A Room With A View

On the 27th of this month Hummingbird’s Other Voices: Songs From A Room begins its third series on RTE 2. Once again filmed in the intimate surroundings of St Joseph’s Church in Dingle, County Kerry, the 13 programme series has been extended to an hour and promoted to a prime time Sunday evening slot.

Its elevation is befitting of a show which is developing into something of an institution. Since first appearing in 2002, it acts as an Old Grey Whistle Test or Later with Jools Holland for Irish music and, in the absence of outlets like No Disco, its importance can not be overstated.
The man behind the show is filmmaker and musician Philip King. Involved in documenting music for over twenty years, King has previously worked with such talent as Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, Planxty, Bono and Sinéad O’Connor. He is a man whom you could spend days in the company of such is his enthusiasm and depth of musical knowledge. “Phil is such a great guy and such an authority on music,” says Declan O’Rourke. “He’s full of great stories and just great to work with.”
O’Rourke has appeared on Other Voices four times. “I think I hold the record,” he says proudly. “I’ve been on it twice myself and have also played guitar on it for Paddy (Casey) and Pauline Scanlon. I’m itching to get asked back. It’s a great experience.”
Born after a chance meeting between King and Glen Hansard on the streets of Dingle, Other Voices has been showcasing the well of innovative music currently being produced in this country. The new series continues the tradition in showcasing diverse new talent and this year sees the addition of a sizeable amount of international acts. The net has been cast out to include Steve Earle, Mark Lanegan, Ocean Colour Scene, Eddi Reader, The Cowboy Junkies, American Music Club and Donovan amongst others. “With the increased length there’s still the same number of Irish acts as before,” says King. “The people we’ve invited have a connection to Ireland and feel connected to the place. At the heart of this programme, still, is seeking to allow television to empower a voice and let it be heard. There is now a place where all of these people can play. I think that’s great. You know everything changes, and were Other Voices not to I think it might lose something.”
Key to the success has been the manner in which the musicians themselves have embraced the format. Declan O’Rourke is full of praise for the show. “It’s a great experience,” he says. “The atmosphere is so open, the crew are great and it makes for a great place to perform. It’s just comfortable and open and relaxed.”
Cathy Davey echoes his praise. “It was amazing. It was like a holiday, my holiday of the year. It was really special. I don’t really know anyone who did it last year, and I hadn’t seen the programme before so I didn’t know what to expect. I think from top to bottom, the way it was organised and the way people were treated made it very easy to do. Everyone was really happy to be down there, in Dingle which is so beautiful.”
King is also keen to emphasise the importance of the location. “There’s something magical about this place and there’s something that the artists who come to play here seem to feel because there’s a very strong musical tradition in Dingle. I think it’s interesting to be in a place where the spirit of music is still in the air. When musicians come here they feel that. People like Mick Tierney (Republic of Loose) and Eddi Reader and Mark Lanegan, musicians who are opened up, felt something when they came here.
"I'd also have to emphasise how hard everyone on the production team works to make it so special. What we’ve done from our end is we’ve taken a photograph of a musical voice at a moment in time. That’s what this is. There’s no mystery to it, but something magical about it. It’s a tiny gig. Musicians mix with the punters. There’s no VIP passes or anything. It’s very open and it’s magical because that doesn’t happen very often. So musicians feel comfortable and I think that’s why they come.”
Prior to the airing of the show, a launch night takes place in Vicar St on March 15. “Declan O’Rourke, Joe Chester, Cathy Davey and Republic of Loose are definitely going to be there,” says King. “There are others as well who will make an appearance, special guests and such. It’ll be a party and a celebration with all proceeds going to Action aid, which ran that fantastic Positive Lives exhibition a while back depicting AIDS sufferers.”
King points to many highlights in the upcoming series. Steve Earle was so great, he explains, that they have given him an hour on his own. “They were all great,” he says. “A lot of the Irish acts I love but Republic of Loose really blew me away. Knocked me dead. Mick Tierney is fantastic. His huge preaching power of being able to stand up there and perform music shot through with rap, the blues, rock ‘n roll, and totally imbued with an Irish spirit as well. Being able to mix those things and come out with a coherent voice that is both of its time and timeless. That was special to me.”b

Other Voices: Songs from a Room is broadcast every Sunday night at 8pm on RTE 2 from March 27th to June 19th.

The Other Voices launch takes place in Vicar St on March 15th. Tickets e20 with proceeds going to Action Aid.