“Brilliant music, beautifully made”
— Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music
Winner of Best Live Act at the NI Music Awards 2019, Sister Ghost is the project of Derry based artist Shannon Delores O'Neill. With a background playing in bands from the age of 12, O'Neill saw Sister Ghost as an opportunity to do things her way for the first time. She began writing and demoing in her attic – singing and playing everything herself on an 8-track recorder.
Playing noisy, spectral art-rock with a pop & literary heart, Sister Ghost marshals a diverse set of influences in a singular way – from the 'Seattle sound' to the likes of Sonic Youth, Veruca Salt, Patti Smith and Kate Bush.
She has been recognised for mentoring and encouraging other female & non-binary musicians to perform in the Northern Irish scene, having also set up the Girls Rock! NI chapter in 2016.
Sister Ghost has had press in The Guardian, garnered high profile support slots with We Are Scientists, Ratboys, Shellac, Pussy Riot, Petrol Girls, Fontaines DC and Le Butcherettes as well as airplay on BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 1.
“Big guitar lines, big hooks; I'm obsessed!” Gemma Bradley, BBC Radio 1
“Absolutely massive!” Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1
“The future of punk rock” Hot Press Magazine
"An independent force; a defiant artist" CLASH Magazine
“One of the most gifted songwriters to come out of the North in a long, long time” Stephen McCauley, BBC Radio Ulster
"Like Joan Jett, Donita Sparks, and Joe Strummer rolled into one"
Pure M Zine
"Tense yet hook filled, Sister Ghosts sound is a breath of fresh air on the garage/punk scene. A blistering meld of Sonic Youth meets Sleater-Kinney and that’s something to be very excited about.''
The Last Mixed Tape
"With Sister Ghost you can hear echoes of Sonic Youth, early nineties discord stuff. It’s just classic indie rock with no mucking about."
Steven Rainey, BBC Radio Ulster