MacD on Music: Incredible line-up for Derry's Femme Sesh 2024

As you may recall, last year was a great one for gigs. Every week it seemed like there was a new contender for gig of the year.

Well, we’re barely into March here and we’ve already started seeing contenders for this year’s title.

Last month we had CHERYM’s album launch, featuring support from Reevah and Problem Patterns (also, CHERYM’s debut album ‘Take It or Leave It’ is available now in Cool Discs), as well as the brilliant night in Bennigan’s that featured Little Kings, Hutch, The Marra, Shasma and White Lighter.

Now, we have another incredible line-up coming this week with Femme Sesh (taking place on International Woman’s Day this Friday), featuring, amongst others, the Jeanette Hutton Band, Nikki Mac, Rachel Eastwood, TomCat, Eileen Webster and TRAMP and guest speaker Bernadette McAliskey.

So, before we go any further, a bit about Femme Sesh (from the official press release):

One of the biggest music nights in Derry, Femme Sesh is a wonderful evening of local artists from Donegal and Derry coming together to celebrate International Women's Day and help raise much needed funds for community groups. This will be a memorable evening of spoken word, live music and performance, with fifteen outstanding acts.

I got to speak to several of the acts playing this year’s Sesh about their thoughts on the night. First up is TRAMP:

“We are over the moon to be back on the Sesh for our second year in a row! This one being particularly important-not just for celebrating IWD with the girlies and gays, but more importantly to continue making our art and fundraising about Palestine. We can’t watch a genocide before our eyes and decide that our art is separate. Celebrating our freedom and doing what we love is a privilege, so we are beyond grateful to be able to do this with our friends at Sandino’s on 8th March.”

“It’s quite fitting that Sinéad O’Connor/Shuhada’ Sadaqat is on the cover of this year’s poster and also whose song we decided to cover for our live video to promote the show. After converting religions and changing her name, the Islamophobia she faced is even more of a reminder of the incredibly devastating Islamophobia and racism people are faced with today, as fuelled by this genocide.”

“Rant aside, the acts and bands we’ll be seeing on the night are worth the entry fee twenty times over!

“Serious tunes, seriously big laughs and seriously powerful art from our local powerhouse femmes! UP THE BRA.”

Next up was TomCat, who have recently announced a string of gigs, including their single launch in Bennigan’s on the 15th March (with support from Tessio and Pilosa):

“We are so honoured and excited to be part of femme sesh this year. It’s a wonderful night where we can celebrate the incredible women and non-binary people of Northern Ireland. This will be one of the best gigs of the year and we can’t wait to see all of the acts in this amazing lineup!”

Finally, I spoke to Alix Darwin, a new artist in the Derry music scene but one I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from in the future:

“As a female musician at the start of my journey, I am really honoured to be part of this event, and I would like to say thank you to Shá for giving me the opportunity. Events like Femme Sesh are important in providing a platform for females in creative industries, and to showcase the diversity of talent out there.

"I just love seeing women supporting women! Uplifting and empowering each other is essential for creating a more inclusive and equitable society. Whether it’s in music, the arts, or any other field, supporting and celebrating one another’s achievements fosters a sense of community and opens doors for greater opportunities and representation. I’m really impressed by the line-up this year. It showcases the range of genres that Irish female artists have to offer.

"I’m particularly excited about acts like TRAMP, Nikki Mac and Tomcat, as they each bring a unique and authentic sound to the stage.”

Femme Sesh takes place this Friday (8th March, International Women’s Day) in Sandino’s. Tickets are £10 and doors open at 7pm.

Now, onto other business. The Suite released their debut single ‘Keep In Mind’ this past Friday. The song is available on all good streaming platforms and there’ll be more to come from the group when I speak to them next month.

Finally, Derry’s only local record shop Cool Discs have announced an in-store gig with Villagers on the 17th May.

The gig is free when you pre-order the album, which can be done either online (shop.cooldiscsmusic.com) or in store.

Now, time for the socials. The Suite can be found on Instagram @thesuite.band, Cool Discs on Facebook and Instagram @cooldiscs, Alix Darwin @alixdarwinmusic, TomCat @tomcat_band, Femme Sesh @femmesesh and (for the first time this year) TRAMP @thisistramp.