Bangor/Holywood

Take Back The City

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The city in question here is Bangor, Co. Down (rather than London, which features in the video (youtube) for the song of the same name). The band Snow Patrol (and in particular, guitarist and Bangor native Gary Lightbody) have organised a music festival in the town’s Ward Park in 2007, 2010, and 2019 (Soul Surmise). There are no public plans for a ‘Ward Park 4’ (Chord Blossom) but there is some speculation on-line (Fb) of a concert in 2025, which artist Jossie Pops (web) is trying to drum up support for with this painting of Lightbody on the side of Harrison-Morris-Waugh chartered account’s office, in Southwell Street, Bangor.

Also in Bangor: The cover of Snow Patrol’s ‘Wildness’ album was painted for Ward Park 3 – see This Is Not The Same As Other Days.

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Bangor Is Buzzing

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Here is a gallery of the street art in the Project24 space along Queen’s Parade (which continues on from the art on the main road – see Remember To Daydream), updating the gallery in How About This For Art? The buzzard, toad, and turtle are all by Keyto (ig) and the partial face is by Kate Whiteman (web); the artist of the final piece is perhaps COZ (ig).

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Remember To Daydream

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Here is a gallery of street art from a repainting at the end of June of the boarded up shop-fronts along Queen’s Parade, Bangor. The images from top to bottom in this post follow the art east from the Project24 space towards Main Street:

Side-Eye Birds by Strangford (ig)
Sup
Moon And Sun
Save The Tiger Shark by Keyto (ig)
Squid by Fox & Bear
Swan by Kate Whiteman (ig)
Hold Me In This Wild Wild World by Sweat, Tears, And The Sea (ig)
Remember To Daydream by Lost Lines (ig)
Stars by Cha Cha (ig) (organiser of the jam and tour guide for the Bangor Street Art tour)
Koi Pond by Anie Poole (ig)
Flowers by Alexandra (ig)

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No Go

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The scaffolding has been down from this obviously incomplete mural in Kilcooley, Bangor, and work on it seems to have ceased. The reasons for its abandonment are unclear.

A black street sign out of shot to the right (which can be seen in the third image, as well as a UDA emblem at the top) reads “Humber Street” – Humber Street was in east Belfast, at the top of Dee Street. We have not been able to locate this or other photographs of barricades in Humber Street. The period is presumably c. 1972, when the UDA set up no-go areas in Belfast (Pathé video; AP videos: one | two | three).

(Other photos of the UDA of the period are reproduced on a Glen estate (Newtownards) tarp | in a south Belfast mural | in the 2022 repainting of “Freedom Corner” in east Belfast.)

The other mural, on the left of the wide shots, is to East Belfast UDA brigadier Tommy Herron. As can be seen in the earliest in-progress image, below, the mural replaces the North Down Defenders mural.

The “completed” images, above, are from June 30th; work began at least two months previously.

May 29th:

May 12th:

May 5th:

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Upbeat Feel Good

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In January, Bangor singer-songwriter Foy Vance (web) had reason to feel good when he, along with Ed Sheeran and Max Martin, won the (Primetime Creative) Emmy for ‘Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics’ for the song ‘A Beautiful Game’ (youtube) which was used in the final episode of the TV show Ted Lasso (Billboard | Emmys).

Vance’s portrait has been painted by Jossie Pops (ig) in Primrose Avenue. “Upbeat Feel Good” is a song (youtube) from his 2016 album The Wild Swan.

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Micky Modelle

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DJ and producer Micky Modelle (Fb) grew up in Tullycarnet and lives in Bangor (Kilcooley Fb). On Saturday week (May 25th) he will be playing at the Electic Love (web) festival in Belfast.

The in-progress shot (final image) is from March 29th. Painted by (artist and former DJ) Glen Molloy (ig) and launched on May 10th. The original photograph can be seen at Twisted Records.

Replaces a UYM board in Drumhirk Drive, Kilcooley, Bangor.

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Pride Of Whitehill

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Here is a gallery of the smaller boards in the Whitehill area of Bangor – other specific pieces can be found in The Elite and Long To Reign Over Us.

The area is a UVF stronghold but split between the North Down and East Belfast battalions – see Welcome To Bowtown and North Down UVF. The very bottom of the estate is UDA – “RUFF touts” is on the border-line, Skipperstone Road.

Two flute bands are mentioned: Pride Of Whitehill (Fb) and Bangor Protestant Boys (Fb).

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