Episode 6 Out of the Blue

Hello, welcome to the show. Is it any wonder that Wonder Villains are

being kept as our next big thing? They will be playing live later.

One of Northern Ireland's most prolific sculptors is here. Maurice

Harron is making this week's 60 minute masterpiece.

Every time you listen to Will Young, Take That, or even when it Paltrow,

you hear a little bit of her, it is for his coach to the stars, Carrie

Grant. -- a voice coach. Nice to see you. You are now a member of

the one show family. You have been coaching megastars. Everything is

going well. It is busy but it is diverse. It is a good place to be.

And you have got a CBeebies series? Yes, we cover every age group. We

are passionate about day -- about getting good music to be under

fives. The series was a bit of a labour of love. When you are making

a programme, you don't think about it, you just think about making

music. I have been out this year with World Vision, doing nights

colt girls' night out. Why do motivational speaking and sing some

songs. I said at the piano and just play for myself as well.

We will be asking carry later if she thinks anyone can thing. --

Carrie Grant. Yesterday we stopped 25,000 children in a mass choir for

Children In Need. With the success of Glee and The Choir -- Military

Wives, singing his back. -- singing is back.

# Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound... #.

The melodic harmonies of traditional choirs have been

ringing out across Northern Ireland's churches and halls for

decades. Bihar Mandic male-voice choir is one of the oldest in

Northern Ireland. It has been going for almost 70 years. You come

together once a week. Why are you so dedicated? When I was working,

it was a great release. It was great fun coming in for two ours.

It takes your mind off everything. Our numbers are steady because of

the loyalty of the members. Over the course of a year we average

about 12 or 13 concerts and outings. Last year we went to Hungary. We

tried to introduce at least two or three pieces every year and try and

have more modern music but when we go to concerts, the audience prefer

the older stuff. So you are not going to do eight Lady Gaga up

medley any time soon? -- a Lady Gaga medley? You might get some

impersonations at the weekend! Choirs go back as far as the second

century BC, when the ancient Greeks sang Delphic hymns. Ever since then,

choirs have delighted audiences through the years, from Gregorian

chanting to the barbershop quartet. There is a new sound changing all

the rules. All-singing all-dancing, it is high-kicking its way into

Northern Ireland... We used to do choral work and actually lots of

choral festivals. We always listen to what the audiences and members

work. It came into it that we wanted to do more music and shows.

Show choirs have arrived in town with catchy pop songs and energetic

dance routines, and they have captured the imagination of people

who want to sing and dance. It has been popular in America for decades.

The first recorded the club was started in 1787. Extremely popular

at the time, they were eight specific form of English song with

two or more and voice parts. The Newcastle Glee Singers are just one

group capturing this. We are giving kids music they want to hear. We

gave them modern dance which they are in tune with and are familiar

with. You get to meet lots of people and be with them often as

well. All of my friends are there. The made so many new friends.

Gospel choirs, community choirs, gay choirs, male-voice choirs, and

now show choirs. There is a quiet out there for everyone. -- choir.

Years ago, traditional choirs would have stopped to him next but now,

everyone is broadening their horizons. Take it away, boys!

That was a handsome bunch of boys! You would fall for them just for

their voices. Do you think choirs are making a comeback? Absolutely.

Singing has been on the rise of for the last decade. There is every

tide of quiet represented out there. You can pretty much decide where

you fit in and there is something for you. And the Irish do love

singing, all my gosh! -- though my gosh.

Graham and I sing often in the office.

# Don't Go breaking My Heart... #. Elton John must be quaking in his

boots! Now you just have to find out which key you are in! The right

notes, just not the right order. Is it true, can you teach anybody to

think? You can teach anyone to thing. You guys could be taught is

saying, but not necessarily together! -- taught to sing. Not

everyone will be amazing but you would go up -- can be taught to

hold a tune. You have coached big- names like Gwyneth Paltrow, who

appeared in Glee. It must have been hard to get her constructive

criticism? She is the most disarming and amazing woman. She is

fantastic and it made me realise, when people going to the A-list,

they are a whole other League of talent. She was able to transfer

everything as an actress over to her singing. She is lovely and very

humble. She wants to make you a cup of tea immediately. You went to her

house, of course? She is lovely. You are an exceptional singer in

her own right. You have a MOBO. Tell us about that. We did this

project, which we just wanted to do because it was important to us. My

father had just died in Sierra Leone, he was a missionary, and I

wanted to make a gospel amble -- are bum off the back of that

experience. We just made it for ourselves and the next thing we

knew, we were winning a MOBO. It is always good to be recognised.

