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Lack of live music venue

  • 09-03-2022 7:46pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 192 ✭✭


    I’ve just been looking at what’s going on in other places and it strikes me how badly Waterford is served for live music. I’m talking about places which can figure on tours of reasonably sized artists - places like Dolan’s in Limerick, Roisin Dubh in Galway and Cyprus Avenue in Cork. Has there ever been a venue which would have fit this? Waterford truly would be heaven if we could share in some of these tours.

    • Acts appearing over the next few months in these places - The Staves, John Cooper Clarke, Stiff Little Fingers, the Lathums, Frank Turner, Public Service Broadcasting, Richard Hawley, Post Modern Jukebox to name a few


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 1,759 ✭✭✭dzilla


    Seattle play up in the exchange most weeks.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,145 ✭✭✭johnnykilo


    The Forum used to get it's fair share of touring bands back in the day. After that closed as a venue to become a bingo hall in the early 2010's Waterford fell off the circuit. It's a shame. Some international names to play the Forum over the years that immediately spring to mind: Johnny Cash, Scissor Sisters, Nightmares on Wax, Friendly Fires, Train, Calvin Harris, The Waterboys, Van Morrison, etc...



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,145 ✭✭✭johnnykilo


    Actually there's a whole host of places I've seen bands in Waterford over the years now I think of it.

    I've seen Mercury Rev and The Penguin Cafe Orchestra in the Theatre Royal (which is obviously still there) over the last few year. Bell X1 played there last weekend.

    I think Mercury Rev, Fionn Regan, The Wedding Present, etc... played Electric Avenue (where the Market Bar is now).

    Phil Grimes, although tiny has had a lot of famous people play over the years; basically any Irish singer/songwriter back in the day: Glen Hansard & Damien Rice, Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) in recent years.

    Damien Rice, Duke Special, The Frames have all played Garter Lane in the past.

    I can't remember what the venue was actually called, to me it'll always be Preachers, but there was another club up by Geoffs where Ash and Ian Brown played in the last 10 years too. I think that place is gone now, or absorbed into Shortts (if Shortts is still going!???).



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,703 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    ...just not viable in waterford, its been tried, but theres just not enough support in waterford for someone to take the chance.....



  • Registered Users Posts: 391 ✭✭GandhiwasfromBallyfermot


    Not sure what it is about Waterford but the nightlife in general, including live music, seems to be dying a death the last few years even before Covid. The only places that seems to be regularly busy across Friday/Saturday/Sunday are Geoff's and the Uluru, everywhere else tends to get the Saturday business, and a bit of Friday but dead the rest of the time. The last time I was out in the town midweek was a Wednesday night before covid and all the places in the Applemarket were completely empty.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 391 ✭✭GandhiwasfromBallyfermot


    Should also add that Wednesday night was over summer so not a student night.



  • Registered Users Posts: 423 ✭✭niallo76


    Do ye think that a big premises down o connell street like the Roxy/Forum would work these days???

    I



  • Registered Users Posts: 423 ✭✭niallo76


    It seems that way,it's bizarre behaviour,you'd be better having a late night coffee shop/diner that had djs/bands..



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,703 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    that sounds like a really interesting idea, but i cant see anyone taking the chance in setting one up, id imagine theres a few folks around with a lot of debt, after trying



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,456 ✭✭✭Ottoman_1000


    I lived and worked down in Waterford for a few years and this used to stand out to me to. I couldn't get over how quite some Friday and Saturday nights would be, and the lack of choice/variety for such a decent sized place. I was living in Cork between college and then work the few years prior and the difference was stark. My home rural town which is about a 10th of the size of Waterford seemed to have way more going on at the weekends!



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  • Registered Users Posts: 22 Mad Peggy


    very good thing, can be very noisy for neighbours



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,703 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    venues do need to be suitable for all though, licenses shouldnt be given in residential areas



  • Registered Users Posts: 161 ✭✭JourneyMan8


    hadn't been out in a long time before this week, but brought a group of international students out, and they couldn't believe the lack of options in terms of nightlife here. first and last time they'll be going out in Waterford they said, I'm sure that's a popular opinion after coming to Waterford.



  • Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭azimuth17


    Live music takes many forms. Check out this https://www.theatreroyal.ie/ or maybe this https://www.theatreroyal.ie/ or even thishttps://waterford-music.org/. The difficulties are well known and city just recovering from recession when pandemic struck, recovering again strongly in past few months only to have Ukraine invaded. I have had various groups down from Dublin and shown them around and then strategically placed them and all went home satisfied. Problems exist. a fairly big spread out place that has had major economic problems with a demographic who want to accentuate the negative, but you have to watch that you don't be apologetic before you even bring people out. Christy Moore followed by beers in Reg, a short visit to Jordan's, through Cathedral Square back to Geoffs and then left people off. Seems to work?



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,145 ✭✭✭johnnykilo


    There's no reason why Waterford can't have somewhere again, we've has places in the past as per my previous posts. Kilkenny town which has a lot less population has the Set Theatre. Wexford town has the opera house and the Spiegeltent at certain times during the year.

    I think the Forum would still probably be going if the cops hadn't begun giving the owners hassle over drug taking at the dance nights there.

