Plugd back in - Cork Independent News

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Plugd back in

Written by Brian Hayes Curtin

Thursday, 12 August 2010

When you lose something close to you, it's often only after the worst has happened that you realise the full effect of that absence. Last December the doors at Plugd Records closed for the last time at their place on Washington St. The closure of the Kino Cinema and Plugd was a huge blow to Cork. Thankfully Plugd will be back again shortly and proprietors Jim Horgan and Albert Twomey explain why

A whole artistic community was based around the small premises, where people would meet, hang out, put up posters of events and chat in the genial company of Jim and Albert. The two lads ensured that Plugd belied the 'High Fidelity' type reputation of independent record stores by being friendly, understanding, helpful and never pretentious.

At the time of closure, the lads promised that they would try and re-open the store, but given the state of the country's economy and the increasingly parlous state of the music industry, it seemed unlikely. Happily, they are willing to give it another go, opening up again just a few weeks after Road Records closed in Dublin.

Jim tells the Cork Independent that Plugd will be re-opening on Saturday 28 August in the ESB Substation on Caroline Street. But it won't stay there for long. "Early next year we will be following the Triskel back to their expanded Christchurch space on Tobin St. The shop will be on the first floor, about the same size as the Substation. If anyone likes lifting vinyl give us a shout!

"The extra space has opened a lot of possibilities for us – for a start we plan to have weekly gigs which will be programmed in collaboration with Triskel and The Black Mariah," he says. Plugd will share space with their old partner The Black Mariah in the ESB Substation.

The plan is to expand the range of what they can sell, now that they have extra space to play with, according to Jim. "We will be expanding our magazine / book section, and introducing elements of poster and t-shirt design from distributors while also encouraging local artists to submit proposals for clothing designs and posters to sell in the space. There are other ideas floating about which will be considered."

Despite the recession, both Jim and Albert reckon that the music scene in Cork is flourishing. Albert point out that "the live music scene is still thriving. There are plenty of promoters and venues in Cork City catering for varying tastes. This summer has been really busy with the Marquee shows as well as CXSW, Indiependence and Midsummer festivals".

Jim agrees, saying: "The music scene is the best I've seen it since arriving in Cork. There are definitely a lot more gigs going on compared to a few years ago. Promoters are getting a lot more adventurous and people seem to be responding well to it."

The shutting of Plugd caused sadness in Cork music circles. "The response was incredible," says Albert. "There was lots of goodwill and support; it was hard not to be emotional at times."

Jim echoes the same sentiments. "Myself and Al didn't realise what Plugd meant to so many people. The shop reopening has a lot to do with that response."

With the closure of Road Records recently, it seems brave to re-open Plugd. It's obviously not a case of 'once bitten, twice shy' but why take the financial risk of opening up again? "Road closing is a big loss to the Dublin music scene. But there are differences in location, competition, overheads and with the opportunity to expand, the Triskel move has given us, I think we have a great chance of making this work. A slight decrease in sales was part of why we closed. But the main reason was the cost and size of the premises in our previous location. "Opening any business these days is a risk – but I wouldn't be getting back into this if I didn't think the changes to Plugd would make a difference," Jim points out.

Plugd had been a crucial point of advertising for gigs in Cork and Albert, in particular, was involved in promoting many gigs. He explains why: "I used to organise lots of shows in Limerick as part of a not-for-profit collective called the AMC. When I moved to Cork I got involved with Ping Pong, running club nights and shows. It's definitely a labour of love," he says.

Making money is not part of it, Jim explains. "Generally speaking, the aim is to break even and anything after that is a bonus. We will be stepping up the Plugd shows when we hit Christchurch next year."

Plugd Records will re-open on Saturday 28 August in the ESB Substation on Caroline St.

Comments (3) »

Plugd
written by edula, August 13, 2010

Excellent news! I miss the friendly atmosphere and good camaraderie of the record shop, and Plugd is one of the finer examples of this. You don't get that on iTunes...

plugd
written by jonez, August 12, 2010

nice one!! im sick of ordering all my tunes off the net.you cant get a proper feel for a tune unless you have it in you hand.!

Plugd
written by Richard, August 12, 2010

Great news, makes my summer!

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