The Goo 1
Feature ADHAMH O’CAOIMH BEHIND THE SCENES: THE BU
NKER Behind an unassuming door near the end of Talbot Street, a small little space built largely by one man is the home of a rehearsal studio that has become a creative community... A far cry from the dingy, strange smelling spaces I made a racket in when I was a kid, The Bunker is a sweet space on Talbot Street where artists come to hone their craft, host a private show or immortalise a performance. The …at The Bunker series is owner/drummer extraordinaire Paul McGonagle’s answer to those performance videos we all admire, KEXP, Tiny Desk and From The Basement. Beautifully shot, edited and executed, these sessions on …at The Bunker have featured many of those who frequently grace these pages or are sure to soon, hip-hop hero Nealo, alt rock vagabonds GENMA or folk tinged shoegaze outfit Elaphi,and as the second season marches on through the summer, we sat down with Paul to ask him a little about this sterling operation. Can we open with the beginnings of The Bunker? It’s absolutely necessary, and appreciated, but is a hell of a venture to undertake. What was it that drove you to take up that yoke? I’ve been in the space here for about 9 years, originally taking it on with my own bands and projects. There always seemed to be a demand from PAGE 28 other bands I knew around rehearsal spaces, whether it was monthly or whether it was just before gigs in the city centre. I’d used many of the rehearsal spaces around town, and in some that are now unfortunately closed, as well as some of the top recording studios in the country - so seeing that demand, as well as trying to create a space for myself that I was happy to work in that was of the highest standard, was key. When I took the space myself over 3 years ago, I thought to myself, I wanted to clean it up, do it properly and make it something that I could put out there publicly and commercially. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know how it was going to play out at the start, I’d always been an artist using a studio, but I did have a sense of what would work and what was needed, as far as treating and designing the rooms, and what people like and need in a studio space. With anything I do, I’m just trying to create the best thing possible that I’m happy to put out there and that I can stand over. It’s a far cry from the places I used to rehearse in. When I was a kid, there were a few places, but no matter where you went it was always kind of shitty. It feels like there’s artistry behind it. I think that’s reflected by the sense of community that has come up around your artists. I don’t follow any other rehearsal spaces instagram accounts, for example. That was something I was surprised at. It’s a simple thing. Maybe some people who own the other studios might not be involved with music, and it’s just a business thing. You see it a lot with the visual artists’ studios. A lot of the time it’s just a warehouse and somebody putting up MDF boards, and making cubicles, but having a sense of what people need and what would facilitate what they’re doing goes a long way. With Instagram for example, it’s not a hard thing to share when people who use the space are releasing something, or doing a show. They’ll appreciate that. We also all go to each other’s gigs. It’s sort of a cyclical thing. I didn’t plan to build a community, I’m not going to pretend that that was on the agenda at the start, but it’s come together well in that sense. I get on with everyone who comes here, I know what they’re going through, we know how to talk to one another. It’s a good buzz.