Big weekends for Cork club scene
Originally starting downstairs in the Pavilion in 2008, Not How, When has also been hosted by venues such as the Kino, The Triskel, Gulp’d and Crack Jenny’s over the years. They have now come full circle back to the original Carey’s Lane venue, which is under new ownership after a new fit out by Benny McCabe. The three DJs and vinyl collectors involved are all long time passionate music stalwarts of the cork music scene, and Sonny Emerald, Flukey and JL Razza have also taken their night to numerous other venues and parties around Ireland, including Onla and the Bierhaus in Galway, Backwards Limerick, Hang Dai in Dublin and Vantasival too. They’ve also done Red Light radio Amsterdam and shows at the Dynamic Range in that City.
International guests at Not How When have included Tako Reyenga (Music from Memory), Andi Hanley (Body and Soul New York), Balearic Mike, Lewis Copeland (Vinyl Junkies London), Abel Nagengast, Jan Schulte and Phil Mison. Their weekender is free and runs Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend upstairs in the Pav. Starting at 9pm each night, the Not How When crew once again welcome back Abel Nagengast for his third visit to Cork. He was the co-founder of one of the world’s best record shops, Red Light Records in Amsterdam, and he is also co-founded the brilliant Music from Memory label. He’s done some great edits in his time and he currently co runs the acclaimed Surfing in Kansas label.
The Sunday evening continues with another big treat for music fans, as Satoshi Yamamura joins the Not How When crew for another long music session. Satoshi is a DJ who’s record collection is a diggers paradise; an oasis of rare releases, unfamiliar artists and dusty grooves nearly lost to the world. Expect an eclectic mix of music that may include boogie, wave, snyth pop, disco and jazz fusion plus lots more. Satoshi works in the acclaimed Rush Hour records in Amsterdam and is a regular on the festival circuit in the Netherlands, playing Lente Kabinet and Strange Sounds from Beyond.
The Not How When! weekender is a welcome throwback to time when many of Cork’s best music gathering used to happen on the long weekends. Things have changed but maybe this newly introduced February Bank holiday weekend will inject some positivity into a club scene that is trying to get off the ground post pandemic. There seems to be a lot of good techno activity and in fairness there’s a good few passionate DJs and promoters trying their best to get other nights off the ground too.
Obviously, things were much easier in the 90s and weekenders in Sir Henrys and in venues like the Metropole with Telefunkin’ were commonplace. The festival scene wasn’t as established back then, and clubs were much more dominant than late bars, which came in during the Celtic Tiger. In the early 2000s things changed a little and I noticed that much more people started picking and choosing the nights they went out to more carefully. These days a Bank Holiday Sunday doesn’t necessarily equate with a busy Saturday but things may change and it’s good to see so many people still trying to run parties. There’s lots of passionate music fans in Cork still.
A quick mention for two other parties that are taking place in Cork. On February 12th the annual Gala events Valentines Ball takes place in Vienna Woods hotel, and I’ll be taking care of the music. A black and white tie event, this event is always a big celebration of multiculturalism (and romance!) in Cork, and it will be hosted by Amanda Neri. Tonight Irelands r&b and soul star Erica Cody does a free show in Cyprus Avenue in association with Cork’s RedFM, and tickets can be got by registering in advance on Eventbrite.
