The Brux Of The Matter

f you feel, as the song says, that the bar is a beautiful place, then Dublin must be close to paradise on earth. And of the hundreds upon hundreds of pubs around town, Bruxelles might just be the jewel in the capital’s crown. Over the decades, it has also grown into something of a rock ‘n’ roll institution, due to its association with Thin Lizzy and the Irish music scene of the late ‘60s, as well as the steady stream of international celebrities coming in from the nearby Westbury Hotel in recent years.

It has, of course, been round a lot longer than that. Indeed this year marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of the public house, then known as The Grafton Mooney. But it wasn’t until the latter-half of the 20th century, under the ownership of Robin Egan and his family, that the famous haunt took the form we all now know and love.
Robin’s son, Dave Egan, runs Bruxelles today and recently realised the significance of 2011.
“It just dawned on us, ‘125 years, my god!’” he says. “It really is a bit of a landmark.”
Dave’s personal memories of the place date back to his childhood. “I worked there as lounge boy from the age of 12, collecting glasses,” he recalls. “My dad would be behind the bar, my older brother Chris would’ve been helping out too. Both the downstair bars were very music-orientated and drew in a lot of bands and industry people. There were rakes of Irish bands hanging out and people who got involved in the scene – Harry Crosbie met his wife there! Into the ‘80s, you had Euro-rock bands coming through and that’s really when the heavier scene started in Flanders bar.”

By the ‘90s, Dave was taking a bigger role in the running of the pub and it seemed every big touring act passing through Dublin ended up in Bruxelles.
“Britpop was happening so you had Oasis coming in. The fact that Bruxelles had that rock ‘n’ roll name meant taxi drivers would say, ‘that’s the place to head to’. I became very good friends with The Charlatans around that time. Back in the day, myself and Chris would have worked day and night – and we were around the same age as all these guys, which helped.”
The indie brigade still keep returning, though they are older now, and apparently wiser.
“Liam Gallagher was only in recently with Beady Eye. In fairness to Liam, he wasn’t drinking – just pints of ginger ale – and he was chatting to the customers, getting photographs taken.”
It might have been a different story 15 years ago.
“Yeah!” laughs Dave. “Oasis had actually just left Bruxelles the night there was that big commotion in the Westbury when their father turned up. That was a different Liam. But he’s a good guy.”
Overall, a session is far more likely to break out than a contretemps. Dave recalls one of his favourite moments.

“I was drumming for Seanny Foy at the time,” he remembers. “We were onstage one night and Imelda May was our backing singer. She was only young, 17 or 18. We had a great rockabilly scene going on downstairs – there was Simon Farrell on double bass, Seanny, Imelda and myself. We were all playing when Ronnie Wood walked in. So he got up to play. The funny thing is, Slash and Axl Rose were in the audience! We were just a little pub act having the craic, but it turned into a bit of a legendary occasion. It was one of those crazy things – which is what happens in Bruxellles. It’s one of the great things about the place. We always try to keep room for spontaneity. Afterwards, Axl and Slash were saying they couldn’t believe they came all the way to Ireland and saw one of their heroes playing in a basement bar on a Monday night!”

MADE FOR ECLECTIC EXISTENTIALISTS
Dave Egan is a great talker – which makes him the perfect man to run a great bar. He could spin yarns all day long. He talks about Depeche Mode organising a quiz night in the pub, John Denver enjoying a Smithwick’s one Sunday morning a week before his untimely death, Glen Campbell arriving in after an arduous journey due to the volcanic ash cloud, and the recent appearance of Kings Of Leon (“very easy-going guys”), who wanted their photo taken alongside Philip Lynott’s statue.
Inevitably with Bruxelles, all roads lead back to Lynott. The myth and magic surrounding the Harry Street establishment all stemmed from that fertile ‘60s scene when bands like Thin Lizzy and Skid Row made Bruxelles their base.
Brush Shiels, former frontman with Skid Row and the guy who gave Gary Moore and Phil Lynott their first gigs, has many fond memories of nights underground in the Zodiac Bar.

“Everybody was hanging out there, all the lads,” says Brush. “You’d see Terry Woods up there, Henry McCullough… You’d know everybody on Grafton Street, unlike now! Music was seven nights a week and the ultimate ambition was simply to play to the best of your ability.”
Brush famously kicked Phil out of Skid Row on Harry Street itself.
“I let Phil go outside the door,” he smiles. “So you can honestly say Lizzy started there! I remember that distinctly. He took it very badly. He was my best pal, he was on my honeymoon with me. But when you’re a young guy, you’re completely clueless.”
That awkward moment aside, the place had a hugely positive impact on the lives of these young rock stars and their crew.
“There’s no doubt about it,” agrees Brush. “It was like the Left Bank in France. Made for eclectic existentialists like myself! It made for some great nights that were really all about the music.”
‘All about the music’ is certainly the way Mary Stokes sees it. Her band held down one of the longest resident sessions in Bruxelles, she certainly seems the right person to ask.

