AFTER what's happened in Dublin, I'm ashamed of Manchester," says n The City's prime mover, Tony Wilson, about the reaction on the ground to the massive musicfest that has been colonising Temple Bar over the last few days. "It's been brilliant so far," adds Wilson, "the gigs at night have been packed out there's been a tremendous response from people here, the talks during the day are going really well, the dance events are proving to be very popular, people have really been getting into it, the media have been great and we've been stunned by the reception. Looking back at Manchester, where all the previous In The City's have been held, I'm quite angry with how we went down, compared to Dublin".
Steady on a moment, Tony, and tell us again, just what is the point behind all of this and boozing and clubbing aside does In The City mean anything? "During the day the point is to remind the 1,000 odd people who have travelled over, just why it is they do what they do namely, work in the music industry. The talks and panel discussions serve as a meeting point and a talking point for all the delegates and the point of the night events is that everybody can take in some of the finest rock music around, and I'm talking about hands like Super Furry Animals and Space. On one level it's all about hanging out and having fun, on another it's to put on a major live rock music event," he says.
Apart from the daytime talking heads sessions (see below) on the live side, In The City is divided into three neat and tidy areas: 1) the 190 live bands most of whom reside on the groovier end of the musical spectrum 2) The unsigned category, in which 54 brand new(ish) bands, 15 of them Irish, try to inveigle the record company suits into signing them up and handing over some dosh. Previous bands who have emerged grinning from the unsigned side of things include Oasis, Elastica and Kula Shaker, so yeah, it means a lot. (This year's winners will be interviewed in this paper on Friday) and 3) the 35 different dance events that feature around 100 DJ's and dance acts with big names like Carl Cox and big clubs like Liverpool's Cream all making the journey from across the water.
The daytime talking sessions were a case of everything you didn't want to know about rock music but you thought you'd go along anyway, just in case a fight broke out or something like that. With their funky, in your face titles, the discussions certainly looked like they could provide a bit of shouting, swearing and finger pointing at least, but as it transpired everybody was decidedly chilled out. The first debate was on the all important, stop the presses issue of "The End of Counterculture does music really matter any more?". A suggestion that we just should have answered "no" and gone back to the pub was ignored. So instead, Jazzie B from Soul II Soul, writer Melvin van Peebles, guru and vibe bringer, B.P.Fallon, and Push from Muzix magazine all debated whether or not rock `n' roll had now become part of the establishment and if the ideals of liberation, subversion and general anarchy had been replaced by corporate rock.
A DISCUSSION on multimedia, called "Come Back When You're Older" (Ho, ho) looked at "evolving markets and technologies" and questioned the industry's response, while the cleverly titled "Government Subsidies are Crap" discussion, looked at the merits (if any) of government intervention in the music industry and asked whether rock music should go the way of opera (always looking for subsidies) or should it bite any hand that tries to feed it?
Somewhat fitting then that the well known rock `n' roll icon, the Minister for Finance, Ruairi Quinn, should address the keynote "In the City" panel at the Olympia Theatre last Sunday. He pointed out that Government could do two things to facilitate the development of the people's music. The first was to provide a "stage", as in Temple Bar and all the infrastructure built up there the second, more wisely, was that Government should keep out of the way.
Into Monday and there was a lot more chat concerning CDV, DAT, DCC and MD (no, me neither) which was all very well if you're interested in the hardware end of the industry, while "A British Invasion? You Limeys Must Be Joking" discussed how getting your Britpop kids onto the David Letterman show in the UPS did not" mean that MTV/Mid West acceptance followed. Quite instructional, in its own little way.
"The Young Turks" looked at the role of indie types in music the ones who release dead coof product and value creativity over chart position. Guests here included Dubliner Keith Cullen from the wonderful Setanta record label, while over at the "Drum & Bass Making The Neighbourhood Safe For Quiche" talk, the question "Has Jungle moved to Hampstead?" was earnestly debated.
Out on the streets, you could play "spot the sad delegate" (the ones who insisted on wearing their show offy laminate badges all the time congrats to the British journalists for winning this competition hands down) and the sounds of metal, reggae, folk, indie, art rock, house, techno and jungle seeped out from the brick works. There was a lot of discussion about where the "epi-centre" of the whole she bang was supposed to be on the programme it was listed as The Clarence Hotel but in practice it turned out to be the IFC, whose staff played a blinder throughout.
AWAY from the bigger imported names, the best musical kicks were to be found down in The Attic on George's Quay where the Dead Elvis label showed off their wares with Wormhole getting a standing ovation last Saturday night (believe me, a standing ovation from the dudes who go to the Attic is quite something) and Sack's dynamite gig in the same venue on Sunday being attended by Pete Wylie and one of The Smiths (yes, The Smiths).
One of the after hours highlights had to be the Fitzcarraldo boat which came across the sea from Manchester, moored itself on Sir John Rogerson's Quay and operated as a nightclub for the duration. Something which needs to be looked into next year, if In The City returns, is the sorry tale of the two security men working on the Fitzcarraldo. Because they were impressive of girth, shorn of most of their hair and tattooed of arm and neck, they found it impossible to get a drink anywhere in Temple Bar and ended up having to walk everywhere in Dublin because they say no taxi would stop for them. "Manchester is a tougher city than Dublin, but I have never seen so many pubs with doormen preventing some people entry as I have here," notes Tony Wilson.
While the musical circus packs up and leaves town this morning, an announcement is due some time next month about where the event will be staged next year. People get ready.
