Behind the Music - Hard Working Class Heroes 2014

This October will see the return of Hard Working Class Heroes (HWCH), Ireland’s annual showcase festival and conference for new Irish music.

Now in its twelfth year, HWCH is a festival which has presented many of Ireland’s best-known acts, in their time including Delorentos, The Coronas, Villagers, and 2013’s big breakthrough act, Hozier. Running from the 2nd – 4th of October, over one hundred bands will be playing across seven city venues – add in the conference events which make up the other half of the festival, and the price of the tickets (weekend tickets at €45, and nightly tickets at €20), and you have a festival which has something for the serious musician and the casual fan alike.

This festival brings a little more bang for its buck, especially for the more musically inclined – alongside the gigs are conferences and mentoring sessions, showcasing the festival’s strong focus on providing support and mentoring for musicians. This year’s main sponsor is HMV, which has allowed the festival to expand its panel of international delegates from the music and technological industries; indeed representatives from HMV itself will be participating in panels advising on the retail and online sides of the music business.

This is also the second year that HWCH has made a call for digital applications as a part of HWCH Digital, which is the side of the festival which aims to provide the space for on-the-up tech companies and apps to receive the same sort of support and advice that the musical acts receive. Partnering for a second year with NDRC (Ireland’s first and leading start-up accelerator), HWCH Digital gives companies the opportunity to pitch to members of the industry and the press, as well as collaborate with musical acts in product testing. Here, HWCH is taking active steps to promote innovation and growth within Ireland’s musical and technological communities, while festival-goers gain a much more rounded experience and more in-depth knowledge of the Irish and international music industry.

This year’s musical acts are varied and numerous – over 500 applicants were whittled down to 104 artists and acts (including the likes of Meltybrains?, Cloud Castle Lake, and OTHERKIN) who will all be playing the usual Dublin festival haunts – the venues of choice this year include The Button Factory, The Twisted Pepper, The Workman’s Club, and Meeting House Square.

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If you’ve ever been curious about the industry behind the music, or are trying to get your foot in the door, this is the festival you need to see. Early Bird tickets are on sale now online, and information on all acts can be found at the festival website.

Hard Working Class Heroes takes place from the 2nd-4th October in a variety of venues throughout Dublin city.