Sorted a job in Cork a few weeks ago after 4 years in Dublin - went for a walk to the Cruiscin for nostalgias sake just to see what was left of it. There's 4 application notices dated from April on it applying for it to be changed to a medical practice, shop, retail space and apartments. Didn't think it was big enough to accommodate all that but anyway.
What were people's experiences of it? I was only there 3 times - first time being when I was a fresh 17 year old to see Exodus, then there was the Cannibal Corpse and Destruction shows. Don't remember much of it but I remember my first thoughts of the Voodoo Lounge in Dublin was that it was fucking shite in comparison.
Always had serious craic there, thought it was a great spot. Offy next door, sound staff, good sound. Mind you maybe im seeing things through rose tinted glasses as I was late teens and early 20s going to gigs there.
Saw some class gigs between 2007 to whenever it closed... Destruction, Suffocation, Rotting Christ, Slough Feg, Procession, Desaster.
And of course the KKK stunt and the ensuing shitshow on MI was fantastic :laugh:
I was only there a few times, a couple of times to play and then to see Triptykon shortly before it closed. It was a little scuzzy but I always enjoyed the place. Seeing Tom G there was a little surreal. It was fucking class to see the man play in such a small venue, even if he didn't share my joy of the experience, or his Romanian stalker lady :laugh:
I do miss those great MI threads.
From memory,my first notable gig (outside of cover bands) in there was Akercocke (2004 i think).Virtually lived in the place for the following 6/7 years.Some unbelievable bands came through the doors,some of my all time favourite bands.The 2 Dismember gigs really stand out for me,Unleashed,Bolt Thrower,God Dethroned,Amon Amarth ,Suffocation ,Decapitated.It all just fell into place at the time,Nancys stopped doing gigs in the mid 2000s so for me there was a fear of not having a decent gig venue in Cork to cater for touring bands.Thankfully The Cruiscin filled the void,it really peaked for a few years in the mid/late 2000s.Real good memories.
Quote from: Juggz on September 12, 2020, 09:43:09 AM
I was only there a few times, a couple of times to play and then to see Triptykon shortly before it closed. It was a little scuzzy but I always enjoyed the place. Seeing Tom G there was a little surreal. It was fucking class to see the man play in such a small venue, even if he didn't share my joy of the experience, or his Romanian stalker lady :laugh:
I do miss those great MI threads.
Definitely gets my vote as the funniest thread on the old forum. Even Shockpotus bashing threads couldn't beat it for comedy value!
Saw a bunch of gigs there back in the day, but one that stands out was Unsane in 2004. Badly, badly advertised so very few turned up, but even though there was only about 50 people there, they blew the walls off the place all the same - savage noise.
Bolt Thrower, Suffocation, Destruction and Decapitated were all great shows as well. Napalm Death in Cruiscin was a blast.
It was open during a cool time for metal and was a focal point for metal (& other genres) in Cork during the 00s. Saw (& played with) so many great bands there over the years including many of those mentioned above - getting to see October Tide (& subsequent all night lock in) there was great.... Tryptykon was unreal to meet Tom there and the hilarity that followed.... but the Winterfests etc there were great too. A bit loss when it closed down. At least there's a decent sized venue in cork now again with Cypress Ave - with luck there'll be gigs to fill it in the not too distant future!
I saw and heard Zealot Cult for the first time there. They were opening for whoever was the headliner that night and completely owned the venue, including all the supports and the main attraction. I know, not quite big of a name as some mentioned above, nevertheless a revelation for me at the time. Didn't know much about Irish scene then and I was blown away.
I had a quick chat with the lads after the gig and learned that at the time they didn't even rehearse regularly. Being a bedroom bass and guitar player myself I nearly creamed my pants upon hearing that, after witnessing such tight and brutal performance just minutes earlier.
The first two incarnations of the Cruiscin - after it changed from a bar that had bands the odd time to a decent gigs 4 - 5 night a week venue - were great.
