Stephen Rafferty, Ria Maguire, Winnie Ama, Dark Tropics & Charlie Hanlon
Later with… is an intimate live performance music show featuring an eclectic mix of local established and new musical artists, with a focus on showcasing the fabulous wealth of original bands, musicians and artists on our very doorstep.
Boasting five musicians/bands, each with a distinct style, performing within a small audience, with no stage or platform to elevate the musicians, they play within the audience creating an intimate and personal live music experience. Join us this Christmas for our 2nd Edition of ‘Later with…’ as we’re joined by resident Newcastle musicians Stephen Rafferty and Ria Maguire together with young Downpatrick based Charlie Hanlon.
They’ll be joined by Belfast based musician Winnie Ama and her band with NI Music nominees Dark Tropics. The evening will be hosted by Matthew Grainger will be introducing the bands and conducting interviews. So join us for a truly unique evening of live music and interviews in a relaxed and intimate setting with a fully licensed bar. One not to be missed!
Band Bios
Stephen Rafferty
Following on from the huge success of his debut EP - Blinded By Darkness, Newcastle resident singer/songwriter Stephen Rafferty has gained almost hero like worship locally with his sell out shows in Newcastle, Belfast & Manchester. His unique style and voice has gained notable attention nationally, so much so he was recently selected as the winner of the Youth Action Northern Ireland ‘Next Big Thing’ competition. The nationwide competition focused on finding the very best in upcoming musicians across N.Ireland with the ultimate prize being put to the public vote with Stephen taking home the coveted prize.
Stephen’s debut album, set for release later this year (2022), hopes to develop new sounds and styles of playing and is set to feature seasoned musicians such as Marty Galbraith, Paul French, and Brian Willoughby to feature alongside emerging talent such as Cora Kelly.
Stephens music can be found on streaming sites such as Spotify, Apple Music & Amazon Music
Ria Maguire
Ria Maguire has been living and breathing music and song since her school days. Her first public performances were solos in The Waterfront and Ulster Hall, and her life has been a music-studded journey ever since.
Ria’s soul-filled voice and songs have taken her to many areas of the globe – from Thailand to Tennessee and many places in between – and the imprint that she leaves with her audience is always the same. She connects. Being compared to the likes of Adele, Eva Cassidy and some of the Soul greats, “Ria has a quality to her voice and performance that can make you miss people you have never met, break your heart and be happy it happened. She can walk the line of melancholy with just the right amount of hope”.
Multi-instrumentalist and lifelong friend, Bridin Wells joins Ria on stage today to create some stripped-back versions of existing and new original material, with one or two covers of more familiar songs thrown in for good measure. Get ready to be musically soothed.
Winnie Ama
Winnie Ama (She/Her) is part of a new breed of electronic artists blending conscious lyrics, soulful alternative RnB vocals with dance, house and pop rhythms.
The Belfast born and raised Northern-Irish-Ghanaian artist has had success with multiple MusicWeek UK Club Chart top 10’s and support from, RTE2FM, FM104, BBC Radio Ulster, with BBC Introducing Gemma Bradley referencing her fresh writing style and distinctive voice.
Winnie Ama’s writing style is inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse. She switched from writing poetry and stories to writing music. Then she studied jazz vocals before making her commercial music debut in 2019 writing 3 songs in collaboration with Francis Groove that made the top 10 in MusicWeek’s UK Urban/Black Club Chart - Can’t Wait #1, I Swear #7 and Born to Win #6. She also appeared in Photo Vogue in 2019. Her solo debut ‘What Are We’ was in MusicWeek’s Black Club Chart for 6 weeks, peaking at number 11. In 2022 she has been the resident artist for the Cathedral Quarter Arts
This year, she opened Macy Gray’s Cork show and you’ll find her performing at Latitude, Fervor and We’ve Only Just Begun festivals and live across the UK, Ireland and France.
Dark Tropics
The formation of Dark Tropics was inevitable. Drawn together by a bond that stretched from Ireland to Morocco, musicians Rio McGuinness and Gerard Sands found common ground in the form of Radiohead, Aretha Franklin and The Velvet Underground. Armed with the influences of William Somerset Maugham, Paul Aster and John Cooper-Clarke, the pair formed a partnership- one that relies equally on instinct and guile.
Their creative vision has bore fruit with timeless, cinematic, pop-noir. Powered by analogue instruments and retro recording techniques, their music sways and breathes and its themes are everywhere - the burning highs of lust, the fragility of heartache, the sting of betrayal and defiance in the face of pain. A meld of contemporary and classic, individual and universal, the scope of Dark
Charlie Hanlon
Charlie Hanlon is a 17-year-old songwriter and performer. He is savvy with the big chorus and the unforgettable tune. His 2021 release, ‘Kid’s Today’ was a breakthrough moment, the arrival of a teenage contender. This will doubtless continue in 2022 with the smartly-produced throwdown that is ‘I Lost Myself’.
Charlie has supported Bronagh Gallagher at Whelan's in Dublin and is set to support fellow Downpatrick stars ASH at a homecoming gig in the Ulster Hall, Belfast this December!