Bottlenote

DUBLIN FRINGE FESTIVAL: Bottlenote – 13 North Great Georges Street, Dublin

Bottlenote have taken over one of Dublin’s hidden gems. 13 North Great Georges Street is an old tenement building that has fallen into disrepair. While every other building near it seems to be in perfect condition number thirteen feels as though it hasn’t been touched in the past one hundred years. It is a great choice of venue. Immediately the audience is presented with something a little bit out of the ordinary.

Bottlenote are a collective of Irish musicians, six of whom have joined together to form Power of Two, a night of improvisory music supplemented by the surroundings and acoustics of the Georgian building and soft focused lighting. Much of the building is in darkness with only the musicians highlighted. Each room has a different colour theme. On the ground floor, with the outside world shut out, electronic music with purple and blue lights dominate the room. There are no chairs for the audience. Instead one follows the music from room to room, viewing the musicians at work, a little like a living art exhibition.

The performers are David Donohoe and Justin Carroll on synths, David Lacey on percussion, Sean MacErlain on clarinet, Shane Latimer modular musician, and Matthew Noone on a sarod. In the 1950s a working-class family lived on the second floor. At night, the young daughter would look up at the ceiling, listening to the ceili dancing above. This performance brings that feeling of wonder alive in a truly unique and interactive way.

Bottlenote fits in well with the Fringe Festival ethos and provides a great opportunity to discover something new and different.