It showcased all sorts of music, not just metal. I saw a rake of great gigs there - Oxbow, Electric Eel Shock, Iron & Wine, Turn, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Jim White, Rodney Crowell, Cooper, The Redneck Manifesto, Biffy Clyro, My Morning Jacket etc.. They had some decent cover bands through there too - a band called Thunderstruck from the midlands played one night - you'd swear the real AC/DC had showed up, it was wedged.
After it changed hands a final time when there was a lad called Kieran (I think) running it - it went to to the dogs, in my opinion. Sure, there were still great bands coming through but the craic seemed to have been sucked out of the place, it seemed like the vibe had darkened in there... just... grim. It went from being a nice venue that would host anything worthwhile to a bleak room that basically did metal and Eastern European techno.
Wasn't there some mental KKK carry on too? (EDIT: Yeah there was.)
I saw someone else mention Unsane. I couldn't believe that A. they were playing Cork and B. they ended up playing to a bare handful of people. Metallica were playing in Dublin the next day as far as I recall but I don't think that would have impacted it that much. They were deadly though.
One factor about the Crusicin that was to its detriment was where it was situated. There's definitely a Cork mental block about things located outside of the 3 main streets - and I say this a langer born and raised. Dedicated gig goers wouldn't be phased but casuals would definitely baulk. Countless times people would ask me where the gig was on and then follow it up with "Over there? That's miles away". Some bands playing the Cruiscin would get bigger attendance when they played Cyprus Avenue (this was back when CA was a low-ceilinged sweatbox with mediocre sound and no air-con also) probably because it was in the centre of town.
The biggest thing that I miss about the Cruiscin was the sound quality in there. It could be loud as all fuck and still crystal clear. Very few off nights in terms of sound and Matt/Ber were always able to fix it.
What's this funky ass KKK story?
Quote from: Kurt Cocaine on September 14, 2020, 01:45:06 PM
What's this funky ass KKK story?
There's probably someone on here from the old MI forum that can tell it better than I can. From what I recall;
There was a gig in 2009 (for the life of me, I can't remember who was playing, I recall local support who were none to impressed with the carry on) and during the main act's set some lad appeared onstage in KKK gear (or possibly a Scooby Doo ghost outfit made from a sheet). The lad who was running the Cruiscin instead of denouncing the actions like a normal person appeared to have some kind of mental breakdown on MI, ended up losing all control of himself and going on a one man rant rampage (in all caps). Apparently changing his avatar to a photo of him smiling outside Auschwitz along the way...
I really wish I had a link to that thread. It was gold.
It was purely a gig venue for me,would never have went there for pints if there wasn't a gig on.I personally didnt know your man Kieran,but any lads i knew in bands said he was good to deal with,but others didnt like him for his political views.
Im trying to picture the place in its first incarnation,i can remember going to see Metallica and Black sabbath tribute bands in there,was there a bar to the right as you went in the door?.
It was perfect for what Cork needed at the time,there was a bit of a resurgence in numbers going to gigs for a few years.Previous to that period there wasnt much happening from an touring band point of view coming to Cork.Bar the very odd big one in Nancys.
The KKK gig was Putrefy from up north,i had the incident recorded on my phone at the time!,long gone now though.
Great times :laugh:
Putrefy had a song called zombie redneck (I think) that's what the kkk suit was about, it was a joke, it was funny, people lost their shit over it. Always liked dealing with Kieran, we had a few heated discussions about politics at 5 in the morning during a lock in. I liked playing there, saw some great bands, miss the place.
Quote from: lifeeternal on September 14, 2020, 06:45:35 PM
Putrefy had a song called zombie redneck (I think) that's what the kkk suit was about, it was a joke, it was funny, people lost their shit over it. Always liked dealing with Kieran, we had a few heated discussions about politics at 5 in the morning during a lock in. I liked playing there, saw some great bands, miss the place.
