Raising The Bar

Around the time when Feargal and the boys got their first Teenage Kicks back in your parents’ era, it’s been as clear as the inside of an empty whiskey bottle that musicians in the north were, at times, absolutely brilliant at producing ear-gasm inducing sounds but were also utterly balls at business. Even over the last decade or so, bands with an abundance of potential such as the Debonaires, Yakuza, Scheer and more were ultimately nobbled by a lack of knowledge when it comes to navigating the shark-infested waters of the music industry and we’ve lost countless talents who gave up the ghost due to constantly banging their heads off that ever-solid brick wall.

Enter stage right Third Bar Artist Development. Founded by Davy Matchett and Gary Lightbody (from some group called Snow Patrol, you might have heard of them) the duo have joined the battle to redress this balance and for nearly two years they’ve most certainly been making a marked difference in the lives of acts such as A Plastic Rose, Axis Of and more.
“Gary decided he wanted to invest time and money in helping to develop the music industry in Northern Ireland and the artists from here,” recalls Davy, when we ask him about his company’s inception. “He wanted to aim bands at whatever level they are at, from helping them source rehearsal space to touring and releasing music and he asked me to run it with him.”
Operating from an office in the Oh Yeah Centre (which is another organisation that the enterprising Mr. Matchett co-founded) Third Bar’s roster of acts include The Wonder Villains, The Jane Bradfords and Desert Hearts, and while Davy admits that his company can be picky when it comes to who they take under their wing, everyone gets a fair crack of the whip when it comes to his time.
“We are very choosy about who we invest in, but we offer advice to every single band who ask for it,” he offers. “I spend one day a week meeting new bands and answering their questions. By way of an example, most bands want to put out a CD and do a launch show. I will ask them ten questions exploring why they want to do this and try to encourage them to think differently. Are the songs strong enough? You want to print 500 CDs? Do you expect to sell 500 CDs? Have you any idea how many gigs you will need to do to sell 500 CDs?
“Good music is good music no matter what the genre,” he continues. “There are some genres that I know precious little about but I’d hope to know someone else better placed to assist. I do not go out looking for a pop act and think, ‘Oh here’s a chance for me to make a fast bit of cash.’ Third Bar is all about artist development.”
While Third Bar is a time-consuming affair for all concerned (in fact Matchett had to retire his label Only Gone Records – which released one of the north’s best singles in many moons in the form of ‘When Jackie Shone’ by Cashier No. 9 – to devote all his time to the project) it’s clear that he loves nurturing new and established acts and adores nothing more than trying to help them take things to the new level.
“I love music and people,” he concludes. “When I was at university I was helping bands at gigs and my last boss told me that he could see my eyes light up when I talked about music. There have been so many highlights since starting Third Bar. I am a massive fan of the radio so there has been no better feeling than hearing [BBC 6Music] Steve Lamacq introduce The Wonder Villains as his new favourite band. I am very fortunate to be doing what I love.”

For more information on Third Bar Artist Development visit thirdbar.co.uk