Day 3 @ Other Voices 11: The live experience

Other Voices is a live music TV show. Traditionally over the past 10 years, we've recorded the performances, edited them and broadcast them on the telly a couple of months later. Last year we had a first in the form of a live stream online in conjunction with The Guardian of Spiritualized and Wild Beasts from St. James' Church.

This year, we went one further and beamed the second night of sets in the Church right into homes around Ireland on RTE Two. After the relative calm of the gigs around town featuring David Kitt playing to a packed Currans bar, Drenge impressing locals in McCarthy's, Neon Wolf In An Chonair and Banter holding court in Foxy John's, it was a particularly heightened experience to be in the Church last night.

Watching the excellent David Kitt playing in a Dingle pub. #NotTheUsualSunday #OtherVoices

— Brian Murphy (@btmurphy) December 2, 2012

Live TV means no room for mistakes or second takes which the bands in previous years have had the luxury of. With the live broadcast comes tension, stress and much excitement. Sitting in the pew of the church, watching the crew frantically but capably get it all together on time, you wonder: "why would you do this to yourself?"

The answer is the thrill. There's a kind of magic to live music TV that you just can't get elsewhere and for Other Voices, which has been pushing its own boundaries lately, it makes a lot of sense to do, in an age where tweets, photos and blogs like this one, keep people updated on things in the mean time before the show actually airs.

Of course, the other aspect of the live recording is being on the other side of the camera: being a spectator. The recording of a TV show is still a fascinating experience. Watching the floor manager Jean count down the ad break until broadcast is like some sort of cinematic bomb explosion except when the countdown hits one, Aidan Gillen appears on screen and introduces a band, everyone has a lovely time and no-one gets injured.

Meanwhile, stage manager Ruairi O'Flaherty and crew has the unenviable task of getting about three and a half minutes to changeover the stage setup between bands and to make sure everything is ready and working then the countdown hits one.

All you can do as an audience member is try not to appear in the shots of the crowd when the cameras are turned on you or pick a sweet from the box of chocolates passed around the audience. Ah, sure tis a hard life..


Last night's lineup was curated by Aaron Dessner of The National who was here two years ago with his band to play the show, became so enamoured with Dingle that, in his own words he "ended up wanting to live here."

He brought with him, three very different bands to Dingle, all of which he had produced albums of recently. He joined them all on stage. From Melbourne, Australia, Luluc had a country rock folk vibe while Aaron added guitar solos to their sweet songs about growing up on farm. English folkie Kate Stables and her band This Is The Kit beguiled everyone with their charming pastoral folk including bonus champion-winning whistle solo on the song 'Two Wooden Spoons'.

Local Natives meanwhile, were the cause of much of the frenetic activity pre-show having had a flight delayed into Ireland, they pegged it to Dingle from Cork airport making it on-stage just in time for the live show. To their credit, their harmony-led inclusive dynamic indie-rock show including songs from their new album Hummingbird were the night's highlight.

Meanwhile, the night's other performer (not counting Villagers whose set was recorded the night before) Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile was more of a divisive performer. His stripped-down plaintive piano songs are mournful, brittle and poetic; it's not everyone's bag but there's beauty to be found in phrases or passages regardless especially watching Buchanan in person singing in such a hunched strained manner.

Pass the sweets guys, we've one more night left this year...