For thirty years now the Purty Loft in Dun Laoghaire has been one of the most iconic music venues not only in the town itself, but in the Dublin area in general. If you grew up in the southern suburbs and you were into music the chance are you had your formative gig experiences in this little venue up the stairs from the Purty Kitchen. Throughout the late seventies and early eighties The Purty hosted shows by everyone from Moving Hearts to The Boomtown Rats. During the eighties and into the nineties it became a key venue on the Irish gig circuit with Something Happens, The Golden Horde and In Tua Nua all appearing over the years. For international acts on their first trip to Ireland this was one of the must play venues, even Kurt Cobain popped in for a beer before Nirvana’s legendary Top Hat show supporting Sonic Youth.

Across the years, the Purty Loft has kept faith with live music while other venues shut up shop or went down the route of karaoke, DJs or themed party nights. It has played host to the likes of Republic Of Loose, Declan O’Rourke, Kila and Aslan as well as nurturing new talent through the It’s Alive nights, developing the hugely successful Purty Sessions acoustic nights and becoming a key venue in the massive Festival Of World Cultures.

Live music, as we know, has been affected by the economic climate as much as any sector and for those in the suburbs the reality of having to travel to see quality acts has become an often untenable luxury. Cometh the hour, though, cometh the venue. The Purty Loft has realised that the area in which it is situated – and the surrounding locale – has had a fine musical history (both as audience and creatively) and that this is something that needs to be protected. Hence with the refit of a new stage, PA, lights and decor under its belt, the Purty Loft is ready to launch its new programme of gigs. These will see a mixture of styles and artists, all offering the finest music at affordable prices and on the doorstep of the local population.

The media partner for the Purty Loft is State.ie, the award winning music website launched alongside State Magazine last year. State will be responsible for promoting Irish talent at the venue, bringing the best of the burgeoning home scene to Dun Laoghaire as well as more established names and the cream of talent from the local area. In a unique move, State will also be teaming up with Northern Irish magazine AU to launch a cross border gig initiative, inviting Northern bands to play at State Presents… nights while Club AU will host bands from the South at its regular events in Belfast. In addition, the Purty Loft will be working closely with promoters such as Plug Artists, Forever Presents, Skinny Wolves and Psychotic Reaction to provide the most exciting and innovative programme of live music that the area has ever enjoyed.

Thirty years after it began as the centre of live music in Dun Laoghaire, the Purty Loft is still at its heart.