Why Backline Live?
Great music exists everywhere — not only in major cities, established venues or through artists who already have recognition.
Backline Live exists to support, document and celebrate the people who keep live music alive: the musicians creating it, the venues hosting it, and the audiences discovering it.
Through live events, filmed performances, interviews, Dispatch articles and community projects, we explore the stories, challenges and creativity behind grassroots music.
Backline Live is not just about putting on gigs. It is about building a record of the people and places that make live music happen.
How Backline Live Works
Backline Live connects musicians, audiences and venues through stories, performances and projects that celebrate grassroots music and the people who create it.
Document
We capture the stories behind live music — from artists, venues, gigs and the challenges of building a scene outside the usual channels.
Discover
We help audiences discover independent musicians, original music and the people creating something new across Ireland.
Connect
We bring musicians, audiences and communities together through live events, conversations, shared experiences and a growing record of the local music scene.
For Musicians
Making music is hard enough without having to constantly fight to be noticed.
Independent artists put huge amounts of time, energy and creativity into their work — often while balancing jobs, family, costs and the practical challenges of being heard.
Backline Live exists to shine a light on those artists: documenting their journeys, sharing their stories and helping audiences discover the people behind the music.
Through interviews, live recordings, features and occasional live events, we create opportunities for musicians to connect with new audiences and become part of a wider music community.
For Audiences
Great live music is not only found on big stages, major festival bills or national radio.
Backline Live helps audiences discover independent artists, original music and the stories behind the people making it.
Through Dispatch articles, filmed performances, interviews and occasional live events, we offer a way into the grassroots music scene — especially for people who want to hear something new, but do not always know where to start.
Backline Live is for curious listeners: people who want to discover music before it is familiar, support artists before they are widely known, and be part of the rooms where live music is still being built.
Follow musicians journeys
Artist interviews. Rehearsal visits. Live performance clips. Gig highlights. Behind-the-scenes stories.
Follow the musicians and discover new artists through our YouTube and Instagram channels as we document Ireland’s live music scene.
Backline Live in Action
Backline Live brings the stories, sounds and experiences of grassroots music to audiences in new ways.
From live showcases and filmed performances to interviews, Dispatch articles and community projects, we explore the people and places that keep live music alive.
Our first live experiment in Midleton, Cork, tested one question:
Can great independent music find a home outside the usual music hubs?
The answer was more complicated than expected — and it became the starting point for documenting the realities of building a live music scene.
Backline Live continues to experiment, create and share the stories behind the music.
Why I Started Backline Live
Music has given me some of the best experiences of my life.
My name is Teresa Murray and I have spent years working across creative fields as a writer, filmmaker and musician. I know how much work goes into creating something meaningful — and how hard it can be to get that work seen, heard and understood.
The more musicians I meet, the more I realise how many artists are carrying the same challenges: lack of visibility, lack of time, limited resources, and too few spaces where their work can be discovered on its own terms.
At the same time, audiences are missing out on brilliant artists because so much original music happens outside the usual channels.
I started Backline Live to help change that — by documenting the people behind the music, sharing their stories, creating visibility, and building new ways for audiences to discover grassroots live music.
Get in touch
Let’s Chat
Send us an email about your band or music project.