Live Music Venue of the Year Award winners announced

The winners of the Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year as voted by music fans all over Ireland, were announced at a ceremony in IMRO HQ, Dublin, last night. The awards were presented as part of the IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards, with Niall Stokes presenting the following three Hot Press awards:

Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year Award:
Overall Winner 2010: The Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Special Commendation: The TLT, Drogheda
Special Commendation: The Workman's Club, Dublin

"2010 was an amazing year for live music in Ireland", said Niall. "It isn't just that the established venues worked really hard to bring great music to the people, but there were new venues launched too that added hugely to the range of choices open to artists and fans alike. It takes courage to invest in putting on live music, especially in the context of a recession – so a big thanks and congratulations are in order for all everyone involved in making the scene such a thriving one."

"The Olympia Theatre is a fitting winner of the Hot Press Live Music Venue of the Year award. There were so many memorable gigs there over the 12 months, with bands of the calibre of Florence and the Machine, The National and Interpol providing just some of the highlights. It is a venue to which artists keep coming back because they love it. Obviously the fans do too."

"The Workman's Club, which has been like a breath of fresh air on the Dublin scene since it opened in the autumn and The TLT in Drogheda – the building of which is a personal tribute to the legendary Tommy Leddy himself – is another brilliant addition to the range of excellent venues throughout Ireland. These superb new venues have been given Special Commendation awards – which they thoroughly deserve."

Other winners on the night were the Pavillion Theatre in Cork, Galway's Roisin Dubh and Dundalk's Spirit Store. The Best Festival Award (a new category) went to Electric Picnic.