According to David McLynn, the success of The Blizzards has been a serious jab in the arm for the Midlands music scene.

“They've shown what a band with real determination can do and it’s given local bands something they can aim for,” he asserts. “The local scene is very buoyant right now, with bands like The Aftermath working their arses off looking to move on to the next stage. There’s also Acid Test who have a new EP out that they launched in The Stables last week. They’re a kind of an electro-rock five-piece with keyboards, guitar and theremin. Then there’s Tornado Lovely. They’re in the same emo rock vein as, say, Jimmy Eat World, and they have two EPs out, and there’s Autofly who've been pretty quiet in recent months but are back in action supporting Giveamanakick here on June 14.”
Like all country venues, McLynn has to contend with what at times can be a very fickle public. He also has to deal with the added disadvantage that Dublin is only the proverbial hour away.
“We have to try harder to get the bigger bands to come here, and that’s not easy since the capacity is only 170,” he reflects. “But we’ve had sell-outs over the past year for Declan O’Rourke, Duke Special and Kila, for example. Sharon Shannon also sold-out a recent gig we had planned, but she understandably had to cancel because of a bereavement.”
Although the venue has been around for 17 years, it’s really come to the fore over the past seven or eight. As McLynn explains: “That was when it started promoting more original music and stopped booking covers bands as a definite policy. So we’ve had The Frames, Bell X1, Paddy Casey and other top Irish acts here over the years. Ronan Casey who works for the Westmeath Examiner and Declan Murray really put The Stables on the map when they started championing those kinds of bands.”
McLynn generously singles out for praise The Backroom Sessions in Navan.
“Two young guys got together to run gigs and I think they’re doing a really good job up there, with different genres of music and getting bands like The Coronas, Dirty Epics and The Aftermath to play for them,” he enthuses.
On the recording studio front, the Midlands can boast the state-of-the-art Grouse Lodge, whose visitors’ book includes the likes of REM, Michael Jackson, Snow Patrol, Manic Street Preachers and Editors.
“Grouse Lodge might seem to be beyond the range of local bands pricewise, but in fact they have a sessions room and they do deals for local unsigned bands,” he says. “But apart from that, there are plenty of studios in the area anyway. What seems to be most lacking is a dedicated rehearsal space. The only one I know of is the School of Rock in Athlone. The Acid Test actually rehearse in an old warehouse.”
McLynn is optimistic about the future too.
“Chumbawamba chose to play The Stables as their only gig outside Dublin on their recent tour,” he enthuses. “We’ve got Damien Dempsey playing on July 4 which is a big coup for us, so we’re doing fine really.”