U2 star recalls the rise and fall of showbands
In Ballroom Blitz, on RTÉ1 on Wednesday at 9.35pm, he explores how a dark, oppressed Ireland was ripe for a social and sexual revolution and, as Elvis Presley and the Beatles filled our radios, young people in parishes all over Ireland established their own showbands and took to the road in their thousands.
Clayton, 64, documents the rise of showbands as they inspired a church-dominated 1950s Ireland to embrace a new modern world of music, fashion and pop culture of the 1960s.
Ireland had its first modern music stars as more than 600 showbands packed out over 1,000 ballrooms nationwide.
We also hear about the demise of the phenomenon.
As original folk and rock acts performed in licensed hotels, halls and cabaret venues, the ballroom industry was on the slide and, by the late 1970s, after the Miami massacre and the rise of licensed discos, showbands endured a painful demise as ballrooms faded into rubble, apartment blocks, and carpet showrooms.
Clayton embarks on a passionate, personal journey to explore how showbands played an integral role in the development of an Irish music industry that today is a global powerhouse, influencing the future cultural journey and musical careers of many Irish/UK acts including The Beatles, Oasis, Dusty Springfield (Mary O’Brien), and The Smiths.
Future icons like Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher plied their trade in showbands.
As some critics eyed Irish showbands as merely ‘human jukeboxes’, Clayton discovers they were a vital part of a wider social and cultural narrative.
At a time the Catholic Church held power over sexual ‘morals’, showbands created an opposite effect. Usually a 7 or 8 piece with powerful horn sections, they interspersed waltzes, Irish music and jazz with ‘pop’ hits of the day, as they entertained young, hungry audiences at a time Ireland had no music radio or television.
In a country where contraception was illegal, young men and women viewed the weekly socials as a chance to dance and romance with the most popular acts playing up to seven nights a week.
Guests on Ballroom Blitz include Phil Coulter - pictured on the cover of TV Week - Eileen Reid, Jim Lockhart, Bob Geldof, Linda Martin, Paddy Cole, Derek Dean, Aonghus McNally, Barry Devlin, plus DJs Tracy Clifford and Ronan Collins, fashion editor Deirdre McQuillan and Charles Hendy (Mary Wallopers).
App?
