I was in Dublin city centre this morning for the first time in 12 months. The last time I was there was to see Jane Willow perform in the Cobblestone Pub on February 29th 2020. I never, not for a moment, thought things would turn out as they did. I was looking forward to a year full of gigs and excitement. I think we all know how that turned out. After doing what I had to workwise, I took a spin around Dublin before I headed home. I drove by the aforementioned Cobblestone Pub , the Voodoo Lounge , The Grand Social , The Workmans Club , The Sugar Club and ended up outside Whelans . I've had great nights out in each of those venues and in many more around the country! Dolans of Limerick, Crane Lane Theatre and Kino in Cork, Odd Mollies in Drogheda, the Moat Theatre in Naas, the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan, Visual in Carlow... The list goes on and on. 2017 and Helmet played Whelans. There I am partying with them after the s
You'll probably have noticed a lack of posts here over the last few months. Like most places around the world, the live music scene here in Ireland has been decimated by the COVID-19 Pandemic. March, April and May were spent in lock down. Three months in almost isolation. It was tough, but the alternative was a lot worse. I am glad to see the back of it though. So many plans are gone awry though. There are no live gigs, no festivals, nothing... Some pubs have opened, but there are rules and regulations to adhere to and live music isn't high on their agenda just yet. There have been some incredible online gigs over the last few months, but that can't be the future of live music. Also, Gavin James and Hermitage Green have organised Drive-In Tours where punters drive to the gig in their cars and stay in the cars for the gigs. Not a bad idea, but again, that can't be the future. Anyway... I have two gigs left this year that haven't been cancelled..