We had a great chat with Paul Archer about his new single ‘Belfast (Place of My Soul) and the pride and love that he feels for his hometown
Deeply personal and touching on themes like homesickness, pride and the invisible, magnetic pull of home and the ways that the places we’re from shape and mould who we are, new Paul Archer single ‘Belfast (Place of My Soul)’ is a love-letter to the city and the creativity and enduring, fighting spirit that it possesses.
The artist wrote the track when working away overnight, missing his home and feeling inspired to write about the sense of belonging and pride that he feels towards the place he lives. It is a track that is packed full of character and personality throughout, and the love that Paul has for Belfast bleeds from every facet. We love this new release, and had a chat with the artist to find out a bit more about it and how it came together.
Hey! We love your new single ‘Belfast (Place of My Soul)’, what more can you tell us about it?
I am a Belfast born singer and songwriter. Belfast is the city of my birth and a holds a sacred and special place deep inside my psyche and soul. I love it dearly and the warmth of our people. Life continues to throw us challenges as well as our good times but when I return home I feel a sense of peace and of belonging and I observe that this increases with time. It was with this in mind that I wrote ‘Belfast – Place Of My Soul’ while I was working in a Children’s Home in England and I was on a night shift sleep in when Belfast came flooding into my head.
What was the process like putting it together?
I thought about how I could most appropriately and responsibly communicate and record the song and got in touch with good friend Jon Moorehead at Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast and I explained to Jon about how I really wanted to record at home and work with local musicians and friends old and new. Jon suggested Jonny Woods from Belfast band R51 engineer the session at Start Together Studios which are located within the Oh Yeah Music Centre (my project Burning Codes had the privilege and honour of having been asked by Gary Lightbody to play at the opening day of Oh Yeah and I was honoured when Burning Codes music was used in the Oh Yeah Music Centre Opening Day documentary). When I contacted Nathan Connolly of Snow Patrol, Terri Hooley (Good Vibrations / Undertones – “Teenage Kicks”) and my brother Iain Archer (Grammy nominated songwriter) they all very kindly agreed to be involved along with Paul Kane of Oh Yeah and the students from Belfast Metropolitan College.
What were your biggest influences when creating it?
The city of Belfast my hometown, the warmth, resilience, creativity and spirit of the people desptite the struggles of the past.
How has the city impacted your work and your sound on the whole?
I was a child of the ‘troubles’ and witnessed my city and people move away from the negatives of the past towards a path of peace and reconciliation. Some years ago a friend remarked about the way I play guitar and sais that I had “the Belfast downstroke”!
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I just played the Titanic in Belfast last Saturday which was fantastic. Next up its the Atlas Music Venue in Cleethorpes on the 22nd August 1916 followed by the mainstage event at Peterborough Beer Festival on the 26 August 2026. I am also working on a new album at the Nave Studio in Leeds.
