Cream of local musical talent sees Galway Going Coastal

A handful of collaborative local music festivals have taken shape in Galway over the last couple of years – and the latest is the most ambitious of its kind.

Going Coastal is a five-day programme of emerging and established acts with various links to the ‘western edge of Ireland’.

Though this year’s line-up is relatively Galway-centric, the plan is to expand geographically and incorporate promoters from all parts of the west in the years to come.

Going Coastal began on November 15 and will run until this Sunday, November 19. Covering ten venues across the city, it features events facilitated by twelve promoters, including Free House, A Modern Movement, Ar Ais Arís and Strange Brew.

Among the acts on their respective bills are the likes of Adore, Search Results, Maija Sofia, Tracy Bruen and Rob Rua.

“I think the connection is the underappreciation it gets nationally and globally,” Free House’s Jake Tiernan says of the western edge of the country.

“What we’re trying to do is give a platform to not only artists but also promoters. When we say the western edge, I have a band from Dublin playing but they’re on a Galway record label and I’m a Galway promoter.

“It’s the entire music ecosystem in this part of the country which maybe isn’t too interconnected at the moment but part of what we’re trying to do is connect it more.

“This year it’s a pretty heavy Galway focus on the festival but that’s because we’re keeping things simple in year one, doing what we know how to do and spreading it out from there. Hopefully next year we’ll tie in that whole part of the country a little bit more.”

Pictured: Adore who will be playing Free House on Thursday night.