Topman looking for a local band to play at their secret gig in Belfast on 25 June

Victoria Square has been filling out its empty units over the last few months, with a raft of eateries opening last month, and now Topman opening on 12 June with 6,000 sq feet of space alongside “its sister store Topshop”.

I do love their PR blurb:

“Entering the store you are greeted with views of an elegant glass atrium, whilst an escalator leads you to the Topman level where espresso coloured wood panelling set against black gloss and tonal grey ceramics create a masculine aesthetic.”

Look out for the “faux animal skin wallpaper”, the testosterone enriched aftershave and the “accessories and shoes ... housed in Bauhaus inspired structures that compliment their surroundings”. (At least one part of that last sentence was made up.) Sounds like the venue for the next Belfast Flickr meet-up!

Anyway, to “celebrate the opening of the new store” and to generate lots of good publicity, Topman are hosting a secret gig at 8pm on Wednesday 25 June.

They’ve already booked a couple of DJs - Rigsy and Jonny Tiernan - along with Jape to play on the night. But they’re still an act short and are looking for a local emerging band to play on the night.

Bands can hand in demo CDs (max. three tracks along with contact information) to the store between 12 and 19 June, or send them direct to Topman Competition, AU Magazine, 56 Bradbury Place, Belfast, BT7 1RU.

Tickets are available from www.topman.com/belfast

One final inspirational thought from Topman’s MD:

“We are extremely excited to be bringing a Flagship store to Belfast and Victoria Square is the perfect location to showcase our wide variety of trands. We wanted to make Belfast as directional as possible, the new store will not just be a place to shop but will be a real hub for contemporary design.”

So there. If you’re feeling young, musical and directional, don’t forget to head down to Topman.

I think I’m too old and square! But it was one of the less begging emails that arrived in AiB’s inbox seeking to exploit local blogs for publicity, so it deserved an airing.