‘When I first came here and wanted to go out and listen to a little soul, there was nothing out there’
The event is the brainchild of soul singer and Radio Ulster presenter Siobhan Brown and husband David.
The Bangor couple, whose eldest son recently made his international rugby debut for Jamaica, told Sunday Life they wanted to create a space to promote black arts and culture and give musicians more opportunities.
Siobhan said: “This is very much about celebrating music of black origin. We want people to really be able to celebrate its roots, the people and culture.
“You don’t have to be black to enjoy it. The whole point of Soultrane is to celebrate art by bringing different communities together.
“Hopefully it will help break down barriers just by having people all in one space enjoying the music.”
The event is headlined by soul singer Omar, who will be performing his 1991 hit There’s Nothing Like This.
Siobhan continued: “It’s kind of disappointing it hasn’t been done before. It’s 2024 and we’ve never had a soul festival. It’s actually mad, but we’re here now. It’s been more than a challenge to get everything ready in time. My hair’s gone grey and Dee (David) has none.
“It’s been really tough as we didn’t wait for the normal channels of funding. We just went ahead and did it on faith and ticket sales.
“Whenever a major music festival has a soul act like Lionel Richie, Soul2Soul, Sister Sledge or Grandmaster Flash and so on, those gigs sell out here, so there is a real appetite.
“Well, there’s a new thing in town and it’s here to serve you. Our hope is that any money raised will go back into serving the local community and helping musicians with their craft.
“Those are opportunities I didn’t have as an artist who has travelled the road, so I want to be able to provide that for others.”
Soultrane will be held at Mandela Hall at Queen’s University on February 17, welcoming a number of high-profile and homegrown artists.
Siobhan’s band Manukahunney will be performing alongside Omar and a host of other acts, including August Charles, Beyond the Blue, Dana Ali, Nesha Nycee and more.
Siobhan’s partner said the day of music, art, culture and food would be like a tasting menu in a restaurant.
David added: “It’s going to be an all-dayer with band after band, DJs, merch and food and drink, enough to keep everybody going all day and night.
“People should wear comfortable shoes and get ready to get their funk on. We can’t wait.
“Omar is internationally renowned and has been doing soul for decades. August Charles is a bit like Michael Kiwanuka and has toured with Emeli Sandé. He’s going to be huge, I think.
“Beyond the Blue are probably one of the best up-and-coming jazz bands in the UK. These guys are classically trained and very cerebral. They are just amazing.
“For a lot of the guys on the bill, it’s their first time in Northern Ireland too. Our plan is to make Belfast a destination for international artists because often it gets bypassed.
“We’re hoping to really put down roots here for high-quality soul and inspire current and future artists.
“It’s a bit like a taster menu in a restaurant where you get a bit of everything. We’ve got hip hop, jazz, soul of all kinds, gospel, Celtic sounds and more. There should be something for everyone.
“It’s great value for money too with the amount of musicians we have performing, so hopefully we’ll get a big turnout and everyone will get something out of it. There’s something for everyone.”
Siobhan moved from south London to Northern Ireland in 1991 and has been yearning for a space for soul, jazz and funk since then.
“When I first came here and wanted to go out and listen to a little soul, a little something, it just wasn’t there,” she told Sunday Life.
“The seed was sown with me around 2010, and by 2012 I had started Manukahunney. We started playing motown, funk and neo-soul.
“At first people wanted us to play the classics like Proud Mary and so on, but then we saw an opportunity to really explore some of these genres a bit more.
“Dee is a huge vinyl collector and started to introduce me to stuff I’d never even heard of and we just kept going from there.
“There’s been a community for some time around soul music, but not much of a scene. There’s nowhere that you can take someone, like a regular spot.
“Soultrane is a community interest company and its sole interest is to build that foundation, to be an agent or ambassador for the scene.
“That will allow musicians here to have somewhere of their own to play, to hone their craft.”
Tickets for Soultrane are available at soultranefestival.com
