Ireland’s capital Dublin is famed for its pubs. What many outside of Ireland might not realise, though, is part of the reason pubs flourish so much is simply a lack of decent nightlife alternatives: with a very latest closing time for clubs of 2.30am, pubbing makes more sense than what is, by European standards, very early-evening clubbing.
That’s all about to change. New legislation will push closing times all the way back to 6am, with Tainaiste Leo Varadkar saying “I don’t see why nightlife in Ireland shouldn’t be as good as anywhere in the world.” The liberalisation has been on the agenda for a while now, with campaign groups like ‘Give Us The Night’ heavily pushing for such changes as an industry representative since 2019.
“This is hugely overdue,” top-end local Kormac says. “I cut my teeth as a warm up DJ for international guests. There will be a lot more scope for other, newer artists to find time on bills, and a situation where it’s not all about the peak time. Playing the five to six am slot is an art in itself. It really helps people to hone their craft, and allows for different music, not just ‘peak time’ music. Interesting things happen at 5 in the morning that wouldn’t work at 1 or 2.”
Kormac’s latter point is at the heart of the issue from a musical perspective: more nightlife time means more, and different, music. The style of a music scene, after all, is deeply influenced by the platforms it can give. As places like Berlin, Ibiza, and the Baltic States show, when clubbing thrives, so does the music played in clubs.
Ireland’s music scene is often described as punching above its weight. With global exports in recent years including the likes of Dermot Kennedy, Hozier, Fontaines D.C., and Inhaler, all from a population of just 5 million. That said, the absence of a strong dance scene amongst the pop and rock is notable.
Techno superstar Richie Hawtin once described Ibiza as “inviting people to escape, to isolate themselves from their own reality and to step into an alternate universe of make-believe experiences…a black hole in the middle of the world where everything is possible.” That anything, heavily facilitated by the feel of the late night hours, certainly includes his own style of music.
Berlin, famed for its clubs, like the iconic Berghain, is, according to the city’s Business Location Center, home to 1,000 bands and 1,200 DJs. Per head, Dublin can unquestionably match Berlin on bands, but would fall a mile short on DJs. It’s an obvious space for development.
It’ll take time, but the days of Ireland’s own club lovers fleeing to Berlin, Rotterdam and Belfast for their ‘serious’ nightlife fix may be in the past after the changes of early 2023. Superclubs and top quality dance aren’t going to appear overnight, and nor is a scene comparable to Ibiza or Berlin, but there will, quickly, be much more opportunity for acts like Bicep and Abbacaxi to emerge at home, into a space that’s naturally welcoming, and gives them the right experience.
Change is on the horizon. The Irish scene eagerly awaits its new beat-driven overlords.
