My Venues. Yours?

The BUTTON FACTORY is my favorite venue for live music. It has been in existence barely a year and in that space of time much has changed. Formerly the venue was known to all as the TEMPLE BAR MUSIC CENTRE. The changes brought about by last year's renovations have been radical and the sound quality is now much better. Previously the seating was uncomfortable, it now has quite relaxing furnishings for punters to enjoy. Furthermore there is a much more welcoming atmosphere generated at the venue, giving fewer and fewer reasons for people to complain.

Mc GONAGLES was a haunt of mine around the late 1980's in DUBLIN and they had a series of Saturday afternoon gigs (known as 'Live @ 3') specially suited for teenagers. The excitement of its cavernous interior along with the whiff of danger it provided plus the ear splitting volume enticed me to go and seek out this 'Parish Church', like many of my vintage no doubt. Along with 20 ballrooms in IRELAND, and the CAMDEN BALLROOM in north LONDON, an IRISHMAN by the name of BILL FULLER owned many venues globally. He died recently in the US (in his 90's) and was probably comparable to BILL GRAHAM (notorious US Promoter). FULLER also owned Mc GONAGLES and succeeded in making a fortune from operating venues across the US and beyond.

Another powerful PROMOTER, and also IRISH, is VINCE POWER. He started off by acquiring THE MEAN FIDDLER club in Harlsdon (North LONDON) and the name has become a strong brand name, as well as making POWER a millionaire. EAMONN DORANS is a great club in DUBLIN's TEMPLE BAR district and plays host to many newly formed bands. It is a showcase venue and I would imagine it is the perfect place for A&R people to frequent in the city. The toilets are to be avoided though.

But the doyen of DUBLIN's pub venues is probably WHELANS a place untouched by the excesses of glamour, it is intimate and holds a charm that few other music forums can compete with. You'll not always get top artists playing there every night but it never fails to warm hearts. Not a place to be ignored, they have now added an extra upstairs venue for more gigs to be accommodated. The Wexford Street venue is the beating heart of roots orientated music in DUBLIN.

Other venues of note here include: The OLYMPIA THEATRE (Dame Street), JJ SMYTHS (Aungier Street), The CRAWDADDY (Harcourt Street). The LOWER DECK (Portobello) is a place where I suspect all the staff have been issued with complimentary Hearing Aids due to the soaring decibel levels they have to endure. All manner of Underground/Garage/Punk/Metal/Noise bands are regularly featured in that venue - its a haven for anyone who enthuses about live music.

DIY music venues are growing in popularity and the latest such place to come under the CHRONICAL's radar is tucked away in affluent south DUBLIN, DEANSGRANGE to be precise. It goes by the name of the 'HIDEAWAY HOUSE' and is literally a residential dwelling run by a Punk collective where bands come to put on gigs. On a recent visit I was met by some of the people organising the 'gaff' (mostly aged under 25) who are very motivated and local Indie/Punk musicians are always welcome. The ethos is entirely positive and admission is usually very reasonable. I'm a big fan of collectives and the whole DIY culture. For fans, by fans so everyone benefits.

That concludes my round up of, what I believe, are some of the best venues on offer at the moment in DUBLIN. You may differ in your choices but that reflects the vibrant, exciting times for music in our capital city currently. Long may it continue.