“The Sunday afternoon blues session had a particular charm and quality to it,” she enthuses. “While it wasn’t ever a ‘jam session’, there was a looseness to it and a freedom. We really took it seriously as a gig. At the same time, it was also a space where we could work out new material. It was a great testing-ground. The atmosphere was tremendously positive. There was a huge amount of people who simply couldn’t believe that that music was available to them. People from everywhere on the planet would come in.”
Not only tourists, but also any number of celebrities. And they often wanted to join in. Mary was particularly fond of the late Chris Penn, actor and brother of Sean.
“He got up with us and sang with absolute ferocity, driven by pints of cider! He was brilliant.”
Rugby fans were often decidedly less charming but luckily for Mary, Velvet Revolver were on hand to save the day.
“A bunch of Welsh supporters were in and they had clearly been drinking nothing but Guinness all weekend,” she says. “As a consequence they were extremely ‘gaseous’. It wasn’t exactly conducive to a great atmosphere! And when you’re singing, you’re feeling pretty vulnerable. It was the only time we cut a gig short.
“After we’d finished, who arrived along with their guitars but Velvet Revolver. They’d heard us from outside and hadn’t been victims of the, shall we say, smell. So we had a great time having a chat. Their bassist Duff told me on the phone the next day that of all the rock ‘n’ roll stories he’d heard, he’d never heard anything like that!”

Recent years have seen some marvellous moments too, not least last year during the launch of Arthur’s Day, when Paolo Nutini, Heathers and the boys from Snow Patrol, among others, gathered for a gig that saw some major stars getting up – in the Arthur’s Day spirit – to play up close and personal sets in the main bar.
TAPPING INTO THE IRISH SPIRIT
As the likes of Brian O’Driscoll, Wayne Rooney and a whole host of Hollywood stars will attest, Bruxelles is not just a haven for musos. Flying the flag for Irish comedy, Pat Shortt is one long-time patron of the pub and can often be seen nipping in for a drink or bite to eat.
“I’ve been going to Bruxelles since the time of the D’Unbelievables gigs,” says Pat. “It’s the best ‘after show’ bar that I know, with a fantastic, energetic vibe. I would say that, of all the places I’ve visited in my travels, Bruxelles is the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll bar.” Rock ‘n’ roll and celebrity-spotting aside, ask someone about Bruxelles and they invariable come back to the warmth and welcoming atmosphere that fills the family-run pub. Jerry Fish certainly agrees. “Back in the early ‘90s, Dublin was almost bigger than Hollywood and Bruxelles was the rock centre of the city. But, for me, Bruxelles was more like home. I kind of grew up there. I soon learned I was an outsider, but Grafton Street pulled everyone like that in. Robin Egan was great, he took us all under his wing, kind of like a Fagan without the thievery!”

Jerry is quick to point out how Robin’s sons have followed his lead. “Even before The Mudbug Club, Dave and Chris allowed me to use the top floor as a rehearsal space and recording studio, which was fantastic. They’ve always been real patrons of the arts like that and have become great friends.”
Following that thread, Johnny Logan says that Bruxelles will always have a special place in his heart.
“Not just for me,” notes the three-time Eurovision winner. “But anybody who was around during the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. It was almost like ‘the watering place’. It’s the same thing that exists there today. The minute you walk in the door there’s an atmosphere.
“When I walk back in I have all my memories,” Johnny continues. “There’s not a corner of it that doesn’t have a memory for me. Memories of all the people I’ve known over the years, unfortunately including quite a few who aren’t in this world anymore.”

Phil Lynott has a place on that list of friends that sadly left too soon.
“You got to rub shoulders with people you admired. I became friends with Phil during that period. We either went into Bruxelles or the Bailey in those days. Then there was a collection of nightclubs we fell out of! There were many great nights but the best ones were where you didn’t remember anything. If you can remember what happened, you weren’t there!”
For Logan, Bruxelles continues to be a great leveller, where everyone can be comfortable in their own skin regardless of where they’re coming from – or going to. It taps into that Irish spirit.

“The thing about Ireland at the time – and it is much the same today,” concludes Johnny, “was that it didn’t matter who you were or what your reputation was. I still get slagged – it wouldn’t be Ireland if I didn’t get slagged! But there was respect, it was ‘you’re one of us’. That’s one thing I really miss when I’m away from home. But I still find it every time, when I go down to Bruxelles.”