Leeside’s best and brightest young bands - Uncorked at The Everyman

“I don’t think we really understood how many people saw Uncorked the last time, how many people were interested by it, and how what we were trying to do resonated with them.” So says Dan Sheedy, guitarist/vocalist of Cork rockers Skies Behind, and co-organiser of Uncorked, a showcase event featuring Leeside bands on the stage of the iconic Everyman theatre on MacCurtain Street.

Following its debut last year as a once-off event that packed the grande dame of the city’s upcoming food and drink quarter, and put young Cork bands like Mossy, Skies Behind and The Flavours under the spotlight, the event has returned for a second annual edition, and Sheedy is excited at the prospect of the city’s music community taking its place in the venue’s annual calendar.

“We were on the fence about doing it again. We have a lot going on with ourselves, and the Everyman in particular really pushed us to get it going. We put out an open application for bands to apply, this was the most fair way. We could have picked a lineup, and it would have been a fantastic lineup, of bands that we really love, but it might have been a bit too closed off, like people were friends with, and we didn’t want to have that bias. We want this to become a thing for Cork musicians.

“The response from the musicians, from the bands who wanted to play it, was phenomenal, and as soon as we went live on the Everyman website, tickets started going, so that’s really, really exciting, it’s so great to see the enthusiasm that’s there.”

This year’s lineup sees Skies Behind joined by Glanmire indie-poppers Iris, hard-gigging dream-pop outfit The Cliffords, session-friendly indie outfit Staff Party, and reverb-happy youngfellas Pebbledash. It’s an overview of some of the current Leeside generation’s hardest-gigging, busiest bands, and aside from being a much-needed excursion in front of an audience that perhaps goes beyond the city’s regular nucleus of gig-goers, it’s also an indicator of the current health of its scene, material challenges notwithstanding.

“It’s unbelievable,” says Zoe Callanan of Iris. “Most of the bands who have played [the previous year and the upcoming edition], we definitely would have known, and are fans of, I think it just says a lot about the togetherness of the Cork music scene and how everyone’s aware of everyone. It’s such a nice little community. Given the amount of bands that are playing, that just shows how vibrant the current Cork scene is.”

The Everyman’s reputation precedes it, of course — the aforementioned stage occupies a central role in the cultural life of the city, having played host to everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Cha & Miah. As its post-Covid remit has expanded to include a healthy variety of community events and workshops all year long, Uncorked is a perfect fit for a venue that’s helping shape the local cultural scene in many ways, as well as facilitating it.

“I really appreciate the support that we get from the Everyman, and the trust that we get from [director] Sophie Motley, and from everybody else there, that they really believe in this event,” Sheedy says. “They’re so responsive, in terms of working with them, they’re so professional, when you’re going through contracts in the early stage, and you have a few questions about, say, insurance, it’s bang, straight away, y’know, there’s no dumb questions.

“You can call me a promoter, but I mean, we’re very DIY, but they facilitate everything so well and help us make this night as special as we believe it should be, and they are totally bought in as well. That they believe in what you’re doing adds so much credence to the event itself. You don’t get a lot of bad things on the stage at the Everyman, and I think that’s for a very good reason.”

“Myself and Zoe were talking about how our bands have only kind of existed for roughly a year,” says Staff Party frontman Jamie Kierans. “Our first gig was a year and a few months ago, and Iris’ first gig was less than a year ago. So we kind of looked at the journey we’ve been on, which is somewhat around the same time; playing in Fred Zeppelin’s, playing in the Spailpín, playing in Cyprus Avenue, and then we’re going to play the Everyman which is just mad, it’s mad, like.

“It’s also a place I’ve never gone to see this type of music. I’ve been to the Everyman for, y’know, a musical, or for a theatre production. I don’t even know if I’ve ever seen music there. The idea of playing a historical and iconic venue such as this. Like I think we’re seeing it as both like an honour and a bar to meet, a challenge to rise to, which is really cool, and I can’t wait.”

The Uncorked Independent Music Showcase happens on Monday, September 18, at the Everyman Theatre, MacCurtain Street. Doors 7pm, tickets €15 from venue box-office and everymancork.com.