Kabin Crew brings 'Sound of the Northside' back on stage with full orchestral accompaniment 

“I think, like, the Kabin at its core, is a sanctuary for a lot of people… no matter what you’re going through, you can just leave your s**t at the door, come in and be creative, and [be with] a group of like-minded people. No matter what walk of life you come from, there’s going to be people there to support you and have your back, because it’s just that welcoming of a community,” says Rosaleen Brady, singer, poet and songwriter, of the Knocknaheeny studio and music facility that’s played host to waves of people (of all ages!) as they’ve gotten about their respective sonic journeys.

As we speak, the youngsters of the gang are getting ready for the second performance of their stage show Sound of the Northside; and Brady, as a Kabin kid herself, is contemplative on what’s made the Kabin such a fulcrum for her own life and creative endeavours.

“I think the Kabin prides itself on having that sense of community where, like, no matter who you are, no matter how old you are, your race, your ethnicity, your religion, your sexuality… you can walk in the doors of the Kabin and be accepted, because anyone who’s ever been in the Kabin is part of the Kabin Crew,” she said. “So it’s this lovely sense of belonging that everyone has, no matter how different we are from each other.

“There’s mutual respect and understanding, and it’s like, ‘this person is creative, and even if I don’t understand their art, I’m still going to support them, and I’m still going to hype them up, because I’d want them to do the same for me’.”

Debuting with a performance at the Everyman in 2024, Sound of the Northside is a hybrid of showcase and theatrical production, featuring the children and adults who attend the Kabin’s workshops as they present some of their original music and spoken-word pieces — around 20 in all. They’ll be accompanied by the Irish National Opera’s orchestra, long-time partners of the Kabin, in performing their tunes — with the orchestra also engaging with the performers to build arrangements to fit the show’s theme.

“When we were provided the opportunity, I was thinking, ‘wait, what is this? This could be something massive’. Like, we’re working with the Irish National Opera, who we did a few collabs with in the past — whenever they were doing a show in The Everyman, we would be in the foyer,” recalls rapper and poet Luke Martin, whose original tune Keep the Vibes Up is an audience-participation centrepiece of the show.

“When Zoe [Ní Riordáin] and Maud [Lee, directors] were showing us the ideas they had for sounds on our side and what we could potentially do on stage, I do remember there being a bit of pushback from people — mainly because when we go up on stage, we’re playing slightly heightened versions of ourselves, but we’re still ourselves at the end of the day, and something this drama-focused was very outside a lot of some of our wheelhouses.

“But speaking personally, I was open to the idea… this was something new, and it was something special. So I was willing to do anything that Zoe and Maud [had in mind], and whenever anyone else had any ideas for stuff they wanted to include in town on our site, whether it’s how they performed on stage, or what their songs would sound like with the orchestra, they took on our feedback, and they made it super-acceptable for a lot of us.”

Brady adds: “I think once we all got up on stage, it was just electrifying. It was a great experience for everyone who was involved, we got a lot of say into what was going on. A lot of our tracks… the orchestral score had our input, like, all over it. For example, I wanted strings in one of my songs, and it’s full of strings. And Darren, MC Tiny, he wanted a lot of brass in his song, and he got lots of brass.

“So the entire process, we had input in everything that was going on, from the orchestral score, to what we were wearing, and I think it made people feel really comfortable, and it showcased how much heart and soul went into the making of Sound of the Northside.”

That comfort, and that encouragement, not only to speak up for one’s self but to see a wider effort and bring your skills, aptitudes, and curiosities to the table — whether it’s a youngster finding their voice or an adult quietly working away and “paying the beginner’s tax” — is central to the experience of being in the Kabin, and part of its crew.

It’s been well-documented at this stage, from film projects like Throwing Shapes and the recently-released Gealtra — charting the facility’s efforts to cultivate the Irish language among its young rappers — to journalistic pieces and social-media posts following the adventures of the Kabin’s regulars, from summer camps to unlikely viral stardom in the summer of 2024 off the back of pop banger The Spark. That ethic, and that effort, is now a generational fixture on the northside.

“It’s a place that’s very cyclical,” muses Brady, when asked about what the Kabin means to her. “I would have started in the Kabin when I was 14, after watching my brother in a project called Throwing Shapes, and that inspired me to start going to the Kabin. I started going, and my brother [beatmaker and rapper Alex ‘Pacino’ Brady] and his age group were the people helping us out, alongside Garry. Then the older I got, we started phasing into the people helping, and then Alex was one of the people working there, so I started to fill in his group’s role.

