The Old Town Project Album Launch - Musicians Against AI
One title. A room full of musicians. And a rather wonderful reminder of what happens when real people make music together.
What started as a creative stand against the rise of AI-generated music has grown into something much bigger. The Old Town Music Project has brought together an unlikely and brilliantly varied collection of musicians, sparked new collaborations and friendships, and reignited a bit of creative fire along the way.
On Saturday 7 November, that growing musical collective comes together in the beautiful surroundings of St Joseph’s Church, Sailortown for the launch of The Old Town Album, as part of Sound of Belfast.
The line-up features Charlie Hanlon, Vera, Microtonal, Eve Belle, Aqua Tofana, Brendan Kerr, Donal Scullion, Blackjack and Jai Sian, with more still to be announced and Cormac Neeson and California Irish taking on house-band duties. And what a wonderfully mixed bag it is. Folk meets indie, rock rubs shoulders with alternative and experimental sounds, different generations collide and musicians who might never ordinarily share a stage find themselves playing on each other’s songs. It all came from one ridiculously simple idea; give every artist exactly the same song title “The Old Town” and let them loose. What came back was anything but the same. Each songwriter brought their own memories, people, places, experiences and musical personality to the title, creating a collection of entirely original songs that demonstrates just how gloriously unpredictable human creativity can be.
Those songs have now become The Old Town Album, recorded at Big Space Studios in Analogue Catalogue with Darragh Tibbs producing, California Irish as house band and Declan Legge mixing.
As AI-generated music raises increasingly difficult questions for musicians around creativity, ownership and the value of their work, The Old Town Project has become an impassioned celebration of the people behind music. Not just the songwriters on the front of the record, but the musicians, producers, engineers and whole community that helps bring music to life.
The album will also help support ANAKA Women’s Collective, adding another important strand to a project that has become about much more than the record that started it.
Expect collaborations, unexpected musical combinations and plenty of glorious human imperfection.
Saturday 7 November 2027
St Joseph’s Church, Sailortown
Doors 7.30pm | Music from 8.15pm | £12 + BF
Real people. Real stories. Real songs.
#ThisOldTownIsReal