The IMRO Showcase 2000 tour, the eighth in the series, is one of the most significant annual outlets for emerging rock talent in Ireland, with fourteen gigs this year spread all over the country from Dolans Warehouse in Limerick to Mooneys in Wexford. This year the series culminates in a "Best Of" gig at Vicar St., Dublin on 7th May (9 pm to 1 am) and the possibility of a further gig in London for a smaller number of bands later on.
Promoter Dermot Flynn is as enthusiastic as ever about this year's tour.
"Every year I can notice the increase in interest from the music industry and the media about which bands have been picked and who's playing where. In the early years I used to get calls around Christmas asking me about the upcoming tour but that was mainly from bands who wanted to score a slot when the showcase hit their town. But in more recent years I've been getting calls from A&R departments in London and Dublin who want to put it in their diaries."
Past graduates of the IMRO Showcase include co.uk, Blew and The Marbles, all of whom have been active on both the recording and gigging fronts this year, but Flynn also stresses that the IMRO Showcases have other benefits beyond what it does for individual bands. "Each gig, especially in a country town, can serve as a celebration of local talent as well as presenting an opportunity for bands to generate some publicity for themselves and to build contacts in the industry and in the media", he says.
Flynn's enthusiasm is echoed by south-east promoter Senan O'Reilly who has seen the impact of this year's showcase in his area with a packed house and a gig that generated a genuinely positive buzz.
"It's easy to underestimate how valuable a gig like this is," O'Reilly told Hot Press. "A struggling band who may normally have to rehearse with the most primitive gear in a barren rehearsal area get to perform with a decent p.a. and backline and in front of a knowledgeable crowd. That's a great shot in the arm for any young band, apart from the extremely valuable critical feedback they get from it."
That's a view reinforced by Wez Devine from the Lifford-based band THC who played the IMRO Showcase in Galway last month. "As a very new band with only two significant gigs behind us this was a very beneficial experience for us," he reports. "The fact that Hugh Murray from Sony's A&R department was there to see us was a great boost and a source of tremendous encouragement for us as it would be for any new band."
As a direct result of doing the Galway gig THC subsequently scored a support slot with Gomez in Derry this weekend. But Devine also believes that the exposure bands get from the showcases is crucial. "Playing gigs in your local can be soul destroying, especially in a rural area, but by playing a showcase like this you are increasing your chances of being heard by the right people tenfold."
Meeting other bands and discovering that the world has not singled you out for a special helping of bad luck is an added bonus.
"In Galway we played with Tongue, Sean Crossan and Rococo,' recalls Devine. "We chatted with them and discussed our mutual problems. We were very impressed with the professional approach of Sean Crossan and we really liked Rococo, especially their lead singer. But watching each band taught us all lessons about our role in the equation and it gave us an opportunity to compare notes with bands who have the same problems as we have. Our advice is for other bands to get in touch and reap the benefits of doing an IMRO Showcase."
Kevin O'Brien, manager of Peel, concurs.
"We came second in the Emergenza competition which we really enjoyed, but the IMRO Showcase gave us more exposure and the opportunity to play a prestige venue like Vicar St. is invaluable. It was another big step on the way for us to release our new single 'Spacer' in May and the gigs we have coming up in the UK. But you only get out of it what you put into it. I think some bands are too casual about it, expecting it all to be done for them instead of getting out there and doing it for themselves."
Promoter Dermot Flynn is keen to emphasise that the bands are picked for the "Best Of' gig on the basis of the feedback he receives from record companies and other industry insiders in Ireland and in Britain. "That's why I really agree with Kevin O'Brien, that while bands should accept that the IMRO Showcase is an opportunity for them it's one they have to grab with both hands and make what they can of it instead of just seeing what happens."
If you want to see what happens, don't miss what should be a buzzing gig at Vicar St. on May 7.
For further information on IMRO Showcase 2000 check out the website at www.imro.ie