The Cobblestone – Babylon Radio’s April event review

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of getting to attend Babylon Radio’s April event at The Cobblestone. A treat for all Dublin music lovers, the gig had a stellar line-up of local artists with authentic, up-tempo styles. The night saw The Tolka Hot Club, ELLY D, Nabil Gonzalez, and Aron D all take to the stage to entertain the bar’s patrons.

The Cobblestone was gracious enough to play host for the gig and rent out their event room, which saw crowds drifting in and out throughout the evening. A centrepiece of Dublin’s northside, The Cobblestone has seen many an act grace its halls and is well renowned within Dublin’s local music scene. Even just before the gig, Stephen Daly of The Tolka Hot Club was saying how much he and the rest of the band were looking forward to playing on that stage again. The Cobblestone has a rustic, old-fashioned feel that complimented the acoustic style of the performers. It was definitely a classic Dublin kind of night, helped by the free flow of reasonably priced beer and kind staff.

• Songs, stories – Interview with ELLY D
• Finding his voice: Interview with Aron D

The evening started off modest with warm-up acts from Aron D and Nibel Gonzalez, both of whom did an admirable job at setting the tone, with Aron treating the crowd to some samples from his new EP. The gig was cordoned off by The Cobblestone in their special VIP area, but by the time Elly D took to the stage the crowd was getting more into it, and more people started shuffling in just in time to catch the main event – The Tolka Hot Club.

Photo: @cobblestonepubdublin on Instagram

The band’s performance was positively electric, with re-imagined, jazz-infused renditions of classic melodies from across Europe, but mainly the Baltic regions. Holly Periera, the lead singer, her voice carried throughout the venue and put a huge smile on everyone’s face. Each performance was met with cheers and cries, and their set was closed out to the calls of “Encore, encore!”. A call which the band gladly met, before taking time to chat with some exciting new fans who were wondering if they could purchase some of their CDs. By the end of the night, people who had floated in were more than happy to show their appreciation with a tip.

• About songwriting – Interview with Nabil Gonzalez
• Catching up with The Tolka Hot Club

It was a pretty fun night and all in attendance seemed to have a cracking good time. If you missed out then be sure to keep your eyes on Babylon Radio for more information about upcoming events.