Oh Yeah Music Centre

I’ve been here for two fundraisers in the past couple of weeks, and the memories are absolutely amazing. The venue is fantastic for live music... intimate, with excellent sound quality that truly enhances the experience. The staff were incredibly friendly, especially the manager, Saoirse, and the sound guy, John, who did a brilliant job. Another nice touch was that beer was served in real glasses... none of that plastic nonsense! The only downside was the nearby car park, which had a dodgy ticket machine. I paid for the time I was there, but now I’ve been sent a £60 fine today. DO NOT USE that car park! Other than that, it’s a top-notch place to enjoy live bands.

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of attending the Belfast Music Tour with Steven as organised by the Oh Yeah Centre. After that, we enjoyed a drink (recommend the Oh Yeah IPA) and had a lovely chat about life and music in Belfast. You can also look at the exhibits and memorabilia of the likes of Snow Patrol, Ash, Divine Comedy, Van Morrison, The Undertones, Gary Moore to name but a few. We did not attend a gig, but it is a great venue with bar and a good size. Keep up the good work! We'll be back.

A nice musical museum + artsy meeting space & studio.

Went here to see Skaar.( Pronounced Score ) We were there early but weren't allowed in until precisely 8pm. Just as well it wasn't raining. There is a small museum with some music memorabilia and a bar and a record shop. The concert was good - very lively and energetic but it is too small a venue for the sound level to be that high. I don't think my hearing will be the same. It was a standing concert too so word up to those have trouble with that.

We went in for the terrific new record shops that is Star Records, which is really really good. But found a place that has great memorabilia from artist like Ven Morriston. Such a lovely place, they had kids doing drawing and it was very welcoming 🙏 Most enjoyable.

Nice venue for live gigs. Bar available and staff very friendly. My only complaint is that there could be more seating available as I have a back problem and had to stand for 3 hours in some discomfort as all seats were taken from before the gig started.

So happy to find this place, with the 6 degrees of seperation on the rock and roll family tree. The rain in 'Belly' is better than Manchester so the music should by right be better, so too the revolutionary spirit ;) I visited Oh Yeah 3 times, the place certainly has a magic to it. The exhibition features real gems, from Divine Comedy, to Therapy, I got really excited about seeing a flyer from a gig I went to and was involved with in a display case, ahh to have collected something culturally significant. Didn't see enough about ASH or Snow Patrol (?). There was nobody during the day to work the bar or serve a coffee, (any excuse to hang out.) The sound engineer was far too much of a tis with cables for a gig, the lady at reception didn't seem to be as enthusiastic about the music and had no interest to chew the fat about music, nobody could tell me about rehersal space or jamming at the venue. They run 'Over the Hill' for older musicians, dare say according to Ed Sheeran fans this is anyone over 30 not 70 or who remember KT Tunstall :D What I am saying is the demographic from 30 & up still values music and wants to get connected. Give me job here I would help bottle the lighting.

Have had a couple of visits here mainly for the record fairs but worth a visit on it's own to soak up and learn about the local music scene. Especially the punk scene.

This is quite an interesting venue. It has so many applications... rehearsal space, offices, cafe, music venue, gallery and music museum. It is great that it exists and that Belfast has stuck its neck out and is trying to make the music center work. Its not really a place that you can just go into and hang out, unlike the Black Box where you can just go into anytime and it not be unusual.... It is now looking the part after having a couple of years of being renovated in stages. I think it serves its purpose pretty well as it is just a new venture and is making baby steps to have more of a presence in the local scene.

The Oh Yeah Centre is the brain child/labour of love of Stuart Bailie, former editor of the NME. Based in the former home of Oh Yeah Records, a punk label from the 1980s, the centre provides a home for local music. Their main aim is to help support and promote the local music industry and they do that pretty well. The range of activities and events it stages is vast. There are gigs, obviously, some of which are aimed at under 18s (something Belfast sorely needed), rehearsal rooms for hire for bands who need space and equipment, a cafe and space for kids to come in, listen to music and hang out, and their crown jewel - the music exhibition. The exhibition basically charts Northern Ireland music from its traditional roots, to modern heroes like Snow Patrol (say what you like about them, at least they're flying the flag!). Recently, the whole thing was expanded and now features video confessionals from civilians like you and me, recounting their favourite gigs, lyrics, Northern Irish bands and so on. The building is also home to small businesses as well, such as Start Together Studios and Small Town America Records - both of which are success stories in their own right and would find it difficult to get city centre premises otherwise. The exhibition is free and open to the public every day except Sunday, so if you have even a passing interest in anything musical, I'd give it a whirl.