I personally didn't give a fuck,definitely a way ott reaction at the time.If it happened now there would be mass protests outside the place!.
Quote from: Paul keohane on September 14, 2020, 06:56:51 PM
Quote from: lifeeternal on September 14, 2020, 06:45:35 PM
Putrefy had a song called zombie redneck (I think) that's what the kkk suit was about, it was a joke, it was funny, people lost their shit over it. Always liked dealing with Kieran, we had a few heated discussions about politics at 5 in the morning during a lock in. I liked playing there, saw some great bands, miss the place.
I personally didn't give a fuck,definitely a way ott reaction at the time.If it happened now there would be mass protests outside the place!.
Mass protests from Cork to Londonderry! :P :laugh:
Quote from: Paul keohane on September 14, 2020, 02:17:47 PM
Im trying to picture the place in its first incarnation,i can remember going to see Metallica and Black sabbath tribute bands in there,was there a bar to the right as you went in the door?.
The first proper incarnation was when your man Finbar Murphy sold it after one of his staff got shot in an attempted robbery in the early 2000s and Tom from Fred's took it on. Fred's The 2nd was next door to it. You had to walk past a huge gate and in a door (that had a lethally high step up/down to it which I always forgot about, usually upon exit...) The bar was on your right and there was a snug plus internal doors to Fred's The 2nd. To the left of the bar was the entrance to the venue which was basically a big room behind the main bar which held about 200 punters. Tom got a late license for the place and the Camouflage club night used to be on there. Remember that? Happy days.
The second version was when someone running it decided to blast out the wall separating the pub from the gig room, therefore making it one very large (for Cork) venue space holding about 300 people and cancelling it out as a pub. It only opened for gigs after that. You had to go through the huge gate in the middle. Fred's The 2nd closed and an off license was put in its place.
Then it closed again and reopened with the lad Kieran running it.
It was a great place and Kieran was sound. A bit mad in the head but once you got to know him he was good.
I'm nit sure if it was after the KKK night or a hail Satan type night but I remember Madball played there no about 15 people. The gig was not advertised at all. When they arrived there were bibles torn up and thrown around the place. They still gave it socks.
Speedhorn were brilliant there. Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Napalm Death levelled it, Amon Amarth, Bleeding Through, Primordial, Gorgoroth,... all great nights there.
Quote from: StoutAndAle on September 15, 2020, 10:40:45 AM
Quote from: Paul keohane on September 14, 2020, 02:17:47 PM
Im trying to picture the place in its first incarnation,i can remember going to see Metallica and Black sabbath tribute bands in there,was there a bar to the right as you went in the door?.
The first proper incarnation was when your man Finbar Murphy sold it after one of his staff got shot in an attempted robbery in the early 2000s and Tom from Fred's took it on. Fred's The 2nd was next door to it. You had to walk past a huge gate and in a door (that had a lethally high step up/down to it which I always forgot about, usually upon exit...) The bar was on your right and there was a snug plus internal doors to Fred's The 2nd. To the left of the bar was the entrance to the venue which was basically a big room behind the main bar which held about 200 punters. Tom got a late license for the place and the Camouflage club night used to be on there. Remember that? Happy days.
The second version was when someone running it decided to blast out the wall separating the pub from the gig room, therefore making it one very large (for Cork) venue space holding about 300 people and cancelling it out as a pub. It only opened for gigs after that. You had to go through the huge gate in the middle. Fred's The 2nd closed and an off license was put in its place.
Then it closed again and reopened with the lad Kieran running it.
Good man,some memory!
The very first Cruiscin Lan was in the 80/90s as a biker bar with sawdust on the floor and the stink of hash in the air (couldn't get weed in Cork back then), and it was just one side of the main room with a wall separating it, so it was a lot smaller.
The various incarnations afterwards expanded it into the rest of the building and became a gig venue. Then it became more metal friendly as time and owners passed.