It has been known as the balls on the Falls. Monique Rise sculpture

rose up earlier this year. -- the Rise sculpture. It has, in for a

shed loads of comment from those who ticket is either a steel

stunner or eight metal monster. -- I work at the West Belfast

partnership. I am standing in front of the Rise, Northern Ireland's

legit -- largest piece of public art. It is positioned at the

gateway of the city. It opened into tempered this year. I love this

because it draws its inspiration from nature. It represents the sun

rising over a new Belfast, the reeds from the bog meadow, and a

dandelion. Public art is important for us. This places Belfast on the

map. We need good public art. It inspires his all and improves our

sense of well-being, and gives us pride of place. This turns its back

on at no 1. It is round and belongs to all of us. It represents the new

Belfast. I am Daniel, an artist based in Belfast. When I look at

the Rise sculpture, it doesn't convince me. I do not believe it

tells us about our past or future. I appreciate some people think it

is an improvement on what there was before but to me, it is simplistic

and derivative and does not stand for anything. I think a lot of

people feel like it doesn't speak to them. Maybe a lot of people look

at this piece and feel like they do not understand it. I don't

understand why we need to spend half a million pounds on a piece of

art like this. I work every day with artists and organisations in

the City who are struggling day-in and day-out and I think we deserve

more. Now you have had -- heard both sides, but with your feet. --

and vote. It is a dead heat. What is it for? People do not understand

what it is for. Visit a football, golf ball? There is no sense in it

at all. It looks like a representation of the Engineering

history of Belfast. It gets people to react. It is a talking point and

that is a good thing. The sculpture is supposed to

represent the sun rising and of course there was a downpour or!

Thanks to everyone for it singing their praises and prejudices.

It is time to put your musical No expense spared on BBC Northern

Ireland! We have four tracks carefully selected from the

extensive BBC Northern Ireland library and we are going to play

all four of them and see how many of them are you can recognise

within the first few seconds. a little respect by a river front

and will stop respect for the singing! At the have a song of

years? Yes, it will be in the summer. This is the second one.

Don't cry for Me Argentina. Another favourite of years. You're doing

well! This is number three. Oh, my husband. I'm missing him now, he's

putting the kids to bed and I am missing Henna. Check-in at in his

big career. I know what this one is! I just know because you've only

got one left and it can only be one thing. Yes, it is! It's just so

terribly bad. Tell us what it is. This is my Eurovision entry for

1983. We do have a clip of you on Have you still got the Shorts!

great legs. I still have the Shorts and buy somewhere have those legs!

What was the Eurovision experience like? We came sex and that is now

so good but at this time, we were so ashamed. I remember I came to

Belfast during the promotion of that and I was 17 years old and

what an amazing place that was. Eurovision still attracting mass of

viewers but it is now more about politics, isn't it? I think it

always was about politics but Eurovision is just a national

treasure, it is wonderful, a chance to get together and love that

everyone which we are very good at. And the outfits. Great having you

here. Belfast has been the side of human

settlements since the Bronze Age. A bizarre civilisation that got by

without nationals or Unionists but it was just 200 years ago that it

really got going as a city. architects, the land in the Belfast

Hills was a great urban canvas they could create great works on but

there was fierce competition. it was high noon for two of the

bright young things who helped build this city. Colin Bateman took

to the streets to see who won. The quadrangle at Queen's University,

the impressive as that of the Custom House. Even the great sprawl

of trees towering over the outskirts of Ballymoney. Very

different landmarks but all the work of one man. This is one of his,

too, the majestic palm house in the Botanic Gardens. Charles was an

architect who was recklessly driven to be the best in town. He sees not

just commissions but titles, too. Lord mayor of Belfast, Conservative

MP and even amounted, all handed in landing the big jobs. One in

pretender to his architectural Crown wasn't prepared to let him

have it all his own way. The pair tussled over at Tower and clashed

over a clock. William Bach was the man who dared take on Charles at

his own game, designing standard buildings for an expanding city.

The king across now, it is hard to imagine that but ins 1800, Belfast

was still small time, only 20,000 people lived here but by 1850, the

number had gone to 100,000 and for a brief period, it over to Dublin.

Belfast in fact in 19 century was probably the fastest growing urban

centre in the whole of the Magic Kingdom. The linen industry to

govern Belfast and this is the Belfast that Charles London came to.

