Exploris - The Northern Ireland Aquarium

Exploris in Portaferry is Northern Ireland's only aquarium. It's one of a kind and was opened as 'The Northern Ireland Aquarium' in 1987 and then later re-opened by Prince Charles in 1994 as Exploris. Personally, when I think of aquariums I think of cold, blue spaces that smell of fish and damp...so when it was suggested that I go to Exploris for my twentieth birthday I wasn't too sure. However, I'm a sucker for nature and, quite frankly, the idea of doing something that denied my new found adult status was quite appealing. 

From the moment we walked through the doors my opinion was changed and I even felt a bit guilty for doubting the aquarium's ability to entertain, inform and amuse. One of the main reasons that I wanted to go to Exploris was my nine month old nephew, who, although maybe a little young to glean any actual educational information from our visit, clapped and gurgled his way around, appreciating the colours, sounds and textures. 

We allowed 2 hours for fun at the aquarium, so arrived around 3pm, two hours before the closing time of 5pm (the website says to allow around an hour, but two hours was plenty of time to leisurely take in all the sights and even take in a visit to the gift shop). 

Opening hours and prices look like this:

At 3.30pm we saw divers feeding the fish and they interacted with the children looking through the thick glass, waving, motioning and demonstrating how the fish and other sea creatures lived and fed.

Then, we were just in time to catch another demonstration at one of the discovery pools. This was the most enjoyable aspect of the day, the demonstration was very informative and humorous and it's always fun to be able to interact with the creatures first hand.

A very knowledgable guide showed us starfish, sea urchin, scallops, Thornback ray fish, flat fish and a small shark species called a dogfish. We were shown each species and some, such as the starfish were passed around the group as we were told about their feeding habits and some interesting facts about how they live. We were also allowed to touch the species in the pool and everyone thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the discovery pools as there's something extremely satisfying about actually being able to interact with the seal life.

       

As soon as this demonstration was over, it was time for the seals to be fed outside in the seal sanctuary. As the feeder was feeding the seals in the pool, she told us a little about the sanctuary itself and answered all of our questions about seals and life in the sanctuary. 

There are also six hospital pools for injured or orphaned seals to inhabit until they get better. Here's a list of this season's rescues. There's also a 'seal cam' where you can view the seals (if you go on about 4pm, you can see the seals being fed!).

At the time we went there was the topical:

 Ocean Olympians Exhibition

30th June - 3rd September 2012

Meet the medal hopefuls of the marine world, from the sprint to the high jump and synchronized swimming to heavyweight boxing. Let the Games commence! 

Although we went after the 3rd September, the exhibition was still there, with lots of fun facts and comparisons between sealife and real-life Olympians.

Overall, Exploris is a well-run, extremely interesting experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a few hours to spend, especially parents of young children. There's even the Tides Cafe for when you're peckish which is open from 10.30am - 5.30pm in the Summer and 11.00am - 4pm in the Winter.

 By Laura Caldwell

Film Devour 8 at the Black Box

Two short film festivals in two days, what a great time to be a film fan in Belfast! Having to decide between this and Joe Lindsay's "Shower of Cults" film night across town at the Hudson Bar showing Grind House Star Wars was a tough choice. So, having promised myself I'd go to the last Few "Film Devour Short Film Festival" and not quite making it I finally made it to number 8. As I arrived at the Black Box I noticed a huge crowd gathered before the doors, this is always a good sign. Soon we filed in paid our £4 and were ready to see some of Northern Irelands finest shirt films.

With 20 films in all covering many Genres - Horror, Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Sci-Fi...I could go on-it's safe to say there was something for every one. We started off with a film I'd heard a lot about but never seen "Looking for Al" essentially a documentary about 4 lads from Northern Ireland travelling down to Dublin trying to meet Al Pacino at the premiere of his latest film. An absolute geg with much banter included it's a great way to kick off the fast and a welcome opening 15 mins it's worth saying at this point that these films area lot longer short films than the ones shown last night. Where the longest film shown there was 3 mins 30secs these films range from 5 mins to 15.