I've lost count of the number of gigs I went to and played there. There were some absolutely cracking shows like Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death, Suffocation and the Winterfest gigs were always epic pissups.
It suffered from a lack of numbers at a fair few gigs, but that's how it goes when the pool of punters is as small as Ireland, and a bank holiday Monday or midweek gig in Cork would have a handful even if it was a well known act.
There were flats upstairs and the backstage was a communal kitchen/toilet appropriated by the bar. Some of the antics in there were ridiculous.
Kieran had some questionable political standpoints but is a pretty sound guy at heart. Always made me welcome and the risk of writing off the following day due to a lock in was always present.
Sneaking out the side door hammered at 7 or 8am after a gig was quite common.
I had a rambling chat with a very amused postman outside in the pissing rain one morning after a lock in. I was full of booze, peaking on acid and unsuccessfully trying to light a cigarette because it was wriggling. He pointed out that I didn't even have a lighter to begin with and helped me out with a what looked to my cabbaged brain like a flame coming directly from his thumb. That's one of my lingering memories of the Cruiscin.
Like can anyone here envisage a time when Cork will have bands of the ilk of napalm death, exodus, cc etc etc playing on a regular basis? Mastodon played the Savoy too-possibly in flames as well?
Quote from: Bogmetaller on September 16, 2020, 02:50:48 PM
Like can anyone here envisage a time when Cork will have bands of the ilk of napalm death, exodus, cc etc etc playing on a regular basis? Mastodon played the Savoy too-possibly in flames as well?
Its all about promoters willing to take it on,at the moment the only thing close to bringing over peoper established bands is the lads doing Monolith fest.The Cruiscin just worked at the time,there was the venue,and there was the Acheron lads,lots of gigs looked like they covered themselves,but there was plenty with sparce turnouts too.It helped that there wasn't any gigs in Limerick at the time.Crowds travelling from around munster always bumped up the attendances plus there was a lot of Polish metal heads knocking around Cork too pre recession times.
Did that In Flames gig actually happen back then,was it on in the Pav?.Wasnt it Tom Keating putting on those gigs in the Savoy?,Rollinss Band,Suicidal Tendencies,Mastadon etc etc.
Quote from: Bogmetaller on September 16, 2020, 02:50:48 PM
Like can anyone here envisage a time when Cork will have bands of the ilk of napalm death, exodus, cc etc etc playing on a regular basis? Mastodon played the Savoy too-possibly in flames as well?
Quote from: Paul keohane on September 16, 2020, 03:43:12 PM
Did that In Flames gig actually happen back then,was it on in the Pav?.Wasnt it Tom Keating putting on those gigs in the Savoy?,Rollinss Band,Suicidal Tendencies,Mastadon etc etc.
That In Flames gig in The Pav was cancelled as far as I recall. Cancer Bats were due to support. They played the Pav themselves at some point later on.
I don't think that Tom put on Rollins Band, I think that was Bandicoot promotions, but he definitely did Mastodon more than once in The Savoy.
There was a great period there for metal in the early 2000s as Paul said. The problem in Cork (I was told this by a promoter a while back) is that most venues are iffy about putting on heavy shows, especially on weekends, because they don't want to get a rep as metal venue or alienate casual punters. I think that this is a bit ridiculous but perhaps it's true. I have to say fair fucks to Con from Paranoid Beast in convincing Cyprus Avenue to take on his gigs and the Monolith Fest. There's NO WAY that CA would have done Rotting Christ or Bell Witch a decade ago.
Except Cypress Avenue had the like of Isis, Swans, The Secret etc a decade ago!
Quote from: lifeeternal on September 17, 2020, 06:12:16 PM
Except Cypress Avenue had the like of Isis, Swans, The Secret etc a decade ago!
I think we're talking more about Death/Black metal bands,CA wouldn't have had much interest a decade ago tbf.
Another question I meant to ask is is the Spaillpin Fanach a similar venue in size? Location might appeal more if a promoter was willing to put bands in there?
