Songs in the Keyboard of Life

YOU’VE rolled your eyes when he began to assemble his gear. You’ve cursed him. You may even have just left the pub altogether. But spare a thought for him, in the corner of the pub, plugging in leads and setting up stands, a forced smile on his face: The Man With The Keyboard.

Pubs are under pressure these days from all sides. The smoking ban has driven some ould lads away, the last of the professional smokers who wouldn’t be caught dead vaping. For the price of one pint you can get a tanker full of Devil’s Pelvic Girdle Cider in the off-licence.

Even the excuse there is nothing on the telly has evaporated. Remember in Fair City when they’d press the remote control in frustration and say “Nuttin on that yoke. Fancy goin to McCoys?” (As if they themselves were watching Fair City)? That is no more. There still mightn’t be anything on the television set but there is definitely something on your laptop or phone.