“A new generation came in, and we were supporting them, and now a newer generation is coming in again, and the younger people are helping them.

“I’ve been going to the Kabin for about six years now. I’ve been doing stuff with Garry as far back as primary school. I’ve been doing weekly workshops with Garry basically, on and off for about nine years now, and the Kabin, where it is on the northside and where it is in Cork specifically, I’m very glad to have a space like that, because growing up on the northside, I knew that I was a lot different compared to everyone else. I’m a nerd, I like music, I like movies and such, but not everyone would be interested in stuff like that.

“Creatively, music is a massive outlet for me, with how I express myself, so whenever I have a bad day, or for example, last year when I was doing me Leaving Cert, whenever I went to the Kabin, it was like, ‘okay, time to just forget everything that’s been going on in my life, let’s just make some music while I’m here’, and sometimes that desire to get away, and that need to just shut off the brain, manifests in the songs itself.

“For people around my age, for people even younger and even older than me, the Kabin, as an outlet for creativity, is one of a kind, honestly.

Back at the Kabin, after your writer partakes in a Wednesday evening with Club Ceoil Knocknaheeny, haphazardly making his way with feadóg and what could be charitably described as sean-nós singing under the patient watch of Glanmire song collector and teacher Sorcha de Róiste, Kabin director Garry MacCarthy — formerly known as GMC, and mentor Rory McGovern — sits down at the end of their own long day of preparation and rehearsals with the kids.

“Just… what amazing young people they are to work with,” muses McGovern of Brady, Martin, and their peers, “over the years, they’ve been inspiring us, and that’s really helped the process, because everybody inspires each other, in a really supportive environment, everybody backing each other up and giving each other influence as well. Everyone influences each other and contributes to each other’s songs, each other’s works, and Sound of the Northside has been an amazing opportunity for them to perform in that different context, y’know, to the gigs that we’ve been doing traditionally.”

MacCarthy adds: “I think it’s a celebration of what community is all about, it’s a bit of a snapshot into what goes on at the Kabin, the supportive culture and the vibe that’s in here at the workshops, just seeing the growth and the development, in not just their musicality and their songwriting, but in their confidence. Y’know, in their confidence. I remember some of them from years ago, y’know, really struggling with things like rhythm, or struggling even just to, y’know, pick up a mic and step out on a stage.

“Whereas now, they’re on a stage with a full live orchestra, and they’re owning it.”

How’s it been to get set for the big show, as it heads for the Curtis Auditorium for its Christmas-time encore presentation at the School of Music?

“I’m very excited,” enthuses McGovern. “Like, the opportunity to play with such good musicians, and in that orchestral context, is a fabulous opportunity for everyone, for all of us, y’know, and it’s just an honour to do it, to be honest. The Irish National Opera have been so supportive of us every step of the way.”

MacCarthy says: “We’re fitting a lot of music and work in, and rehearsing it in a very short space of time, but knowing the professionalism and the ability of the young people that are involved here, I’ve no doubt that they’re going to smash it, and we’re all excited.

“It’s a nice way to finish off another busy and creative and fun year at the Kabin.

“We can’t wait to see them all on stage, they’re going to be memories that we’ll have, and hopefully they’ll have, that will last forever..."

Brady, ahead of the School of Music performance, says: “I can’t wait, because it’s going to be a much more intimate gig. I think a lot of people have gotten over their previous apprehension, so they’re a bit more comfortable being vulnerable, and I think this is what the show is going to be this time around — it’s going to be a lot more vulnerable. It’s a lot more intimate, it’s a lot more stripped down.

“[The last time], we had the electronic drum track playing with the orchestra, but this time around, there’s hardly any drums, and if there are, it’s being played live.

“That safety net is gone, so people are going to have to get used to being more in tune with the orchestra, being more in tune with their surroundings, and feeling the energy, the atmosphere in the room, which I think is going to be a really exciting experience for a lot of people, and it’s going to be a learning curve for some people too.

“I just can’t wait. It’s going to be like the MTV Unplugged version of Sound of the Northside, if you will. It’s going to be great to put on the show again for a second year, but also do it in a new way and shine a different light on the show this time around. 

The Kabin Crew and the Irish National Opera Orchestra present ‘ Sound of the Northside’ this Friday at the Curtis Auditorium in the Cork School of Music, Union Quay. Doors at 8pm, tickets €15 at eventbrite.ie/e/kabin-crew-live-the-sound-of-the-northside-with-ino-orchestra-tickets-1974968488915.

Download and stream The Kabin Crew’s music at kabincrew.bandcamp.com/music.