Heavy bass vibrates throughout Cuba as the dance floor masses grind, sway and dance as one in a vibrant wave of partygoers, all moving together in pursuit of the highs of a good time. ..discover all about the reopening of Galway's coolest nightclub right here.
On entry, clubbers’ anticipation swells into unchecked excitement as you ascend into the drum of Cuba’s heavy-hitting music. Signed posters from previous performers line the staircase hinting to onlookers at all that awaits above. Here, the message is clear; leave your troubles at the door friend and welcome into the new home of alternative music.
When the nightlife scene died out in Galway, the city’s future was bleak. We’ve since longed for the days of dancing into a new day and stumbling home with worn out shoes in hand. Nights where you could let the day-to-day drift away and lose yourself in the amplified beats of club dance music. In the years since, the people of Galway have disheartenedly waited for the nightclubs to be revived and at last that wait is over. We can finally safely say that the nightlife and club scene in Galway is back and in good hands.
Recently, we chatted with Cuba’s booker to get an insight into the nightclub that is ‘putting their arms around the alternative scene’ and raising the bar on nightlife in Galway city.
In March, McGettigans on Eyre Square laid down the foundations for its return. A small group got together to lay down their ideas for an available venue, and from there it took off. The group did their homework on what the space was and could be and after 13 years of waiting Cuba reestablished itself as the crown jewel of Galway’s alternative music movement.
“Back in the old days it was a lot of hip hop and live music and techno. House and techno have quite a big audience at the moment and they have a big platform, but drum & bass and more leftfield genres, even world music doesn’t really have a platform like that at the moment, especially in Galway. So, we wanted to include all of that as well, we wanted a multicultural space where you can put on different events and parties.”
The music at Cuba is an open call, inviting artists to play everything from DnB, Hip Hop, World Music, Dubstep and House & Techno. A real alternative music haven, the potential of Cuba is limitless. Moving ahead, Cuba is already looking forward to opening its doors to a lot more live aspects during the week such as; poetry nights, comedy nights, and even a jazz night. The next stage will see them expanding upstairs and there is work in progress for a record fair on Sundays that will be followed by open decks sessions with an accompanying street food menu. As well this they are also playing with the possibility of a café during day hours, which will work as a hangout space for artists and musicians to mingle and experiment with new material.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better launch. It seems to be that everyone is getting involved, the community and all the different promoters I’ve worked with over the years, everyone has really received it well, the space and what we are trying to do. Cuba is becoming a bit of a community hub which we’re liking. It’s cool. You can feel that something is building nicely here.”
Follow Cuba on Facebook and Instagram and view the upcoming weekend lineup here.
All photos courtesy of Cuba Galway.
