Talking Troubadour Music with Fran Daly
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Bringing a hoard of Irish musicians, bands and singers on tour, Troubadour Music has changed the face of the Irish music scene in Australia. Headed up by Fran Daly, he discusses the past, present and future of Irish music and culture Down Under.
The Irish music scene in Australia when I arrived was very different to what it is now. Very few Irish acts had been here in years due to the cost of getting here. It was pre-Internet so no acts had direct communication with their fans through social media like they do now.
Now you have Irish acts like Damien Dempsey signed to ABC Music in Australia, The Villagers playing at Splendour In The Grass, and Soak, a really talented young artist, making her way here at a much earlier stage in her career than had happened previously.
We have a huge amount of people who come to every event that Troubadour puts on. It shows an amazing loyalty when people keep coming back to our gigs across a pretty diverse set of genres. I always say the Irish are loud and visible, but when we do a show that brings out the English expats, you really see just how many call Australia home. We try to deliver top quality production, venues and overall experience to keep them coming back.
There have been a few tours that really stand out over the years– some because they never even happened! The ash cloud a few years back caused us to cancel several tours as the acts simply could not get here; Damien Dempsey at Sydney Opera House was pretty special; Alabama 3 and Bad Manners tours pretty wild and Sinead O’Connor last year was definitely a highlight.
There are a lot of Irish bands and artists touring Australia in 2016. We have Declan O’Rourke, Pauline Scanlon and John Spillane here for our production of ‘Exile’ and then Mary Black’s farewell tour in March. We’re programming a series of shows during St Patrick’s week at the Tea Gardens in Bondi, which includes Rosin O, Mark McCabe – DJ of Maniac fame – and Mick McHugh. In terms of who to look out for this year, Soak, Walking On Cars and Gavin James could have massive years.
For the Irish, spend St Patrick’s Day in Australia by going to see Mary Black in Melbourne, Mark McCabe in Sydney or Mick McHugh in Brisbane. Make sure you visit an Irish pub and try a Guinness if you never have before. Everywhere will be lively and everyone is welcome.
For all events and tours, visit www.troubadour-music.com
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