This opinion article was first published on CLUAS in January 2005
CLUAS Opinion
Times have been a Changin' for Whelan's, but for the better?
In
the first CLUAS Opinion piece of 2005 Gareth Maher takes a critical look at what
the Dublin music venue Whelan's once was, what it has become now and where he
thinks it should go.
Once upon a time, Whelan's of Wexford Street Dublin was considered to be the
coolest place to be. At its peak of popularity it was the heartbeat of the Irish
music scene. Mainstream and independent artists from various genres have packed
the venue over the years and played some memorable shows. In the case of many
music fanatics who regularly attend gigs in Ireland, Whelan's was once hailed as
their musical Mecca. Lately though, the buzz around the place is slowly eroding
away. Why is this? What is going wrong?
When you first heard
Neil Young's
'Harvest Moon' or got lost in the melodies of
Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours', it was the discovery of new music that created the
buzz. The buzz was something indescribable but it had you instantly hooked. That
feeling which trickled along your spine and made your foot tap to the beat. That
indelible thirst for new and exciting music was the buzz. Before long you found
yourself searching CD/vinyl stacks for 'Closing Time' by
Tom Waits or
'Dark Side
of the Moon' by
Pink Floyd or anything at all by Nina Simone. The music consumed
you before you realised just how quickly it was luring you in. It then became
the job of your older brother or sister to inform you just who was in cool in
the music world. From
Bowie to The Clash right up to
Oasis, the image of these
new found cult figures became the heroes of your adolescence. They were our
icons of cool. Just as we started to step away from the singing-in-the-comb-era,
our older siblings would leak stories of the crazy antics of rock stars that
occurred up on Wexford Street. With a faded leather jacket and ripped jeans, we
were ready to begin the quest. It was a quest to experience the
essence/excitement/surprise/expertise that these musicians were offering. This
was a time when music was important, when Whelan's was the core of the Irish
music scene. It was a place to which we would trade a month's pocket money for
just one night of pure rock and only ask to keep hold of the memories.
Times change though and business strategies alter. The credibility that the
famous emporium has gained over the years is being exploited almost on a daily
basis. The most recent example of this was when ex-Westlife member Bryan
McFadden played the venue on a Friday night. Despite his newfound claims of
being an avid Nirvana fan, it is obvious that he or his PR team are trying to
tap into the indie-rock scene. Five years ago, an act like McFadden playing
Whelan's would have been the joke of the week. It shouldn't be long now before
the venue commercialises itself like CBGBs and starts selling t-shirts. Instead
of the venue trying to attract artists like McFadden and his all star guest list
entourage, shouldn't it concentrate on cajoling acts like
The Urges or The
Things away from playing in other Dublin venues in order to bring back those
infamous, rock fuelled nights?
Another regular complaint about the venue is the trend of the WLC (Whelan's
Lock-in Crowd). The WLC is made up of Irish artists, many of whom are over-rated
singer/songwriters, who hang out and receive huge amounts of idol praise all
while posing as the coolest cats in town. The reputation of the WLC not only
exploits their chosen hangout but also converts the artists in their click into
seedy celebrity figures thus transforming Whelan's into the Lilly Bordello's of
the music scene. The image of the venue is currently just as appalling as some
of the acts that are booked there.
What needs to be done to bring back at least some integrity is for the bouncers
to not let under age kids in, the resident DJ to stop playing the same set list,
for more diverse and distinguished acts to be booked and for the image of the
place not to rely on who drinks there. The set-up of the WAV box office
(Whelan's And Village) is an excellent idea and there have been some great
performances this year (The Waifs, Janis Ian) but for a venue as important as
Whelan's is, not enough is being done. For now, Crawdaddy is the place to be,
depending on who is playing that is.
Gareth Maher
Check out the discussion this article provoked on the
CLUAS
discussion board.
Previous CLUAS Opinion pieces...
| Dateline: January 2006 | |
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| Dateline: December 2005 | |
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What Pop Music Can Teach Us About The Spirit Of Christmas... |
Dateline: December 2005 |
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| Dateline: December 2005 | |
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Homosexuality in pop music and the taboos that still surround it... |
Dateline: September 2005 |
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| Dateline: June 2005 | |
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| Dateline: May 2005 | |
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| Dateline: March 2005 | |
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| Dateline: February 2005 | |
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| Dateline: January 2005 | |
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| Dateline: December 2004 | |
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| Dateline: November 2004 | |
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| Dateline: October 2004 | |
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| Dateline: October 2004 | |
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Roddy Doyle said recently in an interview in The Guardian that Ireland doesn't produce great musicians. Considering that he is currently promoting a novel centred on Louis Armstrong and American jazz, it's possible that he may have been quoted out of a very broad context. Nonetheless, he has a valid point. Read the full article... |
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