Great Cork music is so much more than just the big gigs
Jazzy at the Marquee: High-profile concerts show us what Cork can be as a music city, but smaller gigs are its bread and butter.
There are rumours that work has either started or will be starting imminently on the Events Centre, and it seems that the big parties involved are committed to the project, which has been delayed for years and years. Obviously, we’ve been down this road before, so many people will remain cynical until it actually opens! But let’s stay positive today.
Walking through the city and chatting to music fans these last few weeks has invariably led to the ‘wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time’ conversations, but there are no reasons why it shouldn’t be like this all the time. The Events Centre is the missing link; we are a great destination for visitors and the big promoters like MCD and Aiken are joined by many more passionate gig promoters and music people who want to make things happen here.
I was working near Musgrave Park in the build-up to two of these events and I live between both Musgrave Park and the Marquee, so I’ve been amongst the shows a lot, plus I’ve attended a few of the Marquee shows. The summer buzz and the (generally) good weather have meant that there has been a pretty decent feel good factor around and while we all have our gripes, the line-ups have usually had something that most fans would at least like to attend. There was one well-publicised negative incident in the Marquee, but it’s the kind of thing sadly happening in the city a lot regardless of gigs, so let’s hope that our streets get busier with music fans rather than trouble makers again.
As I said recently, the big shows are now no longer just music artists and both Aiken and MCD have branched out to cater for a new generation who are fans of what are effectively podcasts. My Therapist Ghosted Me and the 2 Johnnies both had a big musical element too, but both have developed their fanbases through more than that, and it’s a sign of an industry that is changing that both shows sold so well. Add in the comedy of regular visitor Tommy Tiernan and Bingo Loco, and you can see that it’s about more than just music.
The window of opportunity for booking music is greatly limited during summertime. Aiken and MCD do their thing, but ultimately you can only book acts who are on the road in the summer, and many are already committed to music festivals elsewhere in Ireland too. If we had a permanent big venue, we could have much more dates available and we could be attracting the big hitters in October or Christmas or March etc. And we could compete for the summer shows too.
Sza’s two dublin shows could easily have incorporated a Cork one if we had the centre built, and it would make travel arrangements much easier for those travelling from Munster. At Musgrave Park and the Marquee there’s always huge numbers from Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp. Taylor Swift’s much publicised visit to Dublin in 2024 is all over the news due to lack of affordable hotel rooms, but splitting it with Cork would take a lot of this pressure off. Hopefully soon this is what will happen.
But Cork is about more than the big gigs and big promoters and big venues. Our grassroots scene revolves around much smaller venues and artists and gigs that currently do happen 24/7 nearly every day of the year. They may not always be as glamorous, but these are the shows where you will find the next Taylor Swift or Florence or indeed Jazzy, long before they are well known. There’s artists playing on street corners and in small venues right now who have all the ingredients to make it big if they get a lucky break or two.
Cork is a music city and while we wait for the big venue to bring us the bigger shows, we can still support the other ones who are providing a crucial platform for the next wave of our musical talent!
