Belfast-Born Paul Archer Delivers an Anthemic Love Letter to His Home City
Photo: Dan Donovan
When it comes to making music, delving into personal storytelling isn't easy, but Paul Archer has done just that with his stunning single ‘Belfast (Place of My Soul)’. Taken from his current album Art, the track came about during a quiet overnight shift at a children’s home over in Cambridgeshire, where a wave of homesickness sparked a sudden urge to write about the true heart of his hometown.
Rather than leaning into the usual headlines of division, Paul set out to celebrate the warmth, humour, and sheer resilience of the local folk. He didn't just write about the community; he brought them right into the room with him. Recorded at Start Together Studios inside Belfast's Oh Yeah Music Centre, the production features an incredible array of local talent. You’ve got Good Vibrations icon Terri Hooley, Snow Patrol guitarist Nathan Connolly, and songwriter Iain Archer lending their talents, while choral backing from Belfast Metropolitan College students gives the whole thing an extra bit of oomph.
Rather than leaning into the usual headlines of division, Paul set out to celebrate the warmth, humour, and sheer resilience of the local folk. He didn't just write about the community; he brought them right into the room with him. Recorded at Start Together Studios inside Belfast's Oh Yeah Music Centre, the production features an incredible array of local talent. You’ve got Good Vibrations icon Terri Hooley, Snow Patrol guitarist Nathan Connolly, and songwriter Iain Archer lending their talents, while choral backing from Belfast Metropolitan College students gives the whole thing an extra bit of oomph.
From the moment the song kicks off, Paul’s vocal delivery has real depth to it, and you know you’re listening to someone writing about their own real-life experience. He delivers his lyrics with an authenticity you simply can’t fake. The hook is wonderfully anthemic, and I reckon it would sound absolutely fantastic played live on a festival stage with a crowd singing every word right back at him.
Having honed his craft over decades, from his early days fronting alt-rockers Disreali Gears to his solo work as Burning Codes and his abstract expressionist art, Paul knows exactly how to build a scene with words. That deep musical heritage shines right across Art, where heavy, rockier numbers like ‘Sticks & Stones’ sit alongside the almost country-tinted close of ‘Moving With The Light’.
Having honed his craft over decades, from his early days fronting alt-rockers Disreali Gears to his solo work as Burning Codes and his abstract expressionist art, Paul knows exactly how to build a scene with words. That deep musical heritage shines right across Art, where heavy, rockier numbers like ‘Sticks & Stones’ sit alongside the almost country-tinted close of ‘Moving With The Light’.
With ‘Belfast (Place of My Soul)’, Paul Archer has gathered the very best of his city's creative community to make a record that stands out as not just a love song to a city but an ode to everything positive about it. It’s a cracking release from an artist who has truly mastered his craft.