the final pleasure of running a band competition
A few days ago I was ranting on about the stress of putting on gigs. Wondering why I did it when
all it did was cause me grief. Towards the end of the post I mentioned the good points, albeit rather briefly. Afterwards I thought that a bit disingenuous – so many words put to negative use without the good points being allowed to show their face, stand up for themselves. Well today I put that to rights.
Last night was the finals of a battle of the bands competition I’ve been running for the last 2 months called ‘Sound It Out!’ 50 bands applied to an online callout and 36 were chosen to play in 3 venues (The Roundy, An Realt Dearg and Bourbon Street) over 4 weeks. There were then 2 quarter finals, a semi finals and last night the grand final in The Pavillion. It’s been long, drawn out, at times tedious, tiring and disappointing but overall has been a wonderful success, especially for the musicians. The quality of bands was good and the music well varied. All of it pointing to one thing; that there is a very healthy music scene in Cork. Something which is always good to see.
So there I was last night, desperately worried no one would turn up (The Pavillion has a capacity of 400), the bands would play to a large empty space, we’d lose money (the gigs up until the final were free) that we badly needed and the whole exercise would fall flat on its face.
But no, it never happened. We had over 160 people in the door, the bands; Sian Brown, Meadhbh Boyd and The Mutual Appreciation Society and Hush War.Cry had a ball on stage and the punters had a blast. It was a great ending to a long competition making my after work pints taste all the sweeter.
What occurred to me last night after a bit more than a few pints was the realisation that 50 bands decided to take action on the basis of a callout, decided to have a go, make an effort, try, fail, succeed, make a difference and that my friends is what it’s all about. G-I-V-I-N-G I-T A G-O no matter what the circumstances, because if you don’t try, you don’t get anywhere. So a big thank you to the bands of Cork for showing me up and making me realise there are many people out there trying so bloody hard. And next time I’m half slumped over my stool, weary and disappointed with the turnout I’ll remember last night and reflect on the privilege I have of giving bands the space to ply their trade, to be creative, to express themselves. And remember, that’s what we at mutantspace are here for – to help you on your way
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