Setting the stage for some of the most exclusive and intimate gigs in the region, Richmond Revival is celebrating its 2nd birthday of hosting performance arts since its inaugural North Cork Art Music series of 2022 which saw a weekend of diverse and explorative music encompassing five different unique Cork performers and groups of a high calibre.
A free event is being held on Saturday, August 14, at the historic Fermoy house with one of the biggest names in music journalism, John Robb bringing his show, ‘Do You Believe in the Power of Rock and Roll? – An Afternoon of Spoken Word with John Robb’ to the venue.
John Robb was the first person to interview Nirvana, is a founding member of ‘The Membranes’ and is noted for coining the phrase ‘Britpop’. The first half of the show will take the 50-seat audience through life in music from the late 70s when Robb delved into the punk scene, through the early rave scene and into the birth of electronic and techno and more.
In the second half, special guests Elvira Butler (Downtown Kampus/Reekus Records) and John Perry (the Only Ones) will join John Robb to discuss their journeys in the music world.
The free event takes place coinciding with the second anniversary of the successful local venue which has been bringing an entirely new music experience to the town of Fermoy since its beginnings.
Speaking with The Avondhu, founder of the Live at the Richmond Revival series, Fiachra Ó Cinnéide explained that the space was created to provide an original music venue in North Cork as he notes that there is a gap in the cultural landscape here for a venue specifically dedicated to creative live music as its core offering and a venue that focuses on performance and originality.
“There is now an original music venue and performance arts venue in Fermoy. It’s a wonderful facility we have right here in Fermoy and to celebrate such, we have the renowned John Robb coming for a free event,” he said.
Since its foundation, The Richmond Revival has been committed to enriching the cultural landscape of Fermoy town and has seen the foundation of a number of projects and events, with the Live at the Richmond Revival series being one of the most ambitious to date.
According to Fiachra, founding such a venue has been a passion project of his for some time.
“I hold an honours degree in music from The Cork School of Music, so this was always a passion. I love music and original music. This is an outlet, I’d say, that’s never been in North Cork.
“Venues, especially small capacity venues are closing down left, right and centre around the country, but word about Fermoy is spreading like wildfire amongst the musician fraternity and some higher profile performers such as Duke Special, Jack O’Rourke and Andy Irvine have included us in their calendars,” he said.
For the princely sum of a €1 booking fee, you can join Fiachra and his team to celebrate their second birthday with this special afternoon show with John Robb on September 14th. Tickets are available from the Richmond Revival Website (www.therichmondrevival.com), Richmond House itself, or from the Peoples Republic of Cork.
