Loud & leather-clad: The Siege of Limerick offers local talent a shot at the stage

LIMERICK city was under siege over 300 years ago, and it only ended with the signing of the Treaty of Limerick in 1691.

Now in 2023, a new siege gets underway twice a year, where punk and metal bands flock from near and far to brave the three stages of Dolan’s battlefield, and where a modern musical warfare continues.

Bands take their contemporary axes and snares - guitars and drums - and engage in a day-long exertion of grit, sweat and head-banging, where community now overrules conflict. Presented by Bad Reputation, this is the present-day Siege of Limerick.

Having taken to the stage back in 2009, the Siege, as it is commonly referred to, has taken place in Limerick’s legendary Dolan’s venue for the most part of its existence.

Each year in April and October respectively, the best and brightest punk, metal and rock bands from Limerick and abroad gather together to play for a scene which has been described as “very underground.”

John Real, has been a vital part of the Siege since its inception, organising and booking the acts who come to play. Along with his friend Ciaran Culhane, who engineers the sound and ensures the music goes off without a hitch, the duo make up promotional group, Bad Reputation. “It all started by accident,” he chuckled, “because we overbooked for a gig in Baker Place, and we made the mistake of booking in too many bands.”

Originally the festivals were “a lot smaller”, said John. “There were like 12 bands with 100 people”. After the closure of Baker Place, the Siege migrated to UL for one event, but soon found their forever home in the ever famous Dolan’s, with the support of Neil Dolan, who “has been behind the scenes and helped us a lot,” said John.

Described by the first half of Bad Reputation as a “meeting of minds,” these groups can journey out of the subterrane, to the big stage during the biannual event. Sharing his take on what he dubs the “vibrant” alternative music scene in the county, John agrees, “it ebbs and flows where there may not be any bands coming through, but then there’s four or five.”

In response to these sporadic bursts, John says the city needs additional spaces where new and old bands can rehearse, write and create freely. This is how he believes they can prosper and grow. “Other cities have better access to rehearsal spaces at reasonable rates,” he reveals. “Money can be an issue, and people can’t afford to practice and that leads them to disband”.

‘Oscars’ of traditional music come to Limerick venue

By no means the prevailing sound when people think of the Treaty County’s music scene, John says, “heavy metal has always been in the shadows, in a way, but then people get into it and the genre itself becomes inherently OK with being outsider music,” he stated. “It thrives in that shadow and liminal space where it doesn’t need to be mainstream”. Rather than to ‘sell-out’ or conform, he agrees, “[people] are happy [the genre] stays itself in the underground.”

According to the promoter, allowing the event to be family-friendly until 5pm, with children as young as five years-old soaking in the atmosphere, ensures the next generation can appreciate the ever-expanding scene. “If it can be family-friendly, why wouldn’t we do that?”, he quizzed. “I think the music gets a rap of being overly aggressive or negative but if you were to pair down to the lyrics and messages behind them, most of it is positive,” he reassured. “It’s all fun at the end of the day”.

Kicking off this year’s Siege was young Limerick band, 50 Foot Woman. With a name similar to the Nathan Juran film, this band certainly appreciates the classics, with “old-school and American influences” like Misfits, but also other groups like the famed Buzzcocks who to many, are seen to have pioneered the English punk scene, and even some Icelandic groups like The Sugarcubes.

Guitarist Ben, from Clonlara, and bassist Eoin from Ballysheedy, discussed their take on the Limerick punk and metal scene and described it as “a dedicated scene” thanks to the venues who put on the shows. “You get people who are just dedicated to going to shows, so there is definitely an underground scene in Limerick who are kept alive through the intensities of small venues like Pharmacia, and The Commercial,” said Eoin. Agreeing with the sentiment, Ben added, “I think it can be quite hit or miss in Limerick, there are some nights when it’s the best ever, and there are some nights where no one will show up.”

As they prepare for another gig in the Record Room on April 21, 50 Foot Woman, who also include Hazel and Amy, are rising the ranks and are excited to “hopefully” be back at the Siege next year. “It’s important to us that the scene in Limerick is kept alive,” they add.

Not all about the music, the scene would be nowhere without people to keep it alive. The metal and punk communities in Limerick are a tight-knit group who are passionate about the music they love. While often seen as rough around the edges, and maybe a bit eccentric, they're welcoming and supportive, and they're always looking for new members.

Mike Hennigar, a member of the county’s metal community, and member of Limerick death metal band Trench Knife, sees the faction as “one of the best you’ll come across.” In regards to the sound of the event, he adds, “there’s space at the Siege for all types.” With more and more heavy genres being given the stage each, the sound of the event is ever-growing, and Mike agrees, “it’s all super supportive.”

The next Siege will take place in October, and with over 1,200 people estimated at the event three weeks ago, Autumn will see a host of punks and metalheads mosh the day away.