Cruiscin Lan, Cork

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

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! 

[StoutAndAle]

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.

[Circlepit]

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.

[Paul keohane]

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!

[Petardo]

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.

[Bogmetaller]

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?

[Paul keohane]

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.

[StoutAndAle]

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?

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.

[lifeeternal]

Except Cypress Avenue had the like of Isis, Swans, The Secret etc a decade ago!

[Paul keohane]

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.

[Bogmetaller]

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?

[jobrok1]

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.

[Yung Led Zeppelin]

With the Spailpín you also have the resident trad dickhead downstairs who comes up and threatens people over the noise. Hilarious shit tbh.

[StoutAndAle]

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.

[noodles]

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 !