"The Beach" is a wonderfully shot black white horror film about a man finding himself on a lonely island where he encounters a not so friendly apparition. The Portrush backdrop makes this a beautiful film to watch and the black and white adds a touch of gravitas. We have a few technical difficulties as Intermission is called after 7 films but after we're all refuelled were back for the long haul an date last 13
McKeever and Jones have 2 films shown here tonight. Both filled with classic Belfast humour and the 2 extremely likeable characters. The shorter of then2 was my favourite "McKeever and Jones Dreams Come True" filmed outside Victoria Square in the Cornmarket it features a chucklesome almost dance sequence about a man whose every wish comes true as he walks by the world, from nicking a chicken burger to swooping in for a snog with his dream girl and with a fun ending that everyone creasing with laughter.

Other mentions would be "Nuts and Robbers" by Aiden Gault and Marty Stalker. A very black comedy about bungling robbers that's worth a watch. Special effects mention of the night goes to Chris Thompsons "Skyhawk". With SFX that would look at home in any Hollywood Bloackbuster it's really surprising what the guys working in their bedrooms can come up with. "Spiderland" ended off the night with an usual ode to the muppets via the festive imagination of Paul Currie. A tale of spices in Belfast and their camp Rottweiler this was a dark slice of twisted comedy that finished off the night perfectly.

The main thing if notice tonight was the quality of all the films shown and the sell out crowd that came to pay in, while the Olympics are on, on a sunny day, to come and support these films. As I left the black box having been in there for over 4 hours I did quip that it was the longest Short film festival I'd ever been too, but long may it continue. Vive la Film Devour!

By Chris Caldwell

Glasgowbury 2012 - Massive but Massive

“Small But Massive” has been the tag line of Glasgowbury for many years now, but if it expands any further they are going to have to change it to just plain massive.  By 12 pm on Saturday 21^st July 2012 we had tents pitched, beers opened and were merrily dancing along to a carnival style multi-coloured drum circle.  As the drummers marched away, the crowd followed them as if they were the Pied Pipers of Hamelin only instead of leading rats out of town they led the people from the campsite to the Glasgowbury arena.

With a tweeked layout this year allowing them to accommodate six different stages the festival really did look bigger than ever.  As ever the main stage was flanked in the background by the scenic Sperrins.  The addition this year of the Red Bull Generator Stage - helmed by DJs throughout the day - gave relief to anyone seeking escape from live music.  Judging by the size of the crowds that danced around the DJ booth/bar it was a massive success.  The weather stayed dry throughout with the sun even making a few regular appearances. 

This year the G Session stage was moved to a giant circus style tent.  This allowed for much improved acoustics and an end to the sound bleeding which the winds on the site had contributed to the year before.  It was on this stage that we saw The Wonder Villains play for the second year running.  Ripping through their catalogue of sing-a-long favourites and trying out some new material. The year has been kind to The Wonder Villains and much improvement could be seen from this time last year.  The extensive touring and gig paying has certainly helped them hone their craft. 

It's recently been announced that Triggerman are supporting Sepultura later this year, and rightly so. They roared through their unique brand of heavy rock with the ease of a bulldozer thorugh a mountain of butter.  the were the bulldozer we were the butter. A sizable crowd had gathered and so the moshing and head banging was inevitable.  A great band to see live and definately a high light for me.

Silhouette was up next and as Shauna Tohill’s haunting voice filled our ears the crowd was captivated.  A genuine rising star whose unique sound is catchy and memorable - definitely one to watch.

As the afternoon well and truly set in,  Pocket Billiards hit the stage in order to wake us up, and as usual the crowd was on their feet. The nine-piece ska kings did what they do best and tore through their set of punchy classics, even being joined by Eimear Coyle from The Wonder Villains at one point.

We took a wander round the site and eventually found ourselves in the middle of another drum circle.  Just one of the many sideshows that could be found in and around the festival arena.  As we left the drum circle and headed towards the main stage we were accosted by seven-foot high silver faced devils.  Luckily we made it out in time to see the tail end of Axis Of. The sound was good, the pace frantic and we're sure we saw  Pocket Billiards join in the final track so this is definatley a band we'd like to catch a whole set of in the coming months.

 I’m not usually a huge fan of dance music but I defy anyone not to be swept along by the amazing stage show and the bombastic tunes that The Japanese Popstars produce.  As we looked around there wasn’t a single person standing still and Northern Ireland’s answer to the Chemical Brothers were a welcome support act for the headliners.

At about 11.05pm Paddy Glasgow, the legend himself appeared before us. The crowd roared as Paddy introduced the headlining act, Therapy?

Therapy? are without a doubt one of the most  anticipated Glasgowbury headliners ever and despite this year being one of the quietest - crowd-wise - the amount of people left standing for the final act was impressive.  Therapy? looked the part in well-fitted suits and they certainly quashed all rumours that they’re too old for this game as they played for well over an hour, rocking the Sperrins to its very core.

Andy Cairns was on fire, he kept the crowds’ spirits up as the rain set in and was constantly talking to the audience (a trait I love to see in a band, it males you feel a part of something and not just a spectator). Unfortunately drummer Neil Cooper couldn’t be at Glasgowbury this year as his wife had just given birth to a baby, but seeing as Andy recorded a message for him on his phone, he would still get a glimpse of the ‘Small But Massive’ madness. Luckily the drummer from LaFaro was on hand to cover and he didn’t miss a beat. As a massive fan of Troublegum, Knives and Screamager were personal highlights and the entire crowd, both young and old, was singing every word – proving once and for all that Northern Ireland was definitely in need of some Therapy?

I've been saying it for a few years now, but as Glasgowbury grows and grows the next step is definately to split this into a 2 day festival. With many more going on the first night, even without entertainment, we need that final push to put this up there amongst the Latitude festivals and the Download festivals of the world.  A niche festival but on a massive scale, it just so happens that the niche of this festival is local music.

Until next year Paddy Glasgow, Keep her lit and Keep her "Small but massive"

Five Things To Do In Northern Ireland this Summer

Whether it's one of those rare sunny summer days, or a typical rainy day off, there's something for everyone in our list of five things to do in our fair province this summer!


1. Belfast Film Festival

Running from 31st May to the 10th June Belfast Film Festival, "showcases both local talent, and the best in new International cinema" and will feature films shown in unusual places such as on a boat on the River Lagan or in St Anne's Cathedral. Opening and closing night films include Good Vibrations directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, and Whole Lotta Sole  directed by Terry George. The Festival not only features films but also workshops and talks by the creative teams behind Good Vibrations, Whole Lotta Sole and Shadow Dancer. A highlight of the festival is sure to be Stephen Rea in Conversation, where Marie-Louie Muir will conduct a public interview with Belfast born actor Stephen Rea who has appeared in ‘Nothing Personal’, ‘V for Vendetta’, ‘Michael Collins’, ‘Interview with the Vampire’, ‘The Butcher Boy,’ ‘I Could Read the Sky’, and ‘Breakfast on Pluto.' As the festival spans all across Belfast and will show such a wide variety of films, documentaries, interviews and workshops there's sure to be something for everyone.

2. Titanic Belfast

If you haven't already, visiting the world's largest Titanic visitor's experience is a must this summer. This £90 million building is in the heart of Belfast's Titanic Quarter and celebrates all that the Titanic had to offer, whilst simultaneously mourning the loss of lives on that tragic voyage. The building features 4 90ft 'hulls' which emulate the Titanic herself and the inside of the building contains ten galleries: Boomtown Belfast, The Shipyard, The Launch, The Fit-Out, The Maiden Voyage, The Sinking, The Aftermath, Myths & Legends, Exploring the Wreck and the Ocean Exploration Centre - each of which contain a series of interactive exhibitions. There's also a gift shop where you can pick up some souveniers of your day out, a cafe and a restaurant.

For a more comprehensive overview of what Titanic Belfast has to offer have a quick look at our previous article on our personal experience: http://www.pastiebap.com/2012/05/titanic-day-out.html

3. Ulster Museum

Situated at Botanic, the Ulster Museum is fun for all the family. Recently refurbished, the museum is worth another visit even if you've been before. It's free admission so you might as well give it a try on a rainy summer day (which sounds like most of our summer to be honest) even if you don't think museums are your thing. The Ulster Museum features exhibitions on everything from the Spanish Armada to Egyptian Mummies and with the new Age of the Dinosaur exhibition it's sure to excite and intrigue. The Age of the Dinosaur exhibition is running from 18th May to 16th September and features seven life-like animatronic dinosaurs which move and roar through a Jurassic forest. A video can be seen here.

4. Go to a Homegrown Music Festival

Times are hard, you guys and money's tight, so why not forgo your usual summer holiday or festival in England or Scotland for something a bit more local. This year's main festivals are Glasgowbury and Pigstock and PastieBap is heading to both! Set in the heart of the Sperrins, Glasgowbury just gets better and better and this year Northern Irish legends Therapy? will be headlining on Saturday 21st July. Other acts include Fighting With Wire, Axis Of, Kowalski and Pocket Billiards.

Pigstock this year will run from 1st July to 3rd July and acts such as Fighting With Wire, Not Squares, Pocket Billiards, Gascan Ruckus and Mojo Fury will be rocking Killinchy all night long. According to the Pigstock website, "there will be 28 bands playing across three stages over two days, a food village and the Pigstock bar. Local artist group Firsty! will be helping to make it visually the most colourful and interesting Pigstock to date!" And let's not forget the hog, the delicious suckling pig which gives Pigstock it's name!

For more info, check out our previous post of Northern Ireland festivalling: http://www.pastiebap.com/2012/05/pigstock-glasgowbury-local-festivalling.html

5. Land of Giants

On the Titanic Slipways on 30th June, Land of Giants will have arrived. Land of Giants is the largest outdoor arts event ever held in Northern Ireland. Featuring a cast and crew of over 500 people, Land of Giants is staged by Giant Events Company and features state-of-the-art digital animation, dramatic special effects and fireworks.

According to the Land of Giants website, "the theme for the event draws inspiration from the many Giants identified in the shared and diverse history and society of Northern Ireland – Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver, the legendary Finn McCool, Harland and Wolff’s iconic Samson and Goliath, the ships the Olympic and Titanic and of course the Giant’s Causeway – as well as the vision of Northern Ireland and its population as being giant in terms of ideas, talent and heritage."

Land of Giants is an event shrouded in mystery and we're very excited to see the epic spectacle on 30th June!

Other exciting events this Summer include Belsonic, the opening of the Giants Causeway visitor's centre, Gay Pride, the Irish Open and the Olympic Torch Relay, so get out and enjoy all that Northern Ireland has to offer.

By Laura Caldwell

Pigstock & Glasgowbury - Local Festivalling at it's best

So with the sun shining and temperatures reaching as high as 20 Celsius, for the music lover this can bring to mind only one thing - festival season is upon us!

See that picture above?  The one with a terrified looking Duke Special?  That's me (fairly drunk) at Glasgowbury 2010. Look how much fun I'm having scaring this poor man.  you too could have that much fun.  Just read on...

