The Strypes return to Sweeney's for fifth anniversary
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Dublin venue Sweeney's is rolling out the red carpet for very special guests, The Strypes, the Cavan-based act that played one of their first gigs in the venue before going on to achieve worldwide success.
The gig at 32 Dame Street on Friday 11th July will also feature a variety of hugely fantastic acts such as Kicking Bird, Richie Farrell & The Last Tribe, Betty Swing Machine, Redwoods, Leading Armies, St John The Gambler, Sarah Red and Conor Linnie. There will also be World Groovalizacion music by The Dublin Tropikal DJ's iZem and Jrmy Murphy to get you grooving all night.
What a whirlwind of music it has been since five years ago when John Sweeney got the keys for the then named 'Le Cirque' venue. John knew he wanted to open its doors to as many musicians as possible and not charge on the door, which was the way most venues did for live gigs back then. This ethos was welcomed by many acts looking to gain new audiences while also keeping their gigs accessible to their fans.
With the help of savage staff, the Human Music Collective and some KnockanStockan Festival organisers, John's vision and dream became a reality. The venue took on a new style with collaborations between visual artists covering the walls and musicians and DJ's on three stages, it quickly gained a somewhat cult following as the place to play a gig in Dublin to a captive audience full of genuine music lovers. Being the first venue in 'The Dame District' to host free live music over 5 nights a week, other venues soon realised the potential of the area to become Dublin's 'New music quarter' and followed suit.
Thousands of acts have graced the stage since its inception and various different well known nights have blossomed in the venue such as DimeStore Recordings, Retro Revival, Reggae Fever and Jack of Diamonds. The venue has also served as a platform for acts to get slots at festivals such as KnockanStockan, Life Festival, Vantastival, NPLD amongst others.
Acts such as The Strypes, The Hot Sprockets, The Riptide Movement, Sounds of System Breakdown, VANN Music and Hozier is only tipping the iceberg when mentioning who has played this venue and continue to return to play and enjoy others' gigs and even partake in impromptu jams.
Because capacity is limited and demand is high for the show, wristbands will be available for collection at the venue from 6pm on Friday 11th July. First come first served. So to secure your place at this party, you need to get in early and get yourself a wristband!
radiomade.ie will also be streaming live from midnight so you can listen in no matter where you are in the world!
The Strypes is a four-piece rhythm and blues band from Cavan with an average age of 17 and the world at their feet. The rise of The Strypes since that Sweeney's gig in 2011 has been nothing short of breathtaking. In 2012 they recorded and released their debut EP 'Young, Gifted and Blue', signed a five-album deal with Mercury Records, released their debut album 'Snapshot' in 2013, toured all around the world and made friends and fans including some of rock’n’rolls elite.
Bettine McMahon, Sweeney's promoter said: 'The staff in Sweeney's have always admired The Strypes from the moment they walked through our doors as young teenagers with buckets of ambition and talent. All of us are so proud to watch them grow and gain every success they deserve. We are especially delighted that they accepted our invitation to celebrate our fifth birthday with us this Friday before heading off to do gigs in Japan and Australia next week.'