Cork rocks. You could say that, thanks to the emergence of Fred, Rulers Of The Planet, Waiting Room, Playtoh et al, we already knew that but now it’s official – Cork Rocks.
The woman behind it all is Francesca Brown, who, single handed, has taken it upon herself to drag the People’s Republic into the spotlight.
“I’m an absolute music lover through and through”, she explains, “and when I moved to Cork and checked out the music scene I was really surprised how different it was. Each band was doing their own thing. It’s two years on now and I’m just blown away by the amount of talent there is. That’s why I know 100% that Cork is going to be the next Seattle, the next Manchester, the next centre to change world music. There are too many great bands in Cork.”
Does the city really need an organised showcase (“I’m trying to shy away from the word 'showcase'. It’s more of a festival, I’m calling it an event.”) such as this, given that it’s got a pretty good name for itself already?
“Only a very small handful of bands have been making waves and because of their managers or publicity, not necessarily their music,” says Brown. “I’m talking about the bands who don’t have a manager, who don’t have funding behind them yet. But who could have an EP or an album that would blow away any English band who are out at the moment.”
And so Cork Rocks has been born, a weekly night of live music featuring house band Eve Of Mind plus a rotating bill of three special guests – all local at first but with plans to widen the net at a later stage.
Given that Cork is infamous for its musical diversity, has putting the bills together been tricky for Brown? As with everything, she’s approached the task with an infectious enthusiasm.
“I feel like a little kid in a candy shop and I’ve got all these different sweeties in front of me and I’m literally just picking them and seeing which ones taste good with each other,” she continues. “I feel like I’m a pretty good music judge and I’m going to be putting bands together who have the same vibe, the same feeling.”
The bands, it seems, are also smitten with the idea.
“That’s the best part of it, that’s why I’m doing it – for the bands. I’ve been getting countless emails from bands all around the country who’ve heard about this. All the bands are really excited about it, they know it's going to work”.
A lot of this has presumably stemmed from a general disillusionment with the way the whole Cork 2005 City of Culture event by-passed local talent?
“Completely and utterly. Every band feels that way. It’s ridiculous, Cork is going to be the big music capital of the world.”
Part of the aim of the event is to inspire the next generation of bands and musicians, says Brown.
“This is what I’m thinking of. I know countless bands who used to be just one guy who wrote a couple of songs. Other people who like music will go, 'Wow, look at those guys, it’s just so easy.' You go along to Cork Rocks and suddenly you’ve got an audience instantly. I feel that A&R people will be able to fly down and go to Cork Rocks because they know that these bands have been handpicked.”
So who should we be looking out for?
“The official launch party line-up was definitely pretty hot. We had Eve Of Mind, who are definitely my tip for the top, Echogram and Lotus Lullaby. Playtoh are already doing good things but the great thing about Echo, Lotus and Eve is that not that many people know about them and that makes me so excited because I’ve literally found these bands and brought them along because I know they’re going to kick arse.”
Francesca is also pretty sure about what she wants the legacy of all this to be.
“I don’t want to come back to Cork in five or 10 years time and hook up with these people and find that they're no longer in bands, that would make me really, really sad. We’re just trying to bring a bit of light to people’s lives”.
For more details visit www.cork-rocks.com