Is everybody out there having a good time? Is everybody out there having good time? We all know the old rock’n’roll battle cry. But increasingly, it seems that the powers that be are determined to ensure that the answer is a resounding ‘nooooo’.
Recently, the Government set about reforming the licensing laws. In approaching the issue, they had an opportunity to finally bring an end to the absurdity and confusion that has been the hallmark of Irish licensing laws for decades. They could have brought Ireland into line with the kind of European best practice they’re so fond of quoting in other areas – and offered the possibility of a vibrant, exciting, varied nightlife of the kind that exists in Barcelona, Hamburg and London.
They could, for example, have introduced a special ‘nightclub license’, different from those given to pubs and bars – which would enable clubs to open till four or five in the morning. They could have recognised the difference between bars offering live music and those merely pushing pints. They could have acknowledged the hugely important contribution Irish musicians, bands, venues and clubs have made to the international reputation which Dublin enjoys as a music city – an enormously important aspect of Ireland’s attractiveness as a tourist destination – by making the kind of decisions which would have enabled the live music and club sectors to thrive.
Instead, a bill was rushed through the Dáil, without the opportunity for adequate debate, in a manner thoroughly befitting a banana republic. Rather than attempting anything intelligent or progressive, the bill was a knee-jerk reaction to perceived problems of so called public order. Driven, one suspects, by the agenda of the Garda top brass, and their desire to restrict overtime, it further contracted the opening hours of pubs, venues and just about everywhere else that sells alcoholic drink.
It is a deeply condescending piece of legislation that has hit bars and venues at a time when they are already vulnerable. It is negative in spirit and, as such, it will also almost certainly have the effect of damaging tourism. Do young tourists really want to come to a city – or a country for that matter – that shuts down early every night of the week? We’ll see when the guide books and travel writers have their say, but what we can observe for sure is that a great nightlife culture is a huge attraction for young tourists – and we seem determined to kill it off if we possibly can. Certainly, the legislation offers nothing positive for anyone involved in the music scene.
It is against that backdrop that one of the most exciting new initiatives of the year was being cooked up. Hot Press had been considering ways to recognise the importance of the many great live venues around the country. The people at IMRO were thinking along the same lines. Thus were the Irish Live Music Venue of the Year Awards conceived, as a way of recognising the venues which have been at the heart of the renaissance of live music over the past five years.
There was a time, back in the 1990s, when Irish bands and musicians could successfully mount nationwide tours that would take them the length and breadth of the country over the period of about a month and see them playing to tens of thousands of fans. While – for a variety of reasons – that may no longer be the case, the tide has certainly turned hugely back in favour of live music over the past five years. The question now is, can we create a second golden age?
Well, we can have a go! Dedicated professionals – venue owners, promoters, sound designers and lighting engineers – are working hard behind the scenes to improve the quality of what’s on offer to the gig-going public. At the top of the pyramid, there are superb venues that rank with the best in Europe. But increasingly, quality smaller venues have been developing too that have the professionalism and quality of facilities, and which are motivated by the love of music that musicians desperately want to experience.
The IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards, supported by HOT PRESS (and by Muzu), will feature five ‘regional’ winners – and one overall winner – as voted for by the songwriters and composers, whose work is so important to a vibrant live scene.
In addition, the race is on in earnest for the Hot Press Live Venue of the Year Award, as voted for by members of the public. We now have a shortlist – ten key venues that are in contention for the Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year Award, as voted for by the gig going public. These venues – and there are other very good ones out there too – are setting the standards in different ways. They’re doing it without any help from the government. In fact they’re doing it in spite of the powers-that-be.
But then when was it really any different?