After recent sellout screenings in New York and Toronto, Dublin-based Sideline Productions and Ireland’s pubcaster RTE are delighted to announce the UK premiere of Ballroom Boom, the award-winning feature doc fronted by U2’s Adam Clayton, is confirmed for the Electric Ballroom in London on Monday, April 20th.

This release follows a slew of international festival nominations and awards at Chicago, Austin (Texas), and New Orleans.

Ballroom Boom relates the phenomenal and unique story of the Irish showband, which dominated Ireland’s music scene in the 1960s and early 70s. Thousands of ambitious musicians, including future rock legends Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher, honed their skills in ballrooms across the country, performing an eclectic mix of waltzes, Irish music, jazz, and pop hits. At their peak, approximately 700 Irish showbands employed thousands of people, and their popularity extended beyond Ireland. Some 60 years before U2’s residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Irish showbands were packing out ballrooms in Sin City, New York, Boston, and Chicago, managed by the colourful Irish-born promoter Bill Fuller, who once owned over twenty ballrooms worldwide—including The Fillmore West in San Francisco and, his first, The Electric Ballroom in London, which still stands proud today. The latter is now run by his daughter Kate, who talks to Adam on camera about her father’s extraordinary life. As dance halls sprang up in other major British cities, Irish emigrants parented an extraordinary generation of talent, including Dusty Springfield, three of the Beatles, Oasis (the Gallagher brothers), Johnny (Lydon) Rotten, and all four members of The Smiths.

Established in 1939, The Electric Ballroom is therefore a fitting venue to host the UK premiere on Monday April 20th at a special charity screening—full details here

https://electricballroom.co.uk/ballroom-boom/

Ballroom Boom is produced and directed by Billy McGrath, who previously has helmed screen projects with U2, The Boomtown Rats, Clannad, David Bowie, Paul Cleary, The Pogues, and the World Cup Irish soccer team of Italia ’90.

Kate Fuller will join Adam Clayton in a post-screening Q&A chaired by Billy McGrath.

All profits of the London screening go to icap a registered charity providing specialized, culturally sensitive counselling for the Irish community in Britain. 

PIC – CHIPS vocalist Linda Martin with host Adam Clayton at the Dublin Dig Hub