It was a great opportunity for hungry architects so competition

for commissions were really fierce. William Barr was 17 years Charles

Linehan's Junior and he came to Belfast in 1859 from Newry after

the Year competition to build the Ulster Hall. But he was to have a

bruising encounter with his arch- rival before he had even made hand

on a Belfast brick. Ba could only get work by a winning competitions,

he didn't have the connections that London had. From time to time, too

of London was the big man and his battles resulted from that.

Scrabble tower was to be the unlikely location where Charles and

Bach first crossed swords. In 1856, a competition was held to design

and build this monument for Lord Londonderry. Newcomer bard was

declared the winner. But behind the scenes saw the selection committee

was nursed the decision and give the job to London. The official

reason was that Bart's plan was too expensive but the architectural

world felt it had more to do with London's high-powered connections

than anything else. Mannion had stolen the commission from about's

nose. In the next nine years, bard worked tirelessly to put his stamp

on Belfast's skyline, designing a Bryson House and finishing the

Ulster Hall. In 1865 another competition, this time to design

the Albert Clock. Both men entered plans are one. Surely they couldn't

take it away from him again? But they did. Ba was stripped of the

commission but this time his supporters put up a fight in the

press and a selection committee announced a U-turn on their U-turn.

Ba had won this architectural scrap but in the fight to dominate the

skyline, it would only be one winner. After his stints at mayor

and MP, London got his knighthood and a blue plaque adorns his

workplace in Mollington place. The land beside the Waterfront Hall

bears his name pastels part of Queen's itself. William Barr has no

plaques in his honour, no work proclaims his name, he is died of

tuberculosis aged just 37 before the Albert Clock was even unveiled.

While it London went from strength to strength from the Italian

renaissance of the Crumlin Road jail to the magnificent Victorian

Gothic that is Queen's University. Even in death, bar and London it

seemed locked in competition. Both their graves are marked with Barnet

stones carved in the grand style. London's of course this just that

there will be better. He has had 60 minutes of to turn a

lump of walks into something more recognisable. How did you get on?

That is for the audience to say! looks fantastic. This is obviously

entirely made of wax, not what we will be giving to the charity, this

is only the start of making a bronze? Tonight I thought I will

make something along the classical themes, a horse with rider. It is a

craft that has got the 2500 years and I'm using exactly same method.

We will let it dry and fired in a furnace and the works will pour out

of it and in the cavity of the clay, with poor or bronze. So there will

be a bronze... I will give that to pick Children in Need option will

stop you going to Schreiber into the wax for us. I am sorry we

didn't have longer to talk to you, you have done a lot of great public

sculptures in the UK and abroad so good luck. If you fancy getting

your hands on the horse, a all the works made by artists on out Mark

are being auctioned off with proceeds going to BBC Children in

Need. A musical feast this week comes

from a Derry band, Wonder Villains, whose music has been described by

one critic as made entirely of sherbet. This is a massive moment

for you on school because not only are you for from the school in

Derry, this man used to be able to teach you art. How do you react to

hearing your music described as being made of sherbet? Unbelievably

well. People have been using very cool words to describe us. We had

someone describe us as a bag of money is being unleashed on the

stage so we love it. What is it like when you're all living

together? We just live in a big house and it is great! Is a quite

crazy? Yes. You to only finished school in June and you've achieved

so much already. Would you go from here? We just released her first

ever single a few weeks ago and are next on his coming out early next

year so we're really excited about everything. You have even written a

Christmas song? Just for fun! the any particular Christmas

influences? But this Christmas CD and it's every single good

Christmas song. Was a figure one? John Lennon's the war is over.

recorded at Maida Vale, that must have been incredible. Is coming out

Wednesday week on the Huw Stephens Show at midnight, we're really

excited to hear it. We don't have to wait that long to hear from you,

we are delighted. You can hear Wonder Villains Christmas song on

the Huw Stephens Show on BBC Radio 1 on 7th December. Next week we

have the story of the Northern Irish man who has come back from

California to give our animation artists and Holywood burst. Carrie

Neely and covers what makes a great portrait. If all goes to plan,

Irish twins Jedward will be bouncing around here on the service.

As 7:30pm next Monday but for now, here's Wonder Villains and Zola!

Zola! Zoila! Could you be any slower?

Zola's! And captain of this team but I

don't know, I'm going to rip his party.

I know this game was great but I can't say.