Rock down to Electric Avenue

Mick O’Keeffe is midway through his weekly poster run around the 37 fast food outlets of Waterford city. Such is the glamour of running your own venue – pounding the pavement and finding space on crowded greasy walls. This says a lot about O’Keeffe – he knows what’s required to run a successful venue and is willing to put in the time and effort to pull in the punters.

Mick was born in Reading of Irish stock. His parents moved to Waterford when he was 10-years-old and as he says himself, “I spent my formative years in the old sod”. His entry to the industry was very rock ‘n’ roll; he trained as a Chartered Accountant, thinking finance would be his way into music business.
“I couldn’t play an instrument and hadn’t a note in my head,” he laughs, “but I knew music was something I passionately wanted to be involved with.”
Moving to London in 1990, he quickly found a position with Vince Power’s Mean Fiddler organisation. After a short spell behind the balance sheets, he moved into booking and promoting. The Mean Fiddler went onto become one of the largest independent music promotions companies in the UK, thanks in no small part to O’Keeffe’s hard graft.
When Mick and his wife started a family, the demanding schedule of being a top-flight UK promoter was incompatible with changing nappies and preparing baby formula, so the O’Keeffes moved back to Waterford.
However, Mick couldn’t keep away from music for too long and decided to open his own venue. After a few false starts, Electric Avenue was up and running. A venue which will comfortably house several hundred revellers, it’s now a regular feature on tours taking in the Dolan’s/Cyprus Avenue/Roisin Dubh circuit. Mick’s overriding ethos is to provide a comfortable setting for musicians and punters alike. Situated in the heart of Waterford’s clubland, he describes Electric Avenue as “an independent alternative niche on the main street.”
In the past year, acts such as Fight Like Apes, Delorentos, Cathy Davey, Duke Special and Oppenheimer have made their beautiful noise on Mick’s stage.
O’Keeffe is also an ardent supporter of local bands, offering stand-alone gigs and supports with larger acts where possible. He singles out Damien Dempsey as the type of artist he loves to work with: “He could easily sell-out a larger venue in the area, but instead he comes in and does two shows for us. I’ve booked Damo since the start of his career and he remembers all the guys he met on the way up. He’s a gent.”
One gig coming up on the radar that Mick’s particularly excited about is Mercury Rev on October 30.
“This is a great coup for us,” he beams. “I booked Mercury Rev’s very first gig in London almost 20 years ago. I saw they were doing a few Irish dates, so I rang their agent who I’ve known for years, offered the date and they said they’d be delighted to do it.”
Another upcoming event is Electric Avenue’s second birthday celebrations, featuring Jape and Donal Dineen on November 6. He also hints at a ‘special appearance’ by another artist, but is keeping schtum as to their identity.
When our time is up, Mick buttons up his overcoat and heads out into the rain-soaked evening to finish his poster session.
“It’s such a horrible job, I can’t get anyone else to it,” he shrugs, “but at least I know it’s done properly.”
Tacking an A3 sheet to a wall may not be glamorous, but it’s the grease that keeps the wheels turning.