So what makes a venue sound?

Yamamori Tengu has been at the heart of Dublin’s nightlife for the past decade, hosting both local and international acts on its beloved dance floor. The venue has built a reputation for its carefully curated line-ups, making each night of electronic music a highly anticipated affair. But today, Tengu is finally getting official recognition for something regulars have known all along: it’s a sound venue.

The award of “Soundest Venue” was given by Safe Gigs Ireland, as voted on by the public. So, what makes a venue “sound”? It’s perhaps easier to define it by what it’s not: overcrowded spaces due to over-ticketing, heavy-handed security at the door, or a disregard for incidents of abuse and harassment. The recognition of Tengu as a sound venue is far from a happy accident. Over the last three years, Tengu’s dedicated team has worked hard to ensure that the venue feels as safe and welcoming as possible. So, how do they achieve this?

Tengu’s Night Time Monitors make it stand out as a venue committed to safety. The Night Time Monitors work every club night that the venue is open. Monitors actively work to prevent bullying, harassment, or discriminatory behaviour and respond promptly to any issues that arise. Tengu also encourages all of their staff to take a victim centred approach, which puts the protection, rights and dignity of the victim at the forefront of any problem solving when issues occur. These monitors have specialist safety education and training.

Tengu’s booker Ema is proud of the team, stating: “It is pretty mad that the practices we have in place are not the industry standard in Ireland. When these club policies were first introduced punters were so receptacle. Now most of the time the crowd just look after one another. If there is an issue of any kind it is dealt with immediately. I am so proud of the team we have, their hard work and dedication really shines through. I hope that more venues decide to invest in programs like these.” 

The venue’s no flash policy not only allows punters to enjoy the music without distractions, but also offers attendees an element of privacy and freedom on the dance floor. Furthermore, Tengu is one of the few venues in Ireland with gender neutral bathrooms, enabling people of all genders to feel safe and welcomed.

Tengu’s booker Ema is proud of the team, and hopes that other venues can start to invest more in safety. “It is pretty mad that the practices we have in place are not the industry standard in Ireland. When these club policies were first introduced punters were so receptacle. Now most of the time the crowd just look after one another. If there is an issue of any kind it is dealt with immediately. I am so proud of the team we have, their hard work and dedication really shines through. I hope that more venues decide to invest in programs like these.” Tengu have had this kind of recognition coming for a while, proving that safe and welcoming venues will always come out on top

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