Tom Gee - Belfast: A Moving Musical Love Letter to the City

By Chris Kennedy | Published 29th August, 2026

With a growing catalogue of original material and an ever-expanding audience, Tom Gee is steadily carving out his place as one of Belfast's most engaging independent artists.

Bringing together heartfelt songwriting, melodic charm and a genuine passion for connecting people through music, Tom has become a familiar face on Belfast's live music scene. Alongside his own performances and collaborative projects, he's also the man behind the Sunflower Sessions, a showcase celebrating both emerging and established artists from across the city.

Now, with his forthcoming EP set for release in November 2026, Tom is entering another chapter in his musical journey. The EP promises more of the honest songwriting and understated warmth that have become central to his sound.

Before that arrives, however, we get Belfast - and it's arguably his most personal song yet.

Belfast Is a Song About Life, Loss and Finding Hope

Opening with just a couple of delicate piano notes, Belfast initially feels almost conversational. A steady beat soon enters, giving the song a gentle pulse before the arrangement gradually begins to build.

It's a slow-burner, with Tom allowing the music to grow alongside the emotions contained within his lyrics. What starts softly and intimately becomes increasingly powerful as the song progresses, giving the track a real sense of movement without ever overwhelming the story at its heart.

And there's plenty of story to tell.

Belfast reflects on Tom's first four years living in the city, looking back on the highs, lows and unexpected moments that have shaped his life there. There's even a little humour along the way, with the song opening with Tom's tongue-in-cheek bemusement at Belfast's seemingly endless supply of churches.

But beneath the lighter moments lies something much more profound.

Tom doesn't shy away from discussing periods of mental health struggles or the devastating experience of miscarriage. These are difficult subjects, but Belfast never feels like an attempt to manufacture emotion. Instead, the honesty of the songwriting makes the track feel incredibly genuine.

Ultimately, the song finds its way towards something far more hopeful with the birth of Tom's son.

That gives Belfast its emotional punch, but importantly, Tom doesn't frame the song as a straightforward journey from darkness into light. Life isn't that simple, and the song understands that.

Instead, Belfast sits comfortably in the grey areas - the uncertainty, grief, confusion and difficult moments that exist alongside happiness, hope and love.

It's a song about finding your feet in a new city, dealing with experiences that can completely knock you sideways, and gradually discovering reasons to keep moving forward.

A Belfast Song With Plenty of Emotional Weight

Musically, Belfast keeps things relatively understated, allowing the lyrics to do most of the heavy lifting. The gradual build works particularly well, giving the song an emotional momentum that mirrors the story being told.

Belfast-based artist M Alexander provides the piano, while Sarah McCreedy adds backing vocals. Tom Gee and George Sloan co-produced the track, with recording taking place at Half-Bap Recording Studios in Belfast and mastering handled by Joel Harkin at Aye Sound Mastering.

The result is a warm, carefully constructed arrangement that gives Tom plenty of space to tell his story.

Final Verdict

The combination of intimate storytelling, warm melodies and a gradually expanding arrangement gives the track plenty of emotional depth, while Tom's willingness to explore both the difficult and joyful sides of his life in Belfast makes this much more than a simple city song.

The single, Belfast, is available through all streaming platforms.

Photo Credit: Tom Gee