“The audiences at these gigs often prove to be just as interesting as the musicians, being a total cross-section of mankind, as we know it in Cork City, a complete mixture of ages, nationalities and dress codes. It was 1 o’clock last Wednesday morning in Crane Lane, Hadasha had been on stage for half an hour and the place was still filling up, 2 young twentysomething girls were dancing quite bizarrely and an African guy next to me just couldn’t resist the urge to start jigging. And as I walked to the bar for another pint I bumped into Ruti from the Fireflies who’d driven in from Killarney. It was definitely the place to be, but why a Tuesday?”

Aoife Barror, Marketing and PR Manager with the Improvised Music Company, the collective responsible for bringing Boban Marković to Ireland, agrees with Nora’s sentiments that any increased presence of  Balkan and World music on the local scene is as much representative of an appetite for new music as it is of appeasing Irelands newest residents.

“Although the influx of people from other countries into Ireland is undoubtedly affecting the number and variety of “cultural exchanges” we see here, not least in the arts and music scene, I do feel that Ireland’s gravitation towards a diverse spectrum of music is actually more a reflection of a worldwide trend in musical taste. I think, generally speaking, people are a lot more open to music from other cultures not just because of closer social proximity to people of those cultures through immigration, though that is surely a factor, but because I think people’s tastes are becoming more adventurous and more sophisticated.

“At Improvised Music Company concerts we are increasingly seeing a more diverse of audience, people from many different countries, teenagers, 20’s -30’s, the over 50s, male and female, people who might usually be more into Irish trad, rock, jazz and, depending on the act, you also meet people who would be into heavy rock, speed metal and neo-punk. Obviously the binding factor is a love of music, but I would really see this diversity as evidence of the breaking down of music taste taboos.

“The Balkan thing is yet more evidence of this, but Irish bands such as Yurodny and North Strand Klezmer Band have played a huge role in developing Irish appetites for this music. Indeed, there was scarcely a music festival in the country which didn’t have one or both playing at it. A lot of what these bands, and Balkan/gypsy orchestras play is traditional wedding songs and dances so the music is usually very high energy.  It is just great music to listen to and dance to, that, coupled with the fact that it’s relatively un-chartered waters for us  stylistically speaking is what’s drawing so much interest from Irish promoters, audiences and musicians. In spite of being, in the grander scheme of things, quite close to home, the melodies, time signatures and pace which you find in Balkan dances and horas are pretty different from what we’re used to hearing and now that its more prominent musicians are being brought over to this part of the world, a lot of people are discovering this traditional folk music as something new to listen to and for musicians to borrow from. The fact that the musicians in these gypsy bands tend to play at an extremely high level is also a huge factor, and that they play to entertain is another key aspect of the performance- audiences love it because instinctively know they’re in save hands.”

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