Culture
21 Jul 21

Track of the Day: Kate Nicholson - 'Street Lamps'

Growing up a mile from music festival Glasgowbury, Kate Nicholson is an artist born and raised in Northern Ireland’s rich musical community.

Sperrins native Kate Nicholson recently released 'Street Lamps', with a powerful accompanying video landing last week to celebrate the new track.

Currently based in the North Coast, following spells in both Belfast and Australia, the musician - who also works as a GP - was immersed in song and scene from an early age. Having worked in a music shop and in the famous Empire Music Hall in Belfast during university, Nicholson heard the late Rab McCullough and his outstanding Blues band, Ken Haddock, and visiting singer-songwriters such as Lisa Hannigan.

The second single to be taken from her forthcoming debut album, Fallen From Grace, ‘Street Lamps’ is an emphatic case in point. Doubling as the next chapter of an artist swiftly on the rise, it’s a harmony-laden, alt-pop gem, inspired by Americana and artists such as Tom Petty.

Sealing the deal on the track is production from Mojo Fury frontman and solo artist Michael Mormecha, who brings out the deft nuance of Nicholson’s sound.

Speaking about the single, Nicholson said, “'Street Lamps' is a song about new beginnings and hope. It begins talking about the disappointment of a dream and a life somewhere or with someone falling flat when you weren’t expecting it to. And finding a whole new world of possibilities in a new city.”

The video features fellow 'Mothers in Music' participant Aishling Mccormick, who has worked on Disney's The Lion King and Hans Zimmer. She choreographed and starred as the lead dancer for the video.

Also featured are Northern Irish dancers Michael McEvoy, who is also recognised in Joshua Burnside's video for 'A Man of High Renown', and the talented Maeve McGreevy.

If you pay close attention you may be a short cameo by a heavily pregnant Nicholson near the end. Filmed and edited by Richard Lavery and Martin Price from Accidental Theatre, the video was set in Belfast on a sunny day atop the Oh Yeah Music Centre. The location ran both the Mothers in Music projects and the Women's Work Festival.

Interestedly, lead dancer Aisling McCormick is also pregnant at time of filming, so it is an appropriate celebration of the Mother's in Music project, and a rare sight to see this representation in dance.

Check out the new music video for 'Street Lamps' below: