- Music
- 25 Feb 12
On the agenda? The state of Irish radio and whether or not Kylie Minogue sings live.
The name of the seminar was 'Live Music Will Save Us All.. Or Will It?' and the line-up of big names included Caroline Downey-Desomond, Eurosonic organiser Peter Smidt, lighting designer to the stars Tom Kenny and promoter John Giddings.
Needless to say it was a full house in the Red Room at 4pm, with many people having to settle for the screens outside. The big draw seemed to be Louis Walsh, who would appear to have as much appeal as Bressie, and the pop impresario was in fine form.
He was quick to steer the conversation away from Jedward, but was eager to talk about the alleged lack of airplay for Irish artists on Irish radio, our homegrown musicians' endeavours abroad ("they always seem to charm people in the UK") and even managed a quick dig at Kyle ("She doesn't even sing live anymore.")
He also took some heat from one independent music promoter in the audience who accused him of "clogging up the airwaves" but he handled it expertly, telling him "that's why I'm up here and you're down there."
Elsewhere, Tom Kenny talked about working with Beyonce and her penchant for big lights, Caroline Downey Desmond spoke about running the Obama show in College Green and John Giddings confirmed that, sadly, David Bowie (with whom he worked for years) has no plans to tour next year or for the foreseeable future.