Hot Press stoked for Mike the Pies’ win
A DEEP love of the music on the part of its owner and a killer venue name made all the difference for Mike the Pie’s emergence as one of the nation’s top live venues - the verdict straight from the horse’s mouth of Hot Press editor Niall Stokes.
Judged one of just three of the country’s top live music gigs in the Hot Press Awards last week, Mike the Pies and its army of loyal patrons are still buzzing. Enter one of the country’s best-loved singer/ songwriters to help celebrate it all in David Kitt and the icing was on the cake.
Kitt performed out of his skin in another top Pies gig on Thursday, as another leading light in the Irish music industry explained why Hot Press judged the Patrick Street bar such a hot ticket.
“Getting into the music game and doing it well isn’t easy. You have to be smart and good at building an identity and a feeling that the venue is a bit special – and Aiden O’Connor has done that brilliantly, with what was after all essentially a family pub,” Niall Stokes told The Kerryman.
“For a start, from a marketing perspective, it was a very clever move to use the name Mike The Pies for the venue. It is colourful, distinctive and catchy. It gives you – and the customers – something to play with.”
But you’re going nowhere without a music nut at the helm: “To make a success of a venue anywhere, but especially in a place like Listowel, it makes a huge difference if the individual in charge knows his or her music. Aiden O’Connor does, in a big way. The enthusiasm that someone like Aiden has about what he is doing, and the energy he puts into it, communicates itself to musicians and bands. Which is why people like Paddy Casey, David Kitt and The Strypes have been queueing up to play Listowel.”
The troubadours sang with such praise that even those in far distant big smokes began to take note: “The word is out there, on the music grapevine, that this is a gig that bands and musicians really want to do. The guys on the team here in Hot Press had heard the good vibes. Musicians are talking about the place with real respect. With diverse outfits like The Riptide Movement, The Strypes – who will be fantastic in such an intimate environment – and Fangclub playing there, alongside our top singer-songwriters, you are getting the very best of Irish talent in Listowel – and the bands and artists are being given an opportunity to connect with fans in the Kingdom in a really vital, potentially inspiring way. “Encouraging that has always been part of Hot Press’ mission – which is why we are thrilled to be have been able to acknowledge Aiden O’Connor’s achievement in making Mike The Pies a mecca for great entertainment and for brilliant music – and putting Listowel on the map afresh – with a special award. It is fantastic to see the combination of vision and hard work being rewarded. Long may it flourish.'