Czerniak and Dave Scanlon saw the demise of their former band. Instead of sitting on their laurels, they regrouped the following day to talk about the kind of band that they all wanted to be in. Tim’s younger brother Elis joined the
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ranks soon after. To this day, the strength of Halves has always been the unity between the members, their open-door policy for other talented musicians, the perfectionism and drive they put behind everything to do with the band and the chances they have taken to make the band the best it can be. “If you’re basically going to spend three nights a week, every weekend and all your money on something, there’s no point doing a half-assed job,” says Cash. When the time came to decide where to record their debut album, Halves chose the celebrated Hotel2Tango studio, located in Montreal and owned by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. “The studio used to be this alarm factory in an industrial park,” says Cash. “It’s just this huge room full of all this antique equipment – including a contrebasse, a Hammond organ, a theremin and a harp – all of which feature on the record.” Recorded over a two-week period by Efrim Menuck, produced by Halves and featuring the vocal talents of Stars and Broken Social Scene’s Amy Millan and Katie Kim among others, it’s a record that has taken its sweet time for flawlessness and got there with ease. Deirdre O’Brien It Goes, It Goes {Forever & Ever} is out now on Hate is the Enemy Records. Halves play Galway, Sligo, Dublin, Limerick and Cork in February and March. www.ahomeforhalves.com