THE word "pop" finally enters the Irish music industry lexicon in rock bands and solo artists finally get with the new pop programme. U2 have pointed the way, choosing that bubbly little three letter word as the title of their forthcoming new album, and giving the first single a kitsch, catchy title like Discotheque. The disco is where a lot of Irish rock action will be happening, as bands cop on to the existence of the dancefloor, and realise that shiny, happy clubs - and not dull, dank rock pits - are where the bright young fans like to hang out.
Some Irish bands will resist the pull of pop, preferring to continue preening and posing onstage in front of their long suffering friends. Two words for all guitar toting, mike mangling ego trippers around the country: "dinosaur" and "extinct".
In the coming year, we'll see pop's champagne supernova exploding all over Irish rock, dispelling the ennui which has settled over the scene in the past couple of years. Up to now, pop was a dirty word round this neck of the woods, conjuring up images of manufactured boy bands and disposable dance music, but come 1997, pop will come to mean all things bright, brash and beautiful, and some of the more adventurous Irish bands will shed their leather shells and emerge into the multicoloured light.
On the indie front, bands like Revelino have made all the right pop moves, as shown on their second album, Broadcaster, and they should give the Britpoppers a run for their money in 1997. Ash will continue to rise into the stratosphere, leaving comet trails of pop brilliance in their wake, provided they don't burn out too quickly, and young bands like Ultra Montanes will bring the glamour and glitz into Irish guitar rock.
Dublin has this year seen the opening of a couple of new music venues, so rock fans should have a greater choice and increased comfort at gigs in 1997. The POD's Red Box will lead the way, providing state of the art concert facilities. Built on the site of the old Harcourt Street train station, Red Box was designed by Ron McCulloch, and, like its companions the POD nightclub and Chocolate Bar, it incorporates old stone and stylish metal fittings.
As rock, pop and dance continue to merge, more and more Dublin venues will mingle different styles and genres in one entertainment packed evening. Your typical gig in 1997 should feature DJs rock acts, dance acts, avant garde situationists and even a few jugglers and conjurers - anything that knocks down the staid boundaries of the traditional rock show.
It's a good thing we have plenty of venues to go to, because things are looking bleak on the outdoor event horizon. Lord Henry Mountcharles has been told that he must now apply for planning permission to hold another concert at Slane Castle, and Feile 97 looks like it won't happen at all, at least not in the open air. Also, officials in Leixlip are determined to oppose an application by The Mean Fiddler Organiser to hold a Fleadh style event on the same site where bands like The Police and U2 performed back in the late 1970s.
We won't need planning permission to smile ink 1997 - and now that Irish pop has been let loose on our pubs, clubs, venues and airwaves, we could be going around with big, silly grins on our faces.
Artist to watch:
Expect Neil Hannon to become a household name in 1997, and his band The Divine Comedy to ascend into the higher echelons of pop paradise. Don't be surprised to find small but perfectly enunciated Hannon hosting his own TV show, staging a rock operetta in Vienna, and discussing the music of Tom Lehrer on Radio 4.
This year's Must Sees:
1. U2: Pop. The much delayed new album from Ireland's fab four is finally unleashed in March; expect a strong techno/hip hop influence, the result of U2's growing interest in dance music.
2. U2's 1997 tour. No one knows how they'll top Zooropa for sheer spectacle, but no one doubts that when U2 hit the road in support of their new album, it's going to be the hottest ticket around.
3. Oasis' new album. Mostly recorded at Abbey Studios, the third album from Oasis will be out some time in autumn; it will be interesting to see if it can top the success of (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
4. Glastonbury 97. There was no Glasto 96, to many a rock fan's chagrin, but the UK's favourite rock festival returns next summer, and lots of Irish punters will make the pilgrimage, in search of rock in the great outdoors.
5. My Lovely Horse. Neil Hannon, aka The Divine Comedy, knocked off this deliberately ridiculous ditty for an episode of Father Ted - and now, much to his horror, Setanta Records are planning to release it as a single. Hannon may not be looking forward to it, but the rest of us will gleefully await Ted and Dougal's inept Eurosong entry.
6. The Red Box. POD man John Reynolds' latest venture looks like becoming Dublin's leading venue in 1997, and the 1,250 capacity venue has already hosted concerts by Neneh Cherry and Marc Almond.
