INTERVIEW: Lewis Nevin, founder of NuMuze
LAUNCHing their OFFICIAL SITE EARLIER THIS MONTH, we chatted to founder & promoter lewis nevin about all things numuze and the northern irish music industry
What made you decide to set up your own promotion company?
“I wish there was a really cool fun story to this but there isn’t. Walking to college one morning, I came up with the idea that I wanted to start a promotions agency because there wasn’t enough consistent promotion for artists in this country. I found a gap in the market and the way I wanted to format my content wasn’t being done, so I decided to give it a shot. At the end of the day, I had nothing to lose and in my eyes could only gain.”
How does it feel to kick off 2025 with the website launch, and what do you hope it can bring to people?
“It’s exciting and refreshing. A website launch has always been on the cards - it was just a case of how and when. I started designing it a while back and I’m happy with how it turned out. The website is minimal at the moment and I plan on expanding it and adding more features, but at the moment our most important page is the “What’s on?” page. With so many events going on in the local scene it can often be hard to keep track, so this is where this page comes in handy. We post the poster and below it the date, location and price. We then have the posters linked to the ticket website. If anyone has any upcoming gigs then get in contact, we update it at the start of each month.”
What are NuMuze's top 3 missions?
Number 1. “Keeping Real Music Alive”, this is our moto, and the overall motivation for this project - we want to keep real music alive. The days of underproduced, authentic, real music is over, most of what’s on the radio is overproduced and bland. We now live in a world where you don’t even have to be particularly good to “make it” which is madness, because there is so much incredible music especially from this country that most people wouldn’t even give a chance.”
Number 2. “Build a strong community ethos between two music scenes”. One of the goals we hope to achieve through gigs is to mix both the Derry and Belfast music scene together, get Derry bands/artists to Belfast and vice versa. When first starting out as a band it can be very easy to become comfortable in one particular city, playing in the same bars, seeing the same faces every week. We want to change that and give bands from both cities the opportunity to go out of the same four walls that raised them and give them a platform to grow.”
Number 3. “Showcase the best Irish talent”. There is no doubt that this country is filled with some incredible talent. Sometimes that talent isn’t heard or seen because there isn’t nearly enough light being shed on the music scene here, certainly not on an international level. Our end goal is to create opportunities, support artists and promote the best Irish talent.”
What other work do you do outside of NuMuze?
“My background is in music production. I’m currently studying as a music production student. I do a lot of live sound work and some mixing here and there along with some studio work. I also create music myself. Since the age of about 14, I have been producing my own music and releasing it. It has sort of been put on the back burner for now because I’ve been so busy with other aspects of my career, but 2025 is the year I come out with some new material (I said that last year)”
Who are your current favourite bands and artists right now?
“This is a great question, however a hard one to answer because I get sent so much incredible music. I think for the longest time, Lord Jane have been my favourite band in the scene - they headlined our first ever gig and have just been smashing it. Penny’s Band are definitely up there as well, them lads are smashing it, selling out their first headliner in less than 2 weeks is a serious accomplishment. From the Derry scene, I think my favourites at the moment are Foreign Owl and The Suite, two very different sounds but both making incredible music.”
Do you have any gigs or events planned for 2025?
“We have a lot of gigs and events plans for 2025, but it’s all very hush hush right now, definitely keep an eye on our page though, more coming on that soon”
Do you have any tips for bands or artists starting out this year?
“Starting a band can often be daunting because it’s a very saturated market and you often put so much in and get very little out of it. However, my biggest advice to any new bands is, stay consistent and plan ahead. Before releasing your first single, figure out when you are gonna release your next 2 or 3 - there is no point releasing one single and not releasing another for a year. By doing that you are building hype, then just letting it die. Second piece of advice is, set up an EPK/One Sheet. An EPK stands for Electronic Press Kit, which can be in the format of a google drive, website or PDF and it features a biography along with press photos, some of your songs and logos. Third piece of advice is go to other gigs and speak to other bands and musicians. One of the best ways to make connections and get yourself gigs is by just simply introducing yourself and supporting other bands.”
How can people support NuMuze?
“The easiest way to support us is by simply following us, liking our instagram posts, sharing and commenting. Especially if you are a band requesting to be on the page. We are community based and rely on people to support and emailing us saying “we are massive fans of the page, we’d love to be on it” then checking and you don’t follow us nor support us isn’t ideal. In terms of gigs, we understand that not everyone has the money to be going to gigs, if you aren’t able to attend just share the poster for us or tell a few friends. Any support is really appreciated!”
Visit numuze’s brand new site here
STREAM OUR NORTHERN IRELAND PLAYLIST BELOW
Comment submissions or see the contact page for more.
Cobra Promotions is proudly affiliated with DROP ROCKET
