Hard Working Class Heroes a huge success
The inaugural extravaganza which took place over the bank holiday weekend was a sell-out success
The Hot Press Newsdesk, 05 Aug 2003
The inaugural Hard Working Class Heroes event came to a close last night amid a mood of celebration and a welter of positive feedback. In all, 36 acts played over the course of the two nights at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, and both evenings became sell-outs as the local rock audience responded in style to the attraction of seeing the cream of homegrown talent from all over Ireland come together on the one stage.
"It's been brilliant, let's do it again," said Fin Chambers, lead-singer with Woodstar from the stage and that seemed to sum up the felling among musicians, who revelled in the sense of community that was evident throughout and the experience of strutting their stuff in the company of their peers.
Event organiser Brian Carroll, managing director of Wrong Tape Speed Collective, and his team were the target of much well-deserved praise as the event wore on – and succeeded in running on time, a remarkable organisational achievement that was handled with considerable expertise and a minimum of histrionics. With three 'stages' in operation and each band allotted a tight twelve minutes ( and the three headline acts on both nights getting 20 minutes apiece), it was both frantic and highly exciting.
"We're really happy it's gone so well," he told hotpress.com. "We'll lose money on the event this year, but we already have plans to do stuff again, so we're comfortable with that and we're looking forward to next year already."
Appropriately, Carroll's own band, Stars Of The City, were among the surprise highlights of the opening Sunday night show.
"It's been a long time since the community of Irish musicians has gathered together in this sort of spirit," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes reflected. "One of the most impressive things about the weekend was the way in which the pettiness and rivalries that too often bedevil the local scene were left outside the door. From what I could see, the bands and artists behaved impeccably, they gave their all, got on and off the stage in the allotted time and – as each band was waiting its turn – you could see the genuine appreciation that flowed from one to the other.
"There was also a hugely impressive range of music on display, reflecting both the health and the diversity of the scene here. To go from the soul manoeuvres of Republic Of Loose, through the one-woman-band atmospherics of Nina Hynes and the street-wise reggae of King Sativa on to the explosive psycho punk of The Things in a matter of minutes, as happened on Monday night, made a real statement about the depth of talent in Irish music right now."
While both nights were littered with great performances, it wasn't just on stage that things were making an impression. "The food from Nude and Aya in the hospitality area was a great touch," Philip Cartin, manager of Donegal hopefuls Berkeley commented. "It beats the packet of crisps and pint of beer that bands normally get by a long way."
Doubtless as a result of Frieda Gormley's involvement in a marketing role, the event had also created a buzz in the fashion community, with some of Ireland's best young designers and scene leaders spotted among the attendance, adding a touch of style to the overall sense of occasion.
All told, it was of the best weekends of music in Dublin in many a long day – and once the hangovers have been cured, hopefully everyone involved will be looking forward to a similar adventure come 12 months.
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