I put on some shows with Pethrophile Promotions in there.
Biggest problem with the Spailpín is that there's no house PA, at all. Every gig needs one hired in with sound guy. And there's no green room, back stage area. Plus the owner could be really difficult to deal with, depending on his mood.
So unless it was a bigger event like the URBAN ASSAULT shows, it's always going to be a risk.
And even that was getting riskier each year.
At least with Cyprus Avenue, all that hassle plus security is included.
With the Spailpín you also have the resident trad dickhead downstairs who comes up and threatens people over the noise. Hilarious shit tbh.
Quote from: lifeeternal on September 17, 2020, 06:12:16 PM
Except Cypress Avenue had the like of Isis, Swans, The Secret etc a decade ago!
True. I was at most of those shows. They also did Shrinebuilder, Sunn O))) Boris and Mono. Those bands can drag more than just metal heads to a gig.
Paul summed up the point that I was trying to make.
Re: The Spalpín
I like seeing gis there. It's definitely not as big as the Cruiscin. It's long but narrow-ish - sort of remind you of the upstairs in The Pint in Dublin. For a long time it was used solely as a function room for 21st and 40th birthday parties. It has the benefit of having the bar and a seating area slightly separate to the stage.
As pointed out - the lack of permanent PA/lights is a dose for promoters. A friend of mine puts on some stuff there. Even to do a local show could see you seriously out of pocket.
I saw Dead Witches there a while back and the volume was fucking immense. I'd say it scared the shite of the trad heads downstairs. To be fair though - if there's a half decent crowd at a show in the Spalpín they'll out-drink the main bar by about 4:1.
Some great gigs there . Definitely Biffy Clyro, Dismember and Cryptopsy with She Said Destroy. An early Altar of Plagues gig . The Madball gig with locals Ghost of Medina had a miserable turnout the singer kept asking if we'd got out monies worth !
I used to go to the Cruiscín quite a bit back in the late 90s with the biker crowd, and Mick and I had looked into doing bigger gigs there after a few months of doing the Acheron gigs in Fred's before finally persuading Nancy's to start taking bookings for metal gigs after being able to demonstrate our numbers at smaller gigs. We moved all our gigs down to the Cruiscín when Ger from Nancy's took it over after Tom.
It used to be some pain in the hole chasing down alternative venues for running gigs (nearly managed Loits in a Blues Bar on the docks once), especially after I stopped drinking. I am sure it is the very same now for promoters of small gigs.
The Cruiscín was a decent venue once it had been expanded and having a proper backstage meant no longer having to hire day rooms in hotels and ferry bands around in cars. Plus, parking the bus was slightly less stressful (but fucking hell, still the worst part of the whole day!).
It used to be tricky getting people to walk over for the likes of Vital Remains, but for the bigger gigs, it was some blast. For a city of its size, Cork had a run of really class gigs for quite a while: a far cry from thirty people showing up for Desecration in May 2000!
I played played in the Spailpín, but thankfully I never ran a gig there. I can't think of a pub in Cork with a higher concentration of contrary fuckers back in the day (despite that, I used to go there at least once a week), bar maybe the HiBee.
Cypress Avenue is a class venue and fair play to those involved for being able to get the metal crowd in the door (I found that once a venue does one metal gig, they realise how much money they can make at the bar, but until then, they are very snobby about the whole thing). That said, they were quite receptive to metal gigs back in August 2006 or so, but by then I had decided to walk away from the whole thing and the Cruiscín was in full swing.
You going to get some new music going yourself, Russell?
I'd love to. Have a ton of stuff written, but between working a lot and arthritis in both hands/wrists makes it tricky to play much.
Satan's Arse comeback on the cards??
Christ on a bike, imagine it. Having accidentally headlined Fuck Witness in 2001, we bowed out at the top. The video of that gig is pure insanity...
:laugh: