In my 20 years of touring, Levis is a favourite venue. It’s been in the same family for more than 100 years and was run by two sisters, Nell and Julia, for decades. It really feels like a place suspended in time – one side of the only room is a grocery shop and the other side’s a bar.
When Nell died three years ago, Levis was taken over by her great nephew, Joe O’Leary, and his partner, Caroline O’Donnell. Joe, a musician himself as singer in Irish band Fred, learned how to pull a pint (Murphy’s, not Guinness, in these parts!) and then decided to have some acts play two or three times a week. The shop’s still there, with a highlight being a brand of tea named after the two great aunts.
When you play Levis, you set up behind the grocery counter, the crowd of about 100 stands between you and the bar, and the effect is magical. People stand on chairs, hang off rafters, poke their heads through doors and windows, all ready to love the music. Having played in thousands of nondescript, soulless black boxes, I find Levis a venue with real warmth. Playing there last year reminded me of why I was so comforted by music as an awkward young man.
• leviscornerhouse.com. Ken Griffin is a member of August Wells, who play at Levis on Saturday 2 July, augustwells.com
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