By Jane Corscadden
Copyright belfastlive
A Belfast woman organised a festival in memory of her music figure dad five years after his death. Lyndon Stephens was a well-known artist manager, label boss and booker in Belfast, and as founder of Quiet Arch Records and Champion Sound Music, helped numerous artists grow their careers. He was credited with breaking several emerging Northern Ireland acts to an international audience. He passed away on January 10, 2020 , following a lengthy battle with illness. Tributes poured in from Northern Irish musicians, including NI Music Prize winners Joshua Burnside, Ryan Vail and Ciaran Lavery, whose careers Lyndon had helped throughout the years. Now, his daughter Chloe Duffy and her step-mum Lisa Flavelle-Stephens have organised a music festival , Lyndonfest, which brought artists Lyndon worked with over the years together for a gig in his memory. It took place on Friday, September 12 at the bandstand in Ormeau Park – close to a memorial bench in tribute to the music figure. Speaking to Belfast Live about the event, Chloe said: “It’s been something in talks for quite some time. My dad passed away just before Covid in January 2020, so it’s taken quite a long time for us to get together, obviously as we couldn’t have any events for so long. Now, with the music scene in Belfast booming again, it felt like the right time. “For me and my step-mum Lisa, it felt really important for us to showcase a lot of the artists dad managed and give everybody an opportunity to pay some thanks to him. “That’s what we felt we were able to achieve by also raising money for a charity that was really close to us, Marie Currie Hospice, which is where dad spent some time just before he passed.” As well as the event being a poignant moment for musicians to pay tribute to Lyndon, Chloe said the location was important for them too. They are hoping the event can become an annual celebration of the local music scene. She explained: “It was really quite special to have everyone together. The event location was very special too, as my dad lived close to Ormeau Park for most of his life, it was somewhere he would walk and cycle quite actually. He has a bench there as well dedicated to him, quite close to the bandstand, so the location is very important. “We wanted to show the location could be used for other events like that, but it was especially important for the artists because it meant they could perform and pay tribute to him. It was a family friendly event too, so it was nice for everybody of all ages to be able to attend. “It was nice to get support from the Council as well, the event went really well, and we’re hopeful it’s something we could potentially do annually.” If you would like to donate to the fundraiser for Marie Curie Hospice, you can do so by clicking here. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
