THE recent events at Phoenix Park at the gig headlined by Swedish House Mafia where eight stabbing incidents occurred and drug overdoses and fatalities were reported the next morning, has become part of the national conversation. Limerick Post talked to music festival promoters to find out if music festivals are safe places to allow your loved ones to go to and if “rave culture” is to blame for the violence at the Phoenix Park show.
Shane Dunne has been running Cork’s Indiependence Festival since 2006. Originally set in Mitchelstown’s main square as a free music festival for Irish bands, it outgrew its location and from 2009 became a ticket-only boutique festival on the outskirts of the town. It is located at Deer Farm this year with a three day line-up of bands including 2manydjs, Feeder, Maverick Sabre and The Coronas.
Limerick promoter Dan Sykes has run underground electronic music nights in the city for years and the Bump! Muzik Festival celebrated its third year earlier this month with a three day festival based in venues throughout the city.
Stabbings, drunkenness, intimidating atmosphere and everyone out of it on drugs is what has been reported about the Swedish House Mafia headliner at Phoenix Park. Calls for the arrest of promoters MCD, the use of airport style metal detectors at the gates of concerts and increased restriction of alcohol availability has been the national conversation
Limerick Post asked promoters Shane Dunne (Indiependence) and Dan Sykes (Macronite) for their take on events.
Shane Dunne(Indiependence): “You can go into any town on a Saturday night at 2 O’Clock in the morning and see the exact same things. It is a deeper issue than just that gig when you see in every town and village the level of alcohol consumption and other substances, its everywhere, so that gig has just brought it to light. You had 45,000 people there it was a low number who caused the problems but people are blaming it on drink, on drugs but the people who caused trouble there were planning on causing trouble and they were doing it in their full mindset. That’s an issue for society in Ireland in general, it is not an issue for MCD.”
Limerick Post: Can the finger of blame by pointed at so called “rave culture”?
Dan Sykes (Macronite): “Not that I have ever seen. In fact quite the opposite. What happened at Phoenix Park was terrible and it’s such a sad thing when anyone is hurt or dies. It doesn’t have anything to do with music though. It’s really a reflection of the dashed hopes and aspirations that our society faces every day. Emigration, unemployment and lack of services and education are the real issues. Ireland may as-well be Craggy Island.
We were led to believe that we were one of the best nations on earth and had the highest quality of life. That was the case but only for a select few people who controlled rise and fall of our country. For the few bad eggs there at Phoenix Park I’m sure there were thousands of very decent people having a good time. Also it wasn’t really a dance gig when the rest of the acts were pop music and rap music. Swedish House Mafia aren’t really underground dance music either. In my opinion that was a pop music concert. I’m bemused at people attacking dance music (a term that is in fact so broad you may as well just say music)”.
Why does the “Rave Culture” exist? Because people want something different. That’s what its all about. Escapism from the drudgery of life and the inequality of society itself. The rave scene or underground electronic scene is probably one of the most accepting of different people because if you’re into it your are part of it. Every generation has had its musical explosions and trends that have caused a stir. We are now in 2012, over 20 years after the rave explosion. If there was ever a “scene” that is anti establishment and pro free though, then it’s this so called “rave scene’ that is currently being used to blame for the careless, reckless and unfortunate events of that weekend. No government wants people to have free thought and acceptance of everything on one level, because then we won’t need the government.”
Shane Dunne: “Its not an issue to do with dance music, although I wouldn’t class that gig as a dance gig, Swedish House Mafia, for me, are a pop act.”
Limerick Post: So, Are Music Festivals safe anymore?
Dan Sykes: “Absolutely, close your eyes and ears to the media and listen to the music. You could ask is it safe to go to a Rolling Stones concert? Seeing as they hired Hells Angels as security at a US gig years ago and several people were beaten. I still see the Rolling Stones concerts with full attendance. Go to twice as many gigs, respect your surroundings and surrounding people, it’s not hard.”
Shane Dunne: “I think this year, in light of what has happened we are going to have to step up security. We treat people like adults, we have a slightly older age group than what would have attended the Phoenix Park gig. Our average age is mid-20’s upwards and we get a lot of families and that tends to calm things down around the site. We have worked hard to keep it that way. Our security, even though they are strict and they are stringent, they have a nice attitude, for the security, yes, you might be searching somebody’s bag or patting somebody down but you do it with a smile on your face, we don’t want people to feel that they are being herded.
We have done three festivals now, in this format, we have had one arrest in three years, which was for a very minor offense and he was released hours later. It is a very safe place. We work at it, the line-up that we have does attract a broad range of people, it is more along the lines of a mini Electric Picnic rather that an “Oxegen type thing”.
We are stepping up security in light of what has happened in Phoenix Park, though nothing has happened at Independence in these last 3 years that has forced us to step up security. We have had very little issues at Independence, injury reports from the Red Cross are always one pagers, tending to be blisters and twisted ankles from dancing too much. We have a lot of stewards, security and Gardai on site, it is as good and as safe as it can be when you are talking about four and a half thousand festival goers enjoying themselves for the weekend.”
Macronite will return in September bringing its monthly instalment of cutting edge underground electronic music to Limerick.
Indiependence 2012 happens at Deer Farm, Mitchelstown in Cork on the Bank Holiday weekend of August 3-5. It features headliners 2manydjs, Feeder, Maverick Sabre and British Sea Power. They are joined by Irish acts The Coronas, Jape, The Minutes and more. Check indiependencefestival.com for details.
