I’ve spent 11 years writing about and documenting Irish music, with an emphasis on Dublin, my hometown and capital city.
The music scene has changed a lot in those times, not only from the industry side: with the revenue in flux, streaming music changing the landscape and a greater emphasis on the experience that can’t be downloaded – the live music and club scene.
An increase in bands and artists buoyed by the possibilities that digital access affords has lead to a varied music scene no longer anchored by a monotone stream of singer-songwriters. Dublin’s music scene and the acts playing it represents an embrace of sound, a widening of the net, an exploration of the possibilities.
Nialler9 in association with Absolut came together to talk to the people who work in music and the people who promote, play and make it, about how they feel the music made here. There’s a sense of energy brewing once more. Dublin’s small size makes it a perfect place to play. You get to know other musicians and promoters. Artists cross-pollinate and collaborate. No one genre exists in their own bubble as in a city this size, especially at a festival like Metropolis; the possibility two bubbles can intersect and form a more interesting place, is never far away. A sense of collaboration and size means the prism of Dublin’s music can be discovered with ease.
In this video by Allen Kiely, we talked to the likes of Loah, Bitch Falcon, Le Boom, Homebeat, Ruth Medjber, DJ Deece, Hidden Agenda, DJ Sally Cinnamon, Kelly-Anne Byrne and Bantum.
We got a sense of how a city collaborates, influences, intersects, builds community, energises, grows, makes spaces and places for magic to happen.
The leading city lights mentioned by the assembled include Cinema, Yamamori Tengu, Metropolis, Saint Sister, Girl Band, Wastefellow, Damola and Akora.
Music is by Le Boom – ‘What We Do’
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
Am I wrong or was there not one mention of a DIY space or venue in this ad for Absolut that is being masqueraded as documentary? Surely those spaces are the heart and soul of what has allowed all of these bands and artists to grow, develop and play to those crucial initial audiences? Someone mentions DIY ethics but there is nothing in that video that highlights the places where that culture exists or is allowed to grow. The only venues shown are bars or venues with bars that sell Absolut. I was wondering why Metropolis was given a special mention at the end and of course after a quick look on the Metropolis site I see Absolut are one of their partners. Again we’re faced with the paradox of constantly being warned of the dangers of drinking and alcohol abuse within the arts while being bombarded with sponsorship and advertising like the video above from Absolut which completely sidesteps a great deal of what goes on within those artistic practices that is not about drinking culture.
Hey Chris,
Absolut had no editorial say in the video. I identified a range of people who represent Dublin music, talked to them and we built the footage around their answers including Metropolis. It’s as simple as that.
Absolut paid for it so got sponsorship of it.
You talk of DIY spaces and venues, which ones? There are currently none who do what you say due to construction, legal restrictions, lack of funding. So no-one really talked about DIY spaces inspiring them because they don’t exist unfortunately right now.