Live acts take to the 'burbs

Tonight sees the opening of a new venue that aims to lure music fans from Dublin city centre with its Irish-oriented gig policy…

Tonight sees the opening of a new venue that aims to lure music fans from Dublin city centre with its Irish-oriented gig policy. Parker Brown’s, a bar and nightclub at Dundrum Town Centre, tonight kicks off their music series Friday Night Live with a gig by pop-rock trio Fox Avenue, while Oscar-winner Glen Hansard will play a solo gig on August 5th.

"There's an undeniable wealth of Irish musical talent in the country at the moment, and we want to provide an outlet for this talent," said promoter Kevin Caffrey. "It also gives those living in the suburbs the option of having a night of live music and clubbing without having to travel into the city centre."

The venue is the latest in a growing number of music venues opening in Dublin's suburbs and beyond: last year Captain's Live opened at Blanchardstown shopping centre; Navan's Swan Lane venue opened recently and has gigs by Whipping Boy, Fight Like Apes and Mick Flannery in the pipeline; the Forge Club in Cootehall, Co Roscommon, has featured acts such as Hal and Jinx Lennon.

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times