2023: What a year it’s been for music in Cork
Mossy have played at the Opera House’s Green Room, a space for intimate gigs.
If the pleadings of the city’s great and good are to be believed, ‘a city rising is a beautiful thing’. There’s sharp contrast then, between the perpetual mirage of the proposed Cork Events Centre, with all that it promised initially; and the reality of now multiple waves of young artists that have established themselves, and called the city home, in the span of time that’s elapsed since the first sod was turned on its South Main Street site nearly eight years ago.
This year has seen our city’s emergent generation of musicians demonstrate what a city rising really looks like, away from the realm of lofty promises and wider thinking seemingly stuck forty years in a past that, frankly, is simply never coming back.
We saw it in the second Uncorked showcase, with members of Staff Party literally hanging out of the stage of the Everyman. We saw it in I Dreamed I Dream’s EP launch at the Opera House’s Green Room, a celebratory affair that saw a multi-generational audience congratulate the five-piece on a milestone in their brief existence.
We saw it at Glounthaune’s Upstart Festival, where Kane’s Basement staked their claim in the middle of the village where Cathal Coughlan hailed from. We’ve seen it across The Pav’s midweek night Blame It On My Youth, where your writer was impressed by the prowess and precision indie-pop five-piece Iris.
We saw it the Friday night of the Jazz, when punk-rockers Idiot made this writer’s eardrums rattle in his head during their Simon Community fundraising efforts, and we’ve seen it in the ongoing and intriguing story of improv collective Endlessendless, welcoming young musicians from all over the genre spectrum to collaborate and make music for the moment.
We see it in ongoing successes - where the touring and hard yards of now-established bands like Pretty Happy and God Alone have paved the way for the likes of Skies Behind, Cardinals, and The Drive to do the same, and bands like Pebbledash and Mirrors at their heels.
In the hands of bands like these, the city’s eclectic and idiosyncratic sonic legacy becomes part of an exciting future - one that happens in spite of increasingly alienating visions of a future Cork city pockmarked with the wounds of a contracting retail sector, and a housing crisis set to destabilise society further…
Meanwhile, the rash of Cork-music comebacks that began amid the crisis continued apace, with bands venturing back onto stages, writing new material, and sharing space with generations of musicians walking along paths of hard gigging and life lessons that they helped set…
The big comeback story of the Covid crisis was the return of Leeside shoegazers Emperor of Ice Cream - and having finally constructed a debut album from demos and remnants of older material over the course of the pandemic, the release of newly-written singles early in 2023 presaged a well-attended reunion gig in August at Cyprus Avenue, a fitting signoff for a real feelgood story in some of the darkest of times for music in modern memory…
On a nineties dream-pop note, the return of Flywheel over the course of the pandemic crystallised into regular gigging and the release of new material, with the band’s first EP in decades, ‘You’ve Seen a Lot’, seeing them pick up in the present, and subsequent singles forming the basis of a set at this summer’s Upstart Festival. Guitarist Kieran Curtin has been keeping busy outside of the band - making appearances in psychedelic improv collective Spirit World Rising…
The past few years have seen anniversaries come and go, and a wider sense of appreciation further forming, for the music of Cork’s early-eighties post-punk scene, specifically the bands on the Kaught at the Kampus EP, reissued in 2022 via Reekus Records with bonus material. Ricky Dineen (Nun Attax, Five Go Down to the Sea?, Beethoven) and Liam Heffernan (Mean Features, Glenroe) are set to move into the future with post-punk duo Big Boy Foolish - debut LP ‘Stall the Ball, Stall the Ball’, is due for release in January…
A Cow in the Water have also been steadily gigging and releasing records in the years since their reunion - single ‘John Creedon’ was a tongue-in-cheek love letter to RTÉ Radio 1’s Leeside evening institution and his eclectic playlisting…
The Jazz did its usual huge numbers on the October Bank Holiday weekend, with hotels around the city at capacity throughout. Programming-wise, the usual mix of core jazz names from around the world and casual crowd-pleasers saw the likes of Amaro Freitas and Bixiga 70 mingle with the likes of Macy Gray and Corinne Bailey Rae - but arguably the highlight was the debut live appearance from Dublin/Waterford doom-folkers ØXN, headlining at the Everyman with a rough-and-ready set that mixed tunes from almighty debut LP ‘CYRM’ with a surprise Billie Eilish cover…
National promoters MCD and Aiken have spent the past few years vying for casual punters with big-name events at Musgrave Park and Live at the Marquee respectively, but with the latter’s longtime home on Monahan Road earmarked for development, some assumed that the trademark tent wouldn’t be visible on the docklands next summer, following a season that included Christy Moore, Bell X1, and a retiring Rod Stewart.
