BBC Introducing Live

BBC Introducing LIVE returns to the Festival for a third year, showcasing unmissable performances from our homegrown music scene’s rising stars.

This year’s line-up includes Introducing supported artists Mount Palomar, Esmeralda Road and Becky McNeice.

Introducing LIVE, BBC Introducing’s flagship music discovery event, is held annually across the UK over the month of October. It features live performances, workshops, open mic and open deck sessions, as well as feedback centres and networking events to help support emerging musicians and creatives, and inspire the next generation of music industry talent. Previous artists to play the BBC Introducing stage include Ed Sheeran, Raye, Sam Fender and Wet Leg.

Mount Palomar

Mount Palomar is Belfast-born producer and live artist Neil Kerr, one of the UK’s most forward-thinking voices in electronic music. Within months of launching the project, he played Berlin’s legendary Berghain, a relationship that saw him return four times in his first year, culminating in a peak-time slot on the club’s iconic Pride weekend main floor.

Since then, Mount Palomar has become known for his genre-blurring productions and high-octane modular synth–driven live shows (complete with live drummer). Consistently championed by BBC 6 Music, Palomar’s last four singles all landed playlist spots, each holding strong on the station’s B-List for weeks. His forthcoming EP, ‘Feeding Frenzy’ showcases collaborations with Karla Chubb (Sprints), Enola Gay, Makeshift Art Bar, and Pip Blom.

Esmeralda Road

Esmeralda Road are a five piece Indie-Jazz band from Belfast. Formed in 2022 as Moonboot, they won the 2023 NI Music Prize for debut single ‘To U’.  After a name change, the band released ‘I Think’ in March 2024, showcasing a more mature sound. It gained popularity from a smart Tiktok campaign. They joined Brògeal on tour before going on to support Liam Gallagher on his Irish stadium dates in Limerick and Belfast. Late 2024 saw them release singles ‘Esmeralda’ and ‘7 Tune’. Esmeralda Road took home the 2024 NI Music Prize ‘I Think’ which has now amassed over 200,000 streams.

Becky McNeice

At the crossroads of alternative pop and mainstream sensibility, Becky McNeice represents Ireland’s new wave. Distinctive, heartfelt, and with an ear for glitter-littered lyricism, she blends Pink Pantheress/Biig Piig-style breakbeat-pop with her own hyper-pop-friendly addictiveness. As both an artist and producer, Becky is carving a unique space, crafting emotionally charged sounds that are sonically cutting-edge.

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