AMIDST THE BUZZ of Dublin’s Parnell St is an inconspicuous space which, since 2018, has become one of the city centre’s go-to spots to enjoy great music with a delicious drink.
The Big Romance’s dark exterior is easy to pass by, especially when its striking neon heart sign isn’t ablaze in the front window. However, once you step into the bar and experience it for the first time, you’ll already be planning your next trip there.
When it opened in 2018, and still to this day, The Big Romance provided a night-out with a difference due to its focus on the music playing over the bar’s speakers and the overall atmosphere created by the welcoming staff. Dave Parle, co-owner of The Big Romance, and its recently opened sister bar Fidelity, located in Smithfield, tells The Journal about the inspiration behind this venture.
“Initially, The Big Romance opened as a passion project between myself and Steve Manning. We’ve been running our promotions company, Hidden Agenda, for over 12 years and separately we’ve spent our whole adult lives working in music. I’ve programmed venues from Crawdaddy/POD to Button Factory and Whelan’s as well as booking multiple Irish festivals while Steve also has 20+ years of experience as a DJ and promoter. It was always our dream to have a permanent space to use as a creative outlet for a different kind of expression that it’s hard to get from booking other people’s spaces,” says Parle.
He continues, “A bar or venue was a natural choice for this outlet and I had a real eureka moment following a trip to Japan in 2016. Stumbling upon one of their incredible vinyl bars, I fell in love with the beauty of the whole atmosphere. With the bar staff playing the records, it puts music above all else and creates such a beautiful ecosystem of people talking and engaging with the music that’s playing. It’s so tactile and visual, which is the antithesis of the ever increasingly digital world we live in. I feel it’s also important for us to have some kind of cultural exchange, the music, art, and the coming together of like-minds comes before anything else.”
“Saying all that, taking on The Big Romance was a massive dive into the unknown as neither of us had experience operating a bar or working behind one so there was a very steep learning curve! I think ignorance was bliss on that part. We just got stuck in and were comfortable making some mistakes along the way. As long as we believed in the core concept I think that was always going to pull us through, alongside the incredible team that we were able to pull together!”
With the concept in place, Parle and Manning began putting their plans into motion by developing the interiors with bespoke systems to ensure a unique atmosphere, as Parle explains.
“The first step was a good sound system that suits the space. Toby Hatchett was key to that and before we opened he came down, spent lots of time chatting to us about what we wanted to do and also sizing the space up. He made the speakers custom for us and just did an incredible job. Secondly, there’s sound treating the room. Good sound absorption is so important and this is something we’ve been adding to constantly over the past 5 years!”
Once they had the technical aspects of The Big Romance tied-up, next came the fine-tuning of the overall ambience of the space. “After that came the musical curation,” says Parle. “On the one hand, this was somewhat easy because a lifetime of collecting records for home listening meant we had a collection we could bring to the bar and ensure that the music we were playing was all music we loved and believed in. Topping up this collection on a month to month basis is probably the most enjoyable part of the whole thing!”
The final component to The Big Romance, then, was curating live music events which a difference, as Parle notes. “Finally, we looked into the programming of events and DJs. This does take quite a bit of time and consideration but it’s really worth the time and effort. This is probably an area we want to expand on too because our listening parties are so special. It’s really such a lovely experience to host a band or artist to celebrate the piece of music they’ve put so much into alongside their friends and family. We’ve been really lucky to host the likes of Villagers, David Kitt, James Vincent McMorrow, Lisa O’Neil, Daithi, All Tvvins, Sorcha Richardson, Ham Sandwich, Silverbacks and many more.”
With such a dedication to spinning the finest albums on any given afternoon and evening in The Big Romance, and Parle’s infectious enthusiasm about the live music events that regularly take place in the space, we asked him to share his top 3 albums to put on when he’s in the bar for patrons to enjoy with their craft beer.
“Oh, that’s a tough one! This could change from moment to moment but right this second I’ll say: Yussef Kamaal’s Black Focus, Keb Darge & Cut Chemist Present The Dark Side, and finally, Charles Watson’s Now That I’m A River.”
What began as a passion project between Parle and his friend and business partner Steve Manning has become a popular destination and beloved space for music fans to have memorable nights with friends. With his dream becoming a reality, what are some of Parle’s favourite things about running The Big Romance?
“Any time spent getting to really listen to and truly enjoy the records on our lovely sound system is such a privilege. Also, we have a great team that really has been a joy to work with since day one. But mostly there are special moments where I just soak up the atmosphere in the place and feel incredibly proud. It really feels like a very unique space that hopefully adds to the cultural identity of the city!”
So, when Dave Parle, co-owner of The Big Romance, isn’t working behind the bar and enjoying the excellent tunes and ensuring customers are having a great night, we asked him to describe his perfect Night Out, Night Off.
Down the Local: “For a quiet pint, It has to be Kimchi Hophouse; I just love that space. It’s totally unique. The food is great and there’s always such an amazing melting pot of people there. For a weekend gathering with friends, Bar 1661 always goes down a treat.”
Dream Night Out: “Just a few weeks ago I enjoyed a fantastic evening celebrating my fiancé’s birthday. We started out enjoying a meal with friends in Yamamori Tengu followed by a quick drink in The Big Romance then up The Back Page for karaoke. The karaoke room in the Back Page was a really fun way to close out the evening!”
Morning off Ritual: “I’m currently living in Ranelagh so I’m quite spoiled for choice. My perfect morning would be to bring my dog out for a walk (shout out to Arthur!), pick-up a coffee and morning bun from 3FE then make my way down to Belgrave Park for a stroll, possibly followed by brunch in TwoFifty Square in Rathmines.”
Hidden Gem: “Chez Max’s cafe in the Alliance Francaise is so tasty and reasonably priced!”
Weekend Getaway: “I could suggest some more obvious locations but I’m going to shout out Wexford town where my family is originally from. I think people don’t realise how nice a spot the town is, especially during the summer, and it’s an incredibly friendly part of Ireland. It’s really worth a visit. The Talbot Hotel is perfectly located on the banks of the River Slaney and The Centenary Stores is definitely one of the best pubs in Ireland. Plus, you’re never too far from a stunning beach!”
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