A December announcement from Aiken, however, confirmed that the 19th annual instalment of the Marquee will take place at a nearby site in the area in 2024. And while its faithful are no doubt happy with the confirmation of major names like Gavin James, Christy Moore and The Coronas, questions were raised among punters about the possibility of newer faces amid the event’s regulars, while the continued matter of its long-term home remains relevant in the face of further dockland developments…
Over at Musgrave Park, big names like the Chemical Brothers, the Prodigy and Florence and the Machine wowed longtime fans, while a surprise booking saw avant-pop sensation Caroline Polachek open for The 1975, and casual fans packed in for Paolo Nutini and George Ezra. 2024’s edition of the gigs seeks wider audiences again, with the likes of Blondie, Sting, Picture House, The Waterboys and Take That taking to the stage at the Leeside rugby institution next summer - but there’ll arguably be no star brighter than pop sensation Cian Ducrot - a Corkman born and reared, rocketing to a headline stadium slot off the back of social-media and streaming success…
Culture Night was in as rude health as ever this year, with over a hundred cultural activities on the night in September, including a showcase of electronic music at City Hall courtesy of the Electronic Music Council, demonstrations of traditional Irish music and the Javanese gamelan in Hollyhill, and a night-time programme of music at the Crawford Art Gallery…
Sounds from a Safe Harbour led the festival agenda upon its return in September, including gigs from mainstream indie names like Feist, Wilco, and Bonny Light Horseman, a side-project of festival collaborators The Dessners. Amid a labyrinthine programme packed with storytelling, performance, theatre, film and conversation, musical highlights included Leeside noisemakers Pretty Happy premiering new material, with Dublin noise-rockers Spit in very impressive form on opening duties; Elaine Malone, launching debut album ‘Pyrrhic’ in a triumphant full-band gig; and a special session at Live at St Luke’s featuring concertina virtuoso Cormac Begley and collaborators…
One festival taking a break in the new year will be Mitchelstown weekender Indiependence, after a 2023 edition headlined by Anne-Marie, The Coronas and Editors - organisers announced in a December statement that the festival was taking a wee break for the 2024 festival season, so organisers and promoters could get a breather after the past few years, including Covid-era spinoff gig series Autumn Air, and fundraising for the live music sector amid venue closures…
The city’s DIY festival scene continued its post-crisis flux in 2023: while modern-day folk festival Quiet Lights elected to take a hiatus for the year, instead collaborating with the likes of Sounds from a Safe Harbour and lending its endorsement to the newly-founded River Runs Round weekender, the return of Quarter Block Party after a Covid-era hiatus brought music and conversation to the city’s smaller spaces in early summer.
