Mike Smith on Music Cork, the industry and the chase to sign Sultans of Ping

As he attends the Music Cork event, industry veteran Mike Smith tells Ed Power about his encounters with the likes of Blur, Coldplay and the Sultans

ON A COLD spring night in 1999 Mike Smith found himself in the crowded back-room of the Bull and Gate, a small pub in north London. He was there to watch a young rock band just beginning to build a reputation on the UK club circuit.