Tickets selling fast in Kilkenny for Zoo reunion to honour Ross Costigan

Excitement is building as the date for the Zoo/Underground Gigs Reunion gets closer.

Tickets are selling fast via the Set Theatre website and bands are preparing for a night of nostalgia and meeting old friends again.

Organiser Andrew McGuinness has confirmed that proceeds from the event will go to suicide prevention and awareness which is a wish of the late Ross Costigan who sadly passed away six years ago. Ross was a regular at the Underground Gigs and was the house photographer for many years.

Back to the Zoo! Local bands reunite for one-off show in Kilkenny

“This reunion show is something so many of us wanted to do for a long time. The first conversation I had about it was with the late Ross Costigan. We often spoke about mental health and how those gigs were a great outlet for young people and a way for like minded teenagers to be together in an environment where they were comfortable to express themselves be it through music or simply the way they dressed. Since those gigs finished there has been a void in terms of that type of outlet for young people,” he said.

“Ross and I had intended on putting together a reunion show and raising funds for a charity associated with suicide prevention and positive mental health. Sadly, we never got to that together so now I feel its only fitting that this reunion is done in Ross’s honour. He may not be with us in person, but I’m sure hell be looking down on us on the night,” he said.

“Ross made all of the bands look like rock stars through his photography. He was an exceptional photographer but, being a punk, he really understood how it felt to be on the outside and he connected with the bands on a level that I’ve never seen any photographer do before. Not only did he make them look like rock stars, he made them feel like that too and he made them realise that they could be whatever they wanted to be,” he said.

“When you look at his photos from back then you will forget that these bands were simply local teenagers playing music in a local venue. Ross took them way beyond that with his pictures and I know the bands, to this day, are forever grateful for that. He certainly made a positive difference in their lives back then and I’m very grateful to have known him and to have had him there to document those years,” said Andrew.

Also, to be remembered on the night are Joe Cleere and Eoin McDonald who regularly went to the gigs and were great supporters but sadly passed away. Geraldine Roche, who would clean the club every week and who would always support the young musicians, also passed away since the final show and will be fondly remembered too.

The four bands that will hit the stage in Set Theatre on Sunday December 10 are Itchy Trigger Finger, Chemical Addiction, White Noise and Bad Mothers Union. Musicians are travelling from afar including from Los Angeles and Scotland for what promises to be a celebration of one of Kilkenny’s best eras for local music.

Tickets are selling fast so people are advised to get them before its too late. To buy tickets go to www.set.ie