Your writer was blown away by Fermanagh improviser Róis, taking traditional music and forms and bending them into stark, intense new shapes; opening for Limerick alt-rockers His Father’s Voice, plying an evocative, engaging songcraft. An afternoon gig featuring Elaine Howley and Maija Sofia was a highlight at Coughlan’s, while neurodivergent rapper Craic Boi Mental played a rare city-centre gig at the Opera House Green Room, taking a victory lap in the festival finale after US and UK touring, and virality at the hands of US rapper Danny Brown’s riffing on single ‘Trans People Are My Friends’ in a podcast appearance…
River Runs Round was a wonderful way for the city-bound to while away the August season, with highlights including gigs from singer-songwriters Rua Rí and Asha, as well as the premiere of Corkman Actualacid’s debut film ‘I Don’t Have Eyes on Him’, a visual accompaniment to gonzo debut album ‘Boredoms 500’ that was as chaotic as the audio it accompanied - one highlight of which was the sight of the artist himself walking the hills of the city’s northside with a Country Clean wheelie bin on his back, similar to Christ carrying the cross to Calvary…
Metal and punk bid a sad farewell to the Relapse Promotions crew as the promoters behind them headed for pastures new - their bi-annual Relapse punk weekender provided a rare moment of focus for the genre in the city across its all-day events, while its metal events at St Peter’s Church on North Main Street provided a rare glimpse at the venue’s potential as a musical outpost. The upside of the latter, though, is that they seem to have given Pethrophile Promotions man Danny Lee the goo to resurrect his Urban Assault all-dayer next year at the venue…
In trad, MusicGeneration Cork City and Creative Tradition launched the debut edition of Féile Fear an Rí this summer, a week of performances and workshops around the city’s Northside, including sessions led by veteran traditional musician and broadcaster Liam Ó Maonlaí at the Kabin, and in the Corner House. A second edition has been announced for summer of 2024…
Cyprus Avenue’s 2023 saw them continue their expansion after extending the main room just prior to Covid; personal highlights of your writer’s include gigs from Irish-American trad fusionists The Olllam, a thrilling set from Dublin noise-rockers M(h)aol, and appearances from longtime heroes Therapy? and Bob Mould. Side-venues Wavelength and Winthrop Avenue have continued to host gigs, while the adjacent One One Five café plays host to a weekly alcohol-free jazz jam… The gradual return of Cork City Hall to the regular contemporary venue rotation is a welcome surprise, including the aforementioned Culture Night showcase, with this past December seeing The Good Room supplement their Live at St Luke’s gigs with a season of headliners at the city-centre landmark, including the likes of Kneecap, The Scratch, Shampain and Bell X1…
Cork Opera House’s main room continues to plough its furrow of crowd-pleasers, legacy artists and tribute acts, but opening up the former Half Moon Club at the side to small gigs as The Green Room has provided a much-needed outlet for smaller gigs in the city, including the Seanie Buttons Presents residency that’s been an important point of convergence for all manner of subterranean sounds in the city, mixing international headliners like Mount Eerie and Bar Italia with the emerging local scene, from Ana Palindrome and Inchworm, to the aforementioned Flywheel and Mossy, among many others…
PLUGD Records is still doing small instores at its Coal Quay locale - highlights have included the regular Cork Improvised Music Club gigs, events from the DOSE collective, and the fundraising night for Medical Aid for Palestine. This aspect of the record-store survivor’s ongoing remit has cemented its importance to the city’s cultural life amid a shortfall in venues. Other tiny venues include Maureen’s Pub on Upper John Street, a charming, sitting-room sized bar hosting trad sessions, spoken word, storytelling and singing workshops; and the Marina’s Rebel Reads bookshop/arts space, a community-led and collectively-run outlet…
The Corner House has also become an unlikely small-venue story, with promoters Gliogar Ceol hosting weirdo/psychedelic-adjacent business monthly alongside its nightly trad sessions and regular blues residencies… On the topic of folk, Coughlan’s continues to run an active line-up of folk, Americana, country and rock across its indoor and outdoor stages; while An Spailpín Fánach continues to balance its downstairs trad sessions and singing clubs with heavier gigs upstairs, including the likes of Titus Andronicus and Big Brave this year - with the latter still requiring promoters to supply their own PA and engineer…
The Pavilion threw its doors back open under new management - nestling alongside cinema screenings and the spectacle of Rebel City Wrestling is mid-week showcase gig Blame It on My Youth, run by Craig Mullane of local math-rockers Daz-Gak!, keeping it lit for moshers of all stripes, and a regular rotation of Leeside-based club nights steeped in the city’s DJ culture… Thanks in no small part to the Herculean efforts of promoters like Dead Cult and Fuzzy Pockets, and a fervent Tuesday open-mic night, it would most likely take some sort of post-apocalyptic scenario to threaten the survival of rock/metal outpost Fred Zeppelin’s…
The Roundy also hosts gigs from Fuzzy Pockets on the regular, but seems to have ceded its once-essential position in local music to multiple stand-up comedy gigs per week these days… the Crane Lane Theatre still musters intriguing gigs throughout the year, including an acoustic set from Dublin pop queen CMAT, and the Cork Reggae and Ska Festival, alongside its regular club nights and cover gigs… Conway's Yard, a new superpub off Oliver Plunkett Street trialled original music programming extensively throughout the year, being booked by Sean deFaoite (ex-Cyprus Ave)...
A final shout-out to the Kabin in Knocknaheeny - a good spot for people of all ages to both learn and make music - they're now also hosting all-ages gigs for young music fans in a historically disadvantaged part of the city…
