A fine line

If aliens can pick up radio signals in space, and if these extra terrestrials have less than honourable designs on our planet then, surely, the fact that they have yet to invade can be attributed to just one thing. They obviously tune into Radio Ulster.

An average weekday spent in the station’s company will see an unwary listener introduced to the merry rural maniacs that help make up – if not the audience, then certainly the majority of those that ring in to The Gerry Anderson Show. They’ll then wade amongst the foaming-mouth brigade and recreational demagogues who rage through Talkback, to emerge blinking into Hugo Duncan’s wonderland of truck drivers and Foster and Allen-loving darts players, before coming to rest in the afternoon company of former showband leader George Jones, a man who spends considerable time on air pretending he’s an elderly East Belfast housewife called Sadie.

For 15 years, though, there has been one bright ray of indie light shining amid the gloom of regional dementia and vein-popping, lunchtime polemics. In one form or another, Mike Edgar’s Across The Line has fought the good fight in Broadcasting House to bring a quality, non-patronising youth show to a station with all together different priorities – along the way promoting some of the finest emerging talent (both in terms of broadcasting – ATL gave Uaneen Fitzsimmons her first break – and musicianship) coming out of the North. Edgar’s announcement two years ago that he was stepping back from presenting in order to ‘move upstairs’ ushered in a period of reinvention that, this month, has cumulated in the relaunch of the flagship 8 o’clock show. Evening Session DJ Donna Legge will now take on presenting duties three nights a week, and be joined by Ninebar International keyboardist, Sketchy founder and Belfast social butterfly David O’Reilly, with both keen to stress their appreciation of the show’s legacy!

“We put out a programme at the

end of the year celebrating fifteen years of Across The Line, and it just had everything on there – George Best, Frank Zappa, Eddie Izzard, Michael Stipe,” says Donna. “We asked

Michael McKeegan from Therapy? to do the voice-over for the whole thing, because the show has had a very strong relationship with the likes of Therapy?, Ash, David Holmes and

Neil Hannon over the years. The great thing about Across The Line is that it’s never just been a music show – we’ve always tried to keep our eyes and ears open for anything that might be a bit weird and interesting. Like a couple of weeks ago we ran a package on paganism…“

“I did that,” chips in co-host David O’Reilly.

And are there many pagans in Ulster?

“Loads of them. They are very low-key and underground - spend a lot of time in chat rooms. They’re very, very nice, but, you know, hippies. That’s the thing about Belfast, “ he continues. “Dander about and you’ll see your mods, your Goths, your hip-hop dudes and, so I’m told, your fucking acid techno kids. And your pagans, of course. Great town.”

Donna and David’s show which runs on evenings from Monday to Wednesday, provides the back-bone to an ATL line-up containing Paul McClean’s Sony Award nominated dance show on Thursdays and Stuart Bailie’s soul-mate of Mystery Train that goes out in the wee hours of Friday. Considering that Across The Line was, for so long, identified almost entirely with Mike Edgar, it’s clear that, since his departure, the task of replacing him has been a collective, rather than an individual effort.

“Mike used to put on three records and talk for the rest of the hour,” says Donna. “I don’t think any of us working on the shows have the kind of personality to get away with that. The emphasis will be on playing good records, talking to interesting people and having some fun with unsigned bands from the North and South. It’s going to be very exciting.”

And, according to David, it is the quality of these lesser-known acts that will help ensure Across The Line remains essential listening for anyone interested in new Irish music.

“There’s so much good stuff happening here at the moment, it’s unbelievable. Like Jupiter Ace – that’s genius. Desert Hearts are just Desert Hearts – brilliant. Kidd Dynamo, Panda Kopanda, Wicked, Wicked Cowgirls – there’s so many really terrific bands out there, and we’re in the perfect position to give them some exposure.”

And who knows, if the show really is picked up in space, maybe they can persuade those celebrated girls from Mars to come down and pay us all a visit.