Over the last 13 years I have been to festivals of all kinds, in different countries and of all shapes and sizes -  Leeds weekender, Download, Sonisphere, Oxegen, Forfay, Novarock, Electric Bay to name a few.  I actually met my wife at a festival 13 years ago, so they'll always hold a special place for me. I have been to at least one festival every year for the last 10 years and wouldn't consider a summer complete without one. So I would consider my self somewhat of an experienced festivaller (is that a word?) They're a great time to get away for a few days, immerse yourself in music and have a laugh with your mates.   This year I'm pretty skint, so with that in mind I'm forgoing attending a major fest and instead keeping it local, I know I'll spend no-where near the amount of money on the 2 weekends at the smaller festivals that I'd spend on the one big festival. So..I thought I'd write a few of my thoughts on festivals of all sizes and then preview the 2 I'll be attending this year.


Having been to a festival with 100,000 people and one with a few hundred, I wanted to put a few points across for going local, to the smaller fest that's crammed with local talent.

Money

A big reason is money, there's a recession on and people are wanting more bang for their buck. For example Pigstock festival is £35 for the weekend  and that includes camping, so for £35 you get 2 days and nights of non-stop music, accommodation and night time cinema/shenanigans.Usually about £70 would do you for booze and food, so you can see for about £100, it's a cheap enough way to spend a weekend.  On the other hand a ticket to Download festival will set you back £200 plus plane fare and spends when you're there. I've never come back from a major festival without spending at least £250 and that was purely on food and booze. At the end of the day you're not walking away with change from £500. 

 

Local Talent

Supporting and discovering local talent is a great reason to go as well.  This country is crammed with talent, and while international acts are all well and good, it's always good to check out what's on you doorstep.  The smaller festivals tend to be top to toe local entertainment and as such are a great time to check them out and possibly find your self a new favourite band.  

The Undercard

Swanee River @ Pigstock

Always look at the under card, we know that the big boys are on the main stage, but when theres not a band on you like go and check out a band you've never seen before.  It's all too easy to plonk yourself in front of the main stage near the bar and just check out the "mainstream" acts, and if there's band on you love - by all means do exactly that, but when there's not, take a wander and see other bands, it's a great opportunity to see band's that you normally wouldn't. Perhaps bands that you wouldn't listen to at home but make for a great live show, or even some local talent that don't usually play near you.  I've discovered loads of bands that are now in my CD collection this way - Mental Def, Triggerman, General Fiasco, 2 Door cinema club, ASIWYFA.  Also before you go to the fest perhaps give a few bands a listen, that way you will know earlier if they're something you might like.

This year Pastie Bap will be going to 2 festivals - Pigstock and Glasgowbury. We've been to both of these before many times and love them both dearly, like our own special sons, so here's a wee preview of both.  We'll be reporting back after the events too!

Glasgowbury

Wonder Villians @ Glasgowbury

The big Daddy of Norn Irish fests  - it may only be 1 day and 1 night, but what a day and night it always is. Statistically the last weekend in July is NI's hottest and that’s when Glasgowbury is held, so chances are you're in for a fine weekend weather wise.  Put that together with 4 stages at the foot of the Sperrins, some drink and a tent to sleep it all off in and you can see why this is such a good time.  This is the biggest of the local fests, so the "Small but Massive" motto that they boast is entirely apt. 

The Signs @ Galsgowbury

 I've been to Glasgowbury 4 times now and it keeps getting bigger and better, they added a comedy tent last year that went down a storm, they have excellent food vendors and awesome extras like drum circles, (the now infamous) sign making and guys from the circus school bouncing around.
The early bird camping ticket will set you back £40 and it's money well spent.

Therapy? are headlining this year and there's always more acts being announced.

