Plan B, David Anderson tribute.
Words by Chris Jones.
Plan-B, The Freebooter Lounge and 5th Element NI to celebrate the life and legacy of late DJ and mentor David Anderson with fourth annual tribute event
On Friday, January 30, Plan-B and The Freebooter Lounge will welcome some of the Belfast electronic music scene’s most exciting and creative artists to 5th Element NI for an unforgettable night celebrating the life, passion, and legacy of David Anderson.
A much-loved DJ, mentor and founder of the seminal underground music hub Hairy Bear Records – a crucial source for likes of David Holmes, Iain McCready and Timmy Stewart – in the 1990s, David continues to inspire a diverse range of artists and creative instigators, four years after his untimely passing in January 2022.
The forth annual David Anderson Tribute Night at Plan-B brings together a stellar line-up of artists – those that knew him best over more than three decades of creative energy, and those who were encouraged, inspired and mentored by David in his later years.
The three-room event takes place at Belfast-based charity 5th Element NI. Room 1 will feature performances from two Plan-B stalwarts and consummate DJs across a wide range of electronic music, both of whom knew and loved David over many years: headliner GING (Gary Glendenning) and Ibiza veteran Ric James, who will open with a three-hour support set.
Room 2 stands as a vivid expression of David’s support for grassroots musical projects. Always hungry for new sounds, he would doubtless have been inspired by the work of Visions of Light, who will perform DJ set.
A three-piece outfit comprising Freebooter Lounge founder Simon Sheldon – DJ and producer Nik Muzka, and musician and composer Dan Dub Lounge, their sun-kissed, Balearic-inspired productions have found favour with Ibiza-based label NuNorthern Soul, which released their debut album The Mandala Vortex in July 2025.
Visions of Light will be joined in Room 2 by Venus Dupree (Claire Hall), a DJ and event organiser (God’s Waiting Room, Oh Yeah Music Centre) whose uplifting, disco-fuelled sound will close the room in flamboyant style.
In Room 3, David’s steadfast belief in community and collaboration will be reflected in a special live performance from two of Plan-B and The Freebooter Lounge’s breakout artists – Deep Division (aka Stevie Overend) and Klark Bent (Feargal Clarke). The two electronic producers will present a two-hour collaborative set blending their impressive collections of musical hardware with live bass guitar and saxophone from Dan Dub Lounge (Visions of Light) and Laura McGrath respectively.
Later, individual sets from both Stevie and Feargal will keep Room 3 moving until closing time.——–
Plan-B took shape in October 2021, when David and his long-time friend and collaborator Aidy McLaughlin decided to turn Sunday Service, the online electronic music community that David had founded during the pandemic, into a real-life party.
The initial idea was to arrange a meet-up at a Phil Kieran-promoted A Love From Outer Space event, but when that was cancelled, David and Aidy needed a ‘plan B’. And so the story began.
While a number of Sunday Service regulars knew each other in real life, most did not, and so Plan-B was an opportunity to turn an online community into something more tangible. Friendships and relationships blossomed, collaborations took shape, and over the last four-plus years, Plan-B has become an unstoppable force for a generation of music lovers who had felt there was nowhere left in Belfast for them to go out and dance with like-minded people.
Aidy explains: “Plan-B has brought people out of the kitchen discos and back on a dance floor, and it has been life-changing for many, with a real sense of friendship and community.”
From 5th Element NI’s original home in an atmospheric former masonic hall in South Belfast to its new city centre location, there have been many highlights over the last few years. Landmark sets from some of Ireland’s biggest DJs, including David Holmes, Phil Kieran, Billy Scurry, Caoimhe and Timmy Stewart, will live long in the memory, but so will the countless opportunities for local talent to perform in front of one of the most energetic, passionate and knowledgeable music communities on this island.
In the words of David Holmes, “It’s everything a real club should be.”
A true creative community has grown out of it, with Plan-B events so far raising tens of thousands of pounds for 5th Element NI, a charity that uses hip-hop culture to make Northern Ireland a better place. Affiliated with Plan-B, The Freebooter Lounge, run by Simon Sheldon, provides an outlet for creativity in terms of mentoring artists, releasing on its label, and running events as far afield as Ibiza, Amsterdam and The Golden Lion in Todmorden, England, as well as at home.
Meanwhile, sister event Sunday Circles is a relaxed, intimate daytime party taking place each month at Muriel’s bar in Belfast city centre, with an eclectic mix of resident DJs and guests from the community.
“Every single thing that we do at Plan-B and within 5th Element NI is a tribute to Davey,” Aidy adds. “All the money that we’ve raised from all the events over the last four years has made its way back into the charity.
“That legacy has contributed towards running workshops for young people, introducing new artists into music, helping them through the whole journey of production, releasing music, giving them event support and also aligning them with artists who can help support them.
“Freebooter has been a significant part of that – Radio 1 plays, 6 Music plays, 18 artists playing in Ibiza for the first time ever. No one’s ever done that before.”
That event in July 2025 saw Plan-B and The Freebooter Lounge host a three-day showcase across Akasha and Word of Mouth on the White Isle, joined by over 130 revellers travelling from home. According to Simon Sheldon, “It was truly an unforgettable few days for everyone involved.”
The David Anderson Tribute Night at Plan-B on January 30 will coincide with the release on The Freebooter Lounge of Mr Anderson, a new three-track EP by Deep Division, with sublime remixes from Visions of Light and Klark Bent.
Stevie Overend, the producer behind Deep Division, was mentored and championed by David, and his beautiful, moving track is a fitting tribute to a departed friend. When it was debuted at Word of Mouth in Ibiza last year, it received a rapturous response on the dancefloor.
Check out the release at thefreebooterlounge.bandcamp.com and for more news, reviews and updates checkout https://freebooterlounge.com/