Belters Only just getting started

Belters Only play a huge show in Virgin Media Park (Musgrave Park), on Friday, June 21, and I caught up with the acclaimed dance duo of Robbie G and Bissett for a chat ahead of their visit to Cork. They have made huge strides in recent years and have gone from playing small clubs to huge open air festivals, while keeping the integrity of their music intact. I was really impressed by their overall vision and determination and I came away from the chat realising that they will greatly help take dance music much further outside of Ireland in the next number of years.

Both Robbie and Bissett put in major work as teenagers DJing prior to the pandemic and they credit this experience with helping them make the transition into playing big shows in 2024. With Virgin Media Park following a hugely successful outdoor show in Punchestown, I was curious how they have handled this progression.

“Lot’s of work goes on behind it with our team, making sure everything is right,” they tell me. “Both of us have the same vision, and we have a great crew involved, obviously including (manager) Evan too. We have a lot of pride and passion in what we do, and every aspect of it is taken into consideration.

Robbie elaborates: “We’ve both come up the ranks in clubs so we have seen what to do and what not to do,” while Bissett adds that “to make the shows bigger we need to have the whole production on point, it’s more than just two DJs playing some tunes”.

I chatted in depth to the lads about the ceiling we sometimes impose on ourselves here. It’s clear they remain very modest and determined despite their recent success, and I was particularly impressed by their vision for the future.

“We love it, it’s not work for us. We are in the studio all the time. We are in tune with the community, and are just normal people, bedroom producers who started in our bedrooms like anyone else, and are trying to spread that message that you can be what you want no matter where you are from.”

Robbie and Bissett both talk about “hunger, ambition and determination”, and crucially they see “no ceiling” in Ireland or elsewhere when it comes to success.

The duo have acted on this hunger by creating their own label, We are Active, which is providing Irish young talent with a potential gateway to getting exposure here and elsewhere. It only seems like yesterday when Robbie and Bissett were doing shows here as kids in the likes of the Savoy and SG1, and they are building a platform for the next generation with the label, which is releasing loads of music by some of Ireland’s best young guns.

“We collectively have a vision and wanted to build this pathway for artists to go global through somewhere here, using our guidance and experience, rather than being thrown in at the deep end elsewhere.”

As youngsters themselves, they had to break down the walls by looking abroad, but “we want the scene to grow, it’s not worth it otherwise if that doesn’t happen; for years Ireland has had great talent that has been untapped”.

Evan McGee, Cameron Watson, Josh Dowdall, and Conor Thompson are just a few of the young dance producers who are dropping music on We Are Active, and there is no doubt that Belters Only are both inspiring and guiding the next generation of talent here. Dance music has always been about community and Robbie and Bissett are now making music and friendships with many of those that they grew up listening to, such as MK and Sonny Fodero. Helping nurture a pathway for young Irish kids is an obvious thing to do, but not everyone in their position would have been so selfless.

The rising tide of Irish electronic music has already seen many others make some big strides, and with another of their crew, Jazzy, concurrently making huge inroads on radio and in the charts, it’s looking good for 2024 and beyond.

Belters Only are living the dream right now, and have gone from teenage parties and bedroom beats to selling out the 3Arena and more in a matter of a few years. They are a pair of down to earth hardworking lads who are passionate about music and their show in Cork will be a great celebration of their journey so far.