The Japanese Popstars / Fighting With Wire / LaFaro / Axis Of / RunawayGO / Best Boy Grip / Soak / Pocket Billiards / Sons Of Caliber / The Wonder Villains / Farriers / Marc O’Reilly / Amidships / Silhouette / Paddy Nash & The Happy Enchiladas / VerseChorusVerse / Pretty Child Backfire / Our Krypton Son / Kowalski / Enemies / Katie & The Carnival / The Man Whom / Droids / Master & Dog / Tied To Machines / The Dead Presidents / Tucan / The 1930s / The Jepettos / Scorpion Jack / Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters / John Deery & The Heads / Humanshield / Mojo Gogo / Intermission / 4 Conors /Psycatron / Deep Fried Funk / Boxcutter presents The Host / Space Dimension Controller /Ryan Vail.

http://www.glasgowbury.com/

http://www.facebook.com/glasgowbury

https://twitter.com/glasgowbury

Pigstock



No Mean City @ Pigstock

If Glasgowbury is the big daddy, then this is the naughty school boy of NI festivals.  With a leaning more towards rock music but with something for everyone Pigstock is a weekend of loud music and good times.  Improving every year and forming from humble beginnings, Pigstock expanded last year to 2 nights and a much batter layout.  It has 3 stages of music, a spoken word tent, late night cinema, an on site bar and of course the famous hog roast that it's named after, that truly has to be tasted to believe.  It's a very family friendly festival with separate campsite away from the rowdys with its own noise curfew.  It's held in a field in the middle of nowhere, well Killinchy to be more precise. 

Mental Deficiency @ Pigstock

A weekend ticket with Camping will cost you £35 (and possibly your soul)

Headlined by MOJO FURY and Fighting with Wire with supporting cast from

Jogging/ More Than Conquerors/ Colly Strings/ Jamie Neish/ Not Squares/ Rarely Seen Above Ground/ Kowalski/ Tieranniesaur/ Ryan Vail/ Team Horse/ Chris Campbell/

Mojo Fury/  Mmoths/ Squarehead/ Pocket Billiards/ In Case Of Fire/Silhouette/ Run Away Go/ Farriers/ Eatenbybears/ In Elegance/ Not Squares/ Rarely Seen Above Ground/ Kowalski/ Tieranniesaur/ Ryan Vail/ Team Horse/ Chris Campbell

http://www.pigstockfestival.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/Pigstock

https://twitter.com/pigstockfest

Titanic Week and Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Picks!

Titanic Week

The Titanic Belfast Festival is finally here to commemorate 100 years since the big boat sailed away.  They're putting on MTV concerts, boutique festivals, light shows, dramatisations, tours, plays, movies, all sorts to mark the occasion.  But the Biggest news is the opening of the 90 odd million pound Titanic  Belfast Centre.  Now PastieBap.com hasn't had a chance to go yet but we will be there at the end of the month and we'll be giving our opinion on whether its been £97 million well spent.  But I have to say that the buzz surrounding the opening was phenomenal.  It was all over the social media and world wide; the news papers were spreading the news. I personally am excited to see what it's like and I'm excited for Belfast to get such an impressive looking building.  It certainly makes my train ride into work that little bit better looking and it's a welcome addition to the port of Belfast.  The rejuvenation of the Titanic Quarter as a whole has been a breath of fresh air for Belfast and securing these sorts of monies can't have been easy especially during this recession. I feel it firmly secures Belfast as a world class city and an excellent holiday destination for anyone visiting for the UK or world wide.  In fact we like the building so much we've put it in our banner!  Come back at the start of May for our full write up.

Titanic Belfast

Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Picks!

These are our top picks from the upcoming Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.  There is a lot to choose from however so go and have a wee look for yourself.

Tickets

 

Tickets

Tickets

Tickets

Tickets

Wonder Villains new single out today!

The wonder Villains have a new single "Ferrari" out today. As you'd imagine it's a wonderful slice of sing-a-long-a (anti)pop music filled with sprinkles and hundreds and thousands.  Also bundled with it are Calgary 88 and Marshall.  All 3 are worth a listen, especially if your into your winter Olympic anecdotes or songs about cars.


Ferrari on Itunes
Ferrari on Spotify