Stevie G: 'The return of the Savoy is a good news story'

The recent suggestion that the Cork Event Centre may not go ahead in its proposed site on South Main Street will come as no surprise to the music community here.

Ten years after the infamous sod turning, it looks like we may be back to square one, but thankfully, we have some good news on the horizon with the imminent re-opening of the Savoy venue on Patrick Street.

The Event Centre saga has been very frustrating for us all. We all know that Cork is crying out for a venue that can take extra numbers for bigger shows and events. Live at the Marquee and Virgin Media Park fill the void for six or seven weeks every summer, but during the rest of the year Cork music fans travel regularly to Dublin and abroad for shows that are too big for here.

They even sometimes travel to Killarney and the INEC, which is only an hour away, and which is better equipped than Cork for bigger shows. Killarney is a great town but it is very much a town, and it’s embarrassing that an actual nearby city has not got such a facility.

We’ve watched as the local infrastructure has improved around the area, with some spectacular looking bridges now linking the former Beamish and Crawford site to the surrounding streets, which have also been improved. South Main Street is looking good and provides access to another development which has been completed with speed.

The People’s Park may have proved to be controversial in its own right, but at least it got done, and the South Main St also houses multiple new apartment complex buildings now in the same old Beamish and Crawford site that we were confidently told would be hosting gigs by this time. The apartments are done and being lived in, while the Event Centre remains a pipe dream.

We are frustrated for a reason. Even our bigger venues are limited by other factors. The Cork Opera House, a spectacular venue, has a very big non gig diary and can only do so much, while it’s pretty hard to run too many shows in Cork City Hall. Cyprus Avenue is our biggest live venue other than this and, thankfully, they are running shows nearly every night, while on the smaller side of things we are well equipped with multiple bars and venues facilitating more intimate gigs.

The long-proposed Event Centre would most likely benefit everyone working in the music and arts but for now we will have to make do with the many good local venues who are doing their best to keep Cork music alive and kicking.

The announcement regarding the Savoy was therefore very welcome as it’s an iconic venue steeped in history in Cork.

I spent 15 or so years DJing fairly regularly in the Savoy and walking around the venue last Friday afternoon brought back some great memories.

The new edition will not be quite at the same capacity as the initial post 2000s Savoy that made such a big impact 25 years ago. The Savoy had many glorious decades of gigs and shows before this era, but despite some great years there in my own era, it was a tricky place to get right when it wasn’t a busy gig or night.

There were few better places for a packed club night or gig with a big name or indeed popular local act, but when the numbers dropped it was tricky, and the design of the Foyer room meant that the dynamic of the place was not always ideal.

The new entrance and approach from Drawbridge Street changes this in some ways, and now the main area is more compact, with the elevated area at the very top of the venue being largely restricted. A more compact venue will also be improved by a new stage at the back of the Foyer, which is now no longer a corridor, and which will be better suited for live shows and other performances.

The return of the Savoy is a good news story for Cork, and it will hopefully help propel the music scene here.