The Mick Lally Theatre
8pm November 17th
Tickets: €15
TICKETS: LINK
Doors at 7:30pm
As part of the Going Coastal festival, The Black Gate presents Maija Sofia in The Mick Lally Theatre.
Maija Sofia
Growing up semi-feral in a landlocked part of rural Galway, songwriter Maija Sofia’s childhood solitude instilled an early devotion to storytelling. Detangling the weirdness, joy and bewilderment of existing, her music alchemises both the intimate and the overwhelming into striking singular songs. Living nomadically between various places and writing mostly at night, Maija’s lyrics channel nocturnal moments of late-night revelation, carrying a dark folkloric edge and the wistful romance of new wave pop. Paired with a preference for analogue instrumentation and off-kilter arrangements, her sound recalls the innovative worlds of Aldous Harding and Kate Bush or the experimental folk of Shirley & Dolly Collins.
“A real timeless quality is rare in so much of modern music, but the delicate timbre of Maija Sofia’s music is impossible to ascribe to particular moment. She doesn’t occupy an easily identifiable space – there are few genres which could accurately pinpoint her sound – and the ease with which she weaves grand tales of mythos into short and delicate folk tunes suggests a true finesse. Her subject matter is seldom trivial – abuse, mythological stories, feminism and loss are considered with a confident serenity.”
– Andrea Cleary, The Irish Times
Going Coastal is a festival of contemporary original music featuring young, emerging and established acts from the western edge of Ireland. It takes place over five days, from November 15 – 19, across nine venues in Galway City and includes events curated by The Black Gate, A Modern Movement, Free House, Strange Brew, West Coast Punx, Gash Collective, Ar Ais Arís, Rough Cut, Yawlag Collective, That’s Life, Genuine Irish and Livefeed.
The aim of Going Coastal is to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable vision for independent music on the western edge of Ireland… one that supports emerging artists, celebrates local music heritage, and connects artists, promoters and enthusiasts from across the region.
Going Coastal is funded by Galway City Council and the Galway City Creative Ireland Programme, with support from the Galway County Creative Ireland Programme and Flirt Fm.
Going Coastal is presented by Not Bad & The Black Gate.
For more info, and to stay in the loop, visit www.notbad.ie
