The small but enthusiastic crowd at Boston’s Great Scott were treated to a great night of music and banter by Pogues legend James Fearnley and friends. With accordion strapped on and in fine voice (despite complaints of a sweaty, smelly hand from holding the accordion), James took us through almost two hours of his post-Pogues material which he described in finest Yorkshire English as either “fast as fuck or slow as shite”. The material was pulled from the 1996 release he did with the Low and Sweet Orchestra and (I’m guessing) new material from the upcoming Cranky George release and despite early on telling us he would not play any Pogues material no matter how hard we stared at him the band ended the night with Drunken Boat (or at least that’s what I remember – corrections welcome). Tonight was a ton of fun and the band (basically a pick-up band for 3 shows – Boston, NYC and the Murphy’s Irish fest) had a tonne of laughs with former Dropkick Murphys Marc Orrell cracking up though out the night – I wish I know who the rest of the band were but introductions only got as far as the bass players first name – George – before taking a detour to a story about James trying to join Boy George’s Culture Club.. Mark Lind of Ducky Boys fame open up with some great acoustic roots rock with a nod to Springsteen.
Category Archives: Live
The Go Set: O’Brien’s Pub in Allston, MA (September 22, 2017)
September 29, 2017
The Go Set, BeanTown Boozehounds, The Pint Killers, The Disquiets
Road Tripping. I was to Boston for this insane line-up. I roped in a mate and we shipped up to Boston from Kingston, NY, a 4 hour drive. We headed out at 1pm to arrive at 5 to check into our flophouse, The Farrington Inn. It smelled like a morgue to me, I could smell dead bodies, musk or wet dog anyway. Highly recommended. Affordable- if you know what I mean.
We had just enough time to grab a bite with my life-long friend Dave Tree of Boston’s TREE and SEE THIS WORLD and John Murphy who was guest listed for the show but had already bought two tickets that he was going to simply GIVE us. What could be better than to meet at old school Italian Greg’s Restaurant in Watertown? The waitresses only yelled at us a little- “Sit in the lounge! Sit in the Lounge!”
We got to O’Brien’s a bit after eight and met Lachlan McSwain (pipes, whistle) and Chad Blaster (drums/ Ramshackle Army) of The Go Set who were already there. Had a lot of fun downing some pints and catching up. I had played in NYC with The Go Set last year with Alternative Ulster before that band broke apart. We learned Justin Keenan lead singer of the Go Set’s plane wasn’t going to land until 10PM. The bass player shortly before that was landing from Toronto. All I could get was that his name was Shorty. Those two were simply going to have to run in the door, set up and play. F*k-tons of fun! (That’s for you Chad). Did you know that in Australia there are kangaroo warnings when a troop jumps along main street and schools go into lockdown? Chad laughingly informed us cuz he also teaches at a drum school. None of them called us a cnt , a word that in Australia is used more than “the,” but we were taught how to slide it into a conversation for maximum effect.
Talking to a lad at the bar in a Black Irish Texas shirt- said he was bass in The Gobshites- Tom Hughes. Both soon realized we had met, we played an awesome event Phil Duckworth put together last year in Danbury CT, when I was with Alternative Ulster. The Mighty Ploughboys had hosted and headlined on their AOH home turf.
To be honest we missed the first band, The Disquiets, looking for a cocktail- some bourbon- and to walk off Gregg’s food. When we got back The Pint Killers were just getting ready to go. It was an insane set of all originals except for the closer, Skinhead by Darkbuster. Raise a Glass, Around the Hood, Friend, Devil & Me, Walk away, Who, Just a Man , Lights Out, and Skinhead. Mark Doherty, the lead singer of The Pint Killers is a complete human bull-dawg of solid muscle who leaps completely into the air over and over during songs. It’s awesome to watch. A puppet-man on an invisible string. During a spoken word intro to Walk Away, a song he wrote for a girl he was breaking up with at the time but is now reunited with, he said ‘it may get him solo again for singing it,’ – a funny moment. Sober for two years, that’s freaking fantastic! The rest of The Pint Killers are Bill Jolliemore (guitar), Dean Calamari (bass) and Johnny Fencer (drums). All sing backing vocals and Jolliemore is a monster on guitar. Enjoyed watching him play. My friend from home liked this band a lot, too.
Next came the Beantown Boozehounds, Chad (guitar /mandolin), Gallows (guitar, vocals), Rob B. Ridiculous (bass, vocals), and Rocky Magic (drums).
This set was an insane alcohol-fueled car-crash of mayhem and beer fountains spraying on fans and band alike. Chad was soaked to the bone. Dozens of double shots of some brown booze were brought to the stage and hastily thrown down by all like thirsty pirates. I’d guess it was Jaeger, but what the hell, rum and black currant? Darker than whiskey seemed to be to me. Haha. Rob B., the bass player, had some ridiculous band shirt with the Hamburgler on it called Mac Sabbath– a Ronald McDonald themed Black Sabbath tribute band he explained to me later. Ok things were getting weird. Their cover of the Ramones’ Bonzo Goes to Bitburg was simply brilliant and has been playing in my head for four days now. Great beer laden Boston set- a classic. How does Chad Beantown imitate a beer-spewing fire hydrant so well? Years of practice. Seems like it’s a Boston tradition to wear a baseball cap while you play. Now I know it’s to keep the beer spray out of your eyes.
Near midnight and Justin Keenan from The Go Set had arrived by some miracle and Shorty was tuning up his bass. A “calling-on song” ? The band was busy getting beers so Justin jumped up and started sing his Aussie stones off to a Robert Burns’ poem MacPherspon’s Rant. The rest of the band started to hurry their arses to get on stage and go. It was just stunning. His crazy 30- hour on a plane voice and manic- OJ Simpson- running-over-the –turnstiles– look had the crowd spellbound. Then they came in together with Drums of Chelsea and O’Briens went mad. Raise a Glass was next and the shots of brown Jaeger kept coming. Four songs mixed into the set from their first 2004 album was a killer treat- MacPherson’s, Old Dark Brown, 1788, and 5 AM. The rest of the sixteen song set were spread out from brand new to mid, about two songs from each record. The girls love it when the Go Set gets intimate and Justin and the drummer go acoustic and step into the crowd and do an acoustic number, 5 AM. Except there were no girls there, not one that I remember- a f*ck-ton of fun. Haha. Brought it right back up with four more Aussie pub-rockers capped off by Davey closing the show- you thought. Everyone was on stage for the encore closer- AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top, that had the Beantown Boozehounds and The Pint Killers all up there singing, drinking shots, and beer-spraying along. If there is an Irish Punk Valhalla, it looks like this.
Oh, and hat’s off to the doorman who had gauges as big as a 40 oz. He said it took him 12 years to stretch it out. Dedication.
Review, Michael X. Rose
Black 47 – BB Kings, NYC ( November 15, 2015)
One Last Jig with Black 47
(New York City) – Twenty five years ago, Larry Kirwan sat in Paddy Reilly’s with Chris Byrne and launched a different kind of Irish band, with a sound that drew in not just Irish music, but funk, soul, punk, reggae, folk, and blues, all tinged with Kirwan’s Irish Republican rebel point of view. It was a formula that attracted thousands to their now legendary gigs at Reilly’s (and later Connolly’s) on Saturday nights, and led them to major label deals, festivals like Farm Aid, appearances on Letterman, Conan and the Tonight Show, and a reputation as “the house band of New York City.” Eventually, Byrne moved on to his own musical projects, Joseph Mulvanerty stepped in on the pipes, and but for a few changes, the band lineup of Kirwan, sax player Geoffrey Blythe, trombone and whistle player Fred Parcells, bass player Joseph “Bearclaw” Burcaw, and drummer Thomas Hamlin has stayed more or less in tact over the last decade.
Last Saturday, they put their final coda on it and played their last show at BB King’s in Times Square, and fans and friends from all over came out of the woodwork to send them off. The two and a half hour show featured all of their biggest hits, some fan favorites, and guest appearances for nearly every song. It was an Irish wake for a band that, up until the very end, made every show a scorcher.
The room was absolutely packed. The night kicked off right at 8 with “Green Suede Shoes,” and the band didn’t look back from there. Kirwan was in rare form, telling stories about the early days, relating the inspiration for some of the band’s most popular songs, and beaming with pride as his son Rory joined them on stage for the toasting rap in Fire of Freedom. Other guests like Mary Courtney (“Livin’ in America”) and Christine Ohlman (“Blood Wedding”) added a special touch to the evening. The highlight, for this writer, was seeing Byrne join them one last time for “Walk All the Days.”
As you’d expect, all the big hits were aired out – “Big Fellah,” “Rockin’ the Bronx,” “Fanatic Heart,” “40 Shades of Blue,” and a particularly stirring version of “James Connolly” that had nearly every fist in the room raised. They ended their regular set with “Funky Ceili,” before coming back out for an encore of “Maria’s Wedding,” a medley of “Gloria/I Fought the Law (with Byrne once again coming out to join in, along with longtime tour manager P2, superfan Tom Marlow, and former bass player Rob Graziano),” and an impromptu a capella version of “Happy Trails,” Van Halen style, with Burcaw providing the “bum-bah-dee-dah” a la David Lee Roth; Mulvanerty, Graziano and P2 doing the harmonizing.
While it was bittersweet to think that this was the last time we’d all be together for a Black 47 show, there were very few tears at the end of the night. We all knew we’d been part of an amazing ride with one of the best live bands in rock ‘n’ roll. There’s no doubt they’ll be missed, but as cliché as it sounds, the musical legacy they’ve left behind will be around for a very long time. As the song goes, “That’s the story so far of Black 47.”
