Decks and Drums and Rock ‘n’ Roll

THE world’s biggest dance anthems, live tribal drummers and some very special guests are just some of what to expect when Today FM DJ Dec Pierce brings his massively successful Block Rockin’ Beats tour to glór next week.

On Friday, May 27, the Ennis venue will host the last date on a tour which has sold out venues throughout the country, with Dec telling The Champion it is “going to be a pretty magic night”.

However he won’t be the only DJ on the glór stage that night, as teenage Clare DJs Dave Falconer and Shayne Mulrooney have been invited to perform as the support act for the highly anticipated show.

Speaking to the Clare Champion ahead of the gig, Dec told us he is thrilled to be able to give “the next generation” of DJs, an opportunity to perform at the show which also looks set to be a sell out.

And he explains how Clare is a “home from home” for him and his family, describing the county as “the most stunning part of Ireland”.

Dec first came across best friends Dave from Clarecastle and Shane from Shannon from social media videos of their DJing.

“These are two lads who are very much starting off their DJ careers and their wonderful updates on Twitter over the last two years really lifted me.

“I remember when I was 16 – which is a long time ago – but starting off you are always looking for an opportunity to showcase what you can do, and nine times out of ten it doesn’t happen.

“The idea to get the guys involved popped into my head over the last two weeks and I reached out first to Ian, Dave’s father, to ask if it was ok to offer and he said absolutely.

“They are going to have their own special dressing room backstage and are going to open the show for us.

“They are very much starting off in their career and it’s something that is very important to me – I feel like a wise old owl – to be able to give the next generation an opportunity, especially local lads like them, to showcase what they can do in a venue that looks like it will be sold out in their home town. It’s a dream for me to be able to offer them this and needless to say they are very excited.”

The Ennis gig will be the final date on the Block Rockin’ Beats tour and will be first time the show has come to glór.

“I’m so excited to get to Ennis, it’s our first proper venue show in Ennis and I’m really excited about it.

“I know tickets are flying and I believe it’s close to a sell out which is incredible. It’s been fantastic to be back out on the road again.”

The show is a live version of Dec’s popular Block Rockin’ Beats show which broadcasts on Friday evenings on Today FM.

“It’s essentially old school dance classics, performing tracks from The Prodigy, Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, all of that kind of thing.

“We also have a fantastic piano player, Rachel O’Donovan who went viral during the lock-down period on social media while performing old school dance classics like Gala’s Free from Desire and Haddaway.

“We have a troupe of drummers on stage, the Hit Machine, who bring a wonderful energy and visual aspect of the show. It’s a very interactive show.

“Most of the time I spend in the middle of the crowd. We have put a big production behind it, it’s about the songs but there is also a real visual aspect to it, everything from the lighting, the rig, the drummers and the musicians. It’s dance music, but there is also a bit of a rock infusion so there is a lot of energy, a lot of noise, a lot of dancing and a lot of fun and I can’t wait for the gig in Ennis.”

He adds that the show has been continuously evolving since the idea first came to him.

“We’re learning as we go along, and that’s kind of the beauty of it. We started off with an idea in my back garden and ended up playing the first show to about 50 people in The Sugar Club. At the start the whole concept was building in my head and I did a couple of club shows, we did a DJ set in the Queens. But I knew that I wanted to create a venue show.

“People think because of the music involved that it’s going to be a nightclub kind of show, that we’re going to be on stage from midnight till two in the morning. But instead I wanted to make it more like a concert.

“We had 1,000 people in the Academy in Dublin, we played at the INEC in Killarney, and the energy at every single gig has just been incredible to watch.

“We have a strong fan base in Limerick, Cork and Kerry and all those shows sold out within 24 hours which was absolutely incredible.

“To do our first proper venue show in glór, where we haven’t been before, it is going to be a pretty magic night and to think that tickets are almost gone for it and it’s looking like a full house is just a dream come true. It’s a pretty special feeling.”

While Covid lockdowns meant some tour dates had to be re-arranged, Dec was heartened to see the effect his radio show had on people during the pandemic with a surge in ‘kitchen raves’ throughout the country.

“The weird thing about the show, both the radio and live show, is that it’s probably one of the only aspects of my life that sort of grew and improved during the lockdown.

“We had this concept of a kitchen rave, where it suddenly went from a situation where the show had been appealing to people who like dance music to then getting videos from families all over Ireland.

“Parents with kids who had bought smoke machines and lights and set up discos in their kitchens or back gardens to try keep sane during lockdown.

“When the lockdowns dropped and we could actually do the show again it felt like on the tour that there was a huge release of frustration. People were coming out and letting their hair down for the first time.

“I normally hang on after the show for some time chatting to people and the amount that come up to say the radio show and the thought of coming out to one of these shows kept them sane during lockdown is incredible, and actually quite emotional. But I think what a lot of people don’t realise is that in fact all those kitchen raves and back garden raves and people listening to the radio actually kept me sane during it all.”

While this is the first time the show is coming to glór, Dec is no stranger to County Clare.

During lockdown he spent a lot of time in his wife’s family’s home in Farrihy, revealing he may even consider moving to the Banner in the future.

“I’ve said it to so many people that if I wasn’t living in Dublin then 100% I would be living in County Clare. The welcome and the people are amazing, it’s just the most stunning part of Ireland, especially along the coastline.

“It is a home away from home for us, we’re down like every second weekend. Myself and my wife have said when our daughter is at an age when she could move out and look after herself then the two of us could definitely move to Farrihy.”

He concluded, “I just want to thank everyone for the support during the lockdown period for me and for Block Rockin’ Beats. It was just incredible and emotional at times to be honest with you.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to the venue and staying on afterwards meeting people to have an a chat in person.

“That is pretty special because sometimes when you do the radio show, you feel like you’re sitting in a room just talking to the microphone.

“Although you see the messages and tweets it doesn’t feel real until you meet a lot of the faces of the names you are familiar with from Twitter and Instagram.

“So I’m buzzing for it. I’ve enjoyed every single second of the tour and to wrap up in Ennis is a special thing, I can’t wait.”

For more see www.glor.ie