Last night Oh Yeah was transformed into a Winter wonderland/ Santas grotto. All courtesy of local suppliers and retailers. They did a fab job!!

Right in the middle of Belfast's cultural area - The Cathedral Quarter - this brilliant music centre is a wonderful location for hearing live music. They have a great cafe/ bar and exhibition space also. There is a wonderful relaxed bohemian atmosphere to this centre and a diverse range of music events all at extremely reasonable prices. Great for an evening out that is just a bit more exciting and interesting than the norm...

I'm a fan of the Oh Yeah Music Centre. Anywhere that supports local arts and music always gets a thumbs up from me and the Oh Yeah Centre has immersed itself in the NI Music scene. The Oh Yeah Centre was recognised as a charity in 2008. Since moving into the building in 2007, they have hosted live events with the likes of Elbow, Gary Lightbody, Tim Wheeler from Ash, Duke Special, Foy Vance, Iain Archer, James Walsh from Starsailor and Lisa Hannigan. Continuing their charitable streak they have worked with organisations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, The Equality Commission, The Prince's Trust, Include Youth, Opportunity Youth, UnLtd and Common Purpose. Industry organisations such as the Musician's Union, PRS, MCPS plus Creative And Cultural Skills have used their facilities. In 2008 The Oh Yeah Centre even released an album, 'The Oh Yeah Sessions' featuring Belfast talent like Cashier No. 9, Panama Kings, Kowalski, General Fiasco and In Case Of Fire. They have staged events for the Ulster Bank Festival at Queens, The Open House Festival, The Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and the Trans Festival and are currently hosting Belfast City Blues Festival. Commendably the OYC has also held a series of outreach programmes- training disadvantaged young people in the fields of music photography, drumming and DJ skills. They also host an indie disco at weekends, one which is on my list to do. I've been here for a Cabaret night which featured bands, belly dancers and circus performers! It was a really eclectic night and great fun. The bar was pretty basic but this wouldn't put me off. A great spot.

Oh Yeah Music Centre should be praised from the hilltops for the excellent work that it is trying to achieve. There is a wide and rich tapestry of high quality local bands that will unfortunately never get the breaks that they deserve due to the isolated nature of our little country away from the rest of the UK mainland. The centre provides a recording environment for local bands and also an area for gigs, which are frequently aimed at under 18s to help get them involved in local music, with Ash a more illustrious recent headliner at the centre! The centre has a wee exhibition area with paraphernalia and memorabilia of local bands and things about the music scene over here which is pretty interesting and is importantly free to see! I hope the centre grows and grows and continues its excellent work in helping local bands get on the radar and become more successful, and hopefully we will see more and more local bands getting the breaks they deserve with the help of places like this.

The Oh Yeah building is a bit of a landmark culturally for Belfast and the wider N. I. music and arts scene. Obviously a labour of love from those who put it together it serves as a one stop workshop/space/hangout for the local music scene. There's so much going on in this place I recommend a good look at their website to get the full picture of all that's occurring. The distinctive red doors lead into a small reception area with the main office and performance space in to the right. It's a white concrete room and there are regular gigs and exhibitions in here. There also is a fine selection of memorabilia documenting the rise of the Northern Irish music scene from folk, through Van Morrison, through the punk scene up to the present day. Very impressive. When I've been at shows here they usually run a little bar in on the left and they do a small but potent selection of beers, wine and soft drinks. Belfast needs places like this so lend them your support. Pros: Great vibe, always buzzing. Cons: A bit tricky to find.

If you're here for a popular band it's not that great for queuing. I've only been once so it might not always be the case but the lighting was really bad, could barely see the band members and I was at the front.

Although I think I know a lot about Belfast, in the side streets and alleys of Cathedral Quarter I may as well be in foreign lands as most of the time I'm completely lost around here. That was until recently when the greatness of Belfast's Culture Night provided an ample opportunity to find my way round the myriad of entries. So I happened across the Oh Yeah Music Centre which opened relatively recently and is a performance venue/music museum/meeting space for the artistically and musically minded amongst us. The performance area is a relatively small space but great for small gigs. The museum covers everything in the city's musical history from the Undertones to Snow Patrol. I will definitely be back here to discover more about the upcoming gigs that will feature here. The Oh Yeah Music Centre is an exceptional space which will add to our ever expanding cultural scene.

great venue, went to a seminar here, and the were accommodating to all. good use of space and well decorated.