    We still have the Theatre Royal, Garter Lane, All Together Now, Electric Avenue is back open again (called something else and no gigs as of yet), also wasn't there talk a few years ago of gigs out in WIT Arena in Carraiganore? It is a bit disappointing that there isn't somewhere bigger/better at the moment, but I wouldn't rule out somewhere opening again in the future.



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,703 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    i suspect with issues with the forum were more than just its drug issues, id Kieran is up to his eyeballs in debt after trying everything with the place, its just hard trying to get live venues off the ground here, hard to keep people coming through the doors



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,119 ✭✭✭Quigs Snr


    The irony is that in the mid to late nineties my college friends from Dublin used to come to Waterford for the nightlife ! It seems far fetched now, but there you go.

    In addition to the forum and even the likes of 10/Preachers in the early noughties (ash played there in 2004), the Bridge hotel was the place to be for live music on a Friday night in the 90s. The early 90s at least. Lots of Irish bands and the occasional international touring band. You had the metro land too if you were into dance music, couple of big acts played there too.

    Ghost town nowadays from what I can see.



  • Registered Users Posts: 423 ✭✭niallo76


    https://www.wlrfm.com/lifestyle/waterford-music-week-is-back-239496

    This is great to hear on WLR-but they missed on a great opportunity to sponser some gigs around the town with the week that's in it.. Would be a great set up if WLR were to have these bands in a live session/or in a studio set up-where they recorded 4-5 tracks.I dont know anything about it,but surely WLR would have the capability to record and produce such sessions??

    Similar to a BBC Radio 6/Dave Fanning/John Peel Session of old...



  • Registered Users Posts: 690 ✭✭✭Dunmoreroader


    Theatre Royal seems to be booking a few bands. Did I not see Mad Ferret (Oasis cover band) played there recently?



  • Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭azimuth17


    I glean from your post that you are part of the demographic I mentioned in my last post. Maybe you are just getting old and remembering the joys of youth? If so join the gang. If you care to lambaste the problem as you see it, what steps do you propose to take to remedy the situation?



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  • Registered Users Posts: 423 ✭✭niallo76


    Plenty of venues,whether or not promoters take the risk in getting touring bands to come here is another kettle of fish-Suppose the risk would be lack of ticket sales-so maybe the quick fix is getting local bands to play these venues and hopefully a vibrant gigging scene of original musicians/bands could be brought back to the city.

    Its not too long away that AllTogetherNow starts rolling into Portlaw -wouldn't it be marvelous that over that weekend you had not only great music out in the Law,but also in town---id pay a fiver to see Nick Cave do the vinyl night in Downses..😉./Girl Band in Tullys--fantastic....



  • Registered Users Posts: 37,553 ✭✭✭✭PTH2009


    Factory (Formally Rubys and others) had some band 'Versatile' there a few weeks ago for 2 nights

    The nightclub part of The Reg (downstairs) could easily fit in a few low/mid tier acts. Think Frank And Walters and Hermitage Green played there a few years back

    Woodlands Hotel has hosted a few stuff and are hosting Aslan on Easter Weekend

    Not sure what the status of 'Project/Electric Avenue, The Market bar has 3 floors now so maybe has occupied a bulk of the area

    WIT Arena is really under used



  • Registered Users Posts: 161 ✭✭JourneyMan8


    exactly my thoughts, forget the touring bands just get a local band in every week and build something up from the bottom. give the punters a different option at the weekend. should be 3 options/genres of music that differ every weekend/student nights too. It's not exactly a massive risk either? even the regulars are begging for something new



  • Registered Users Posts: 391 ✭✭GandhiwasfromBallyfermot


    Great round up thanks for that. Looking forward to Mad Ferrit on Saturday, I always overlook the Apple Market as a live music venue!



  • Registered Users Posts: 423 ✭✭niallo76


    hopefully the weather will be good-and there will be a bit of a buzz about...

    Was hoping the Cultural quarter would have had some more activity..maybe next year!!!



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,193 ✭✭✭bullpost


    Whats the story with St. Patricks Gateway? Saw The Delines there a couple of years ago and it was a pretty good venue.



  • Registered Users Posts: 423 ✭✭niallo76


    Would also be great to see the fantastic Peoples Park used much more(Spraoi,Winterval,Harvest)

    a 'Lark in the Park' was set up by Radio 2 Fm back in the 80's,and as far as i remember it was Irish bands playing on the back of a truck..I know I'm banging on about it ,but a bit of money thrown in by WLR/Beat to put on a similar event would be fantastic

    e.g new music week,Orchestras,big band,Plays,movies,comedy etc.



  • Registered Users Posts: 37,553 ✭✭✭✭PTH2009


    Could the place in Portlaw be used for standalone gigs ?

    Could easily attract a big name



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  • Registered Users Posts: 391 ✭✭GandhiwasfromBallyfermot


    Imagine it could be used sort of like Slane or Malahide Castle? It would probably be tough to get the local residents in Portlaw on your side for a couple of big gigs during the year in addition to ATN. Transport in and out of Curraghmore is a big issue too. Not sure if Slane & Malahide are the same but Curraghmore is a private residence at the end of the day so you're at the whims of earl/lord whatshisname. It would be awesome if they could make it work though.



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