On approaching Stage 19, better known to some under it’s previous guise as The Tivoli Backstage, one’s eye is immediately drawn to the charmingly handpainted depiction of a martini glass suspended above the door. Where most refurbished establishments around the city centre routinely lean towards a certain slickness in their refit; the rough-hewn quality of the signage offers an immediate insight into the mindset of those pulling the strings at Stage 19. This alcoholic, olive-adorned sigil, shabby though artful, betrays the low-stakes amiability that colors the space. The goal here is not to change the game, but fill a gap.
Stage 19’s new look first came to my attention on hearing tell of the bar’s burgeoning relationship with adjacent music college, BIMM – The pub regularly hosting jams, performances and open mics for the students. Despite the unquestionably rude health of our local music scene, smaller venues are routinely shuttering. Neglected spaces that previously flourished due to a lack of interest from ownership are once again taking on the shade of valuable business propositions. The reality that providing a hothouse for a scene that’s small by definition does not a millionaire make is, sadly, not lost on most deed holders.
Sure, a new generation of off-kilter venues may be discreetly mushrooming, Mountjoy square’s multi-disciplinary art space Jigsaw for example. That said, you’d remain hard pressed to source a location which manages to balance the dual roles of bar and venue this deftly. Stage 19’s entrance to the fold is a surely a major development for a gig-going population struggling to find a city centre performance space that errs toward the lilliputian in size and ideology. Considering these observations on the petering out of so many gig spaces, it’s fitting that I crossed the door on the eve of Retro Revival Indie Club’s easter celebration. Retro Revival, previously housed in Dame Lane’s Sweeney’s prior to their closure and redecoration, is a longstanding and vital showcase for primarily local artists, the sort of grassroots happening that so sorely needs spots just like this one.
Aesthetically, Stage 19 is welcomely divey, the ceiling and lighting are both fittingly low.
A well stocked bar (Guinness €4.90) lines one wall, the rest of the space dotted with tables that gradually thin the closer one gets to the stage. Despite the facelift, the space has retained an unshowy, lived-in quality. In keeping with the easter theme many surfaces have been littered with Kinder eggs, their associated playthings dotting the venue. I pick up a replica jeep dwarfed by my thumb. Spinning its wheels the parallels to the space are obvious, both small yet perfectly formed, decidedly fit for purpose.
Bravo, Stage 19, this patron will most certainly looking looking forward to an encore.
Words: Danny Wilson
Photos: Killian Broderick
18/19 Francis Street
Dublin 8