One Last Jig with Black 47
(New York City) – Twenty five years ago, Larry Kirwan sat in Paddy Reilly’s with Chris Byrne and launched a different kind of Irish band, with a sound that drew in not just Irish music, but funk, soul, punk, reggae, folk, and blues, all tinged with Kirwan’s Irish Republican rebel point of view. It was a formula that attracted thousands to their now legendary gigs at Reilly’s (and later Connolly’s) on Saturday nights, and led them to major label deals, festivals like Farm Aid, appearances on Letterman, Conan and the Tonight Show, and a reputation as “the house band of New York City.” Eventually, Byrne moved on to his own musical projects, Joseph Mulvanerty stepped in on the pipes, and but for a few changes, the band lineup of Kirwan, sax player Geoffrey Blythe, trombone and whistle player Fred Parcells, bass player Joseph “Bearclaw” Burcaw, and drummer Thomas Hamlin has stayed more or less in tact over the last decade.
Last Saturday, they put their final coda on it and played their last show at BB King’s in Times Square, and fans and friends from all over came out of the woodwork to send them off. The two and a half hour show featured all of their biggest hits, some fan favorites, and guest appearances for nearly every song. It was an Irish wake for a band that, up until the very end, made every show a scorcher.
The room was absolutely packed. The night kicked off right at 8 with “Green Suede Shoes,” and the band didn’t look back from there. Kirwan was in rare form, telling stories about the early days, relating the inspiration for some of the band’s most popular songs, and beaming with pride as his son Rory joined them on stage for the toasting rap in Fire of Freedom. Other guests like Mary Courtney (“Livin’ in America”) and Christine Ohlman (“Blood Wedding”) added a special touch to the evening. The highlight, for this writer, was seeing Byrne join them one last time for “Walk All the Days.”
As you’d expect, all the big hits were aired out – “Big Fellah,” “Rockin’ the Bronx,” “Fanatic Heart,” “40 Shades of Blue,” and a particularly stirring version of “James Connolly” that had nearly every fist in the room raised. They ended their regular set with “Funky Ceili,” before coming back out for an encore of “Maria’s Wedding,” a medley of “Gloria/I Fought the Law (with Byrne once again coming out to join in, along with longtime tour manager P2, superfan Tom Marlow, and former bass player Rob Graziano),” and an impromptu a capella version of “Happy Trails,” Van Halen style, with Burcaw providing the “bum-bah-dee-dah” a la David Lee Roth; Mulvanerty, Graziano and P2 doing the harmonizing.
While it was bittersweet to think that this was the last time we’d all be together for a Black 47 show, there were very few tears at the end of the night. We all knew we’d been part of an amazing ride with one of the best live bands in rock ‘n’ roll. There’s no doubt they’ll be missed, but as cliché as it sounds, the musical legacy they’ve left behind will be around for a very long time. As the song goes, “That’s the story so far of Black 47.”
Review & photos John Curtin
Review & photos John Curtin
The Stanfields – Upstairs at the Garage. Islington, London (September 23, 2013)
October 17, 2013
Whoever described The Stanfields as ‘Stan Rogers meets AC/DC’ was a genius. The acoustic folk traditions of the Canadian Maritimes meets full-blooded rock n roll. The Stanfields, for those of you who haven’t yet sampled their delights, play music to jump around to, music to mosh to, music for the Celtic Punk in your blood and yet still subtle and “folky” enough to appeal to those of us raised on acoustic music.
This was the Stanfields’ first UK gig, a one-off on their way to a 2 week jaunt around Germany. I have to be honest here, we had our tickets bought and paid for within the hour of the gig appearing on the band’s Facebook page. However, as I staggered in from work (it was a Monday night) and contemplated a 100 mile round trip by train and about four hours sleep before work the next day, I nearly bottled out and stayed home. Thank God I didn’t! From the opening bars of Mrs McGrath, a tale of military service on the high seas complete with obligatory loss of limbs through to The Dirtiest Drunk (in the history of liquor), this was a night to remember.
The set list was drawn from both of the band’s albums; their debut: Vanguard of the Young & the Restless and the brilliant follow up: Death & Taxes. A couple of personal highlights were Run on the Banks, as it was the first Stanfields track I ever heard and one which does a good job of setting out the bands stall: honest working class lyrics welded to a driving rock sound but with the bazouki never lost. Dagger Woods, a ghost story of murder and demons from the woods of Nova Scotia and Fox in the Heather, always my favourite Stanfields track and one I now learn that was written for lead singer Jon Landry’s dog.
Yep, it was a Monday night and that might have kept folks away, but people, you missed a treat. I am fairly confident that when the Stanfields return we’re going to need a bigger venue. In the meantime, do yourselves a favour…buy their two existing albums and grab a copy of the soon to be released acoustic album King & Country.
Neil Bates
BibleCodeSundays / Clan London Summer Sesh – JUNE 2013, The Claddagh Ring, Hendon, North London
June 23, 2013
Clan London is the up-coming independent movie written and produced by Andy Nolan, accordion player for the BibleCodeSundays. For the last couple of years, Andy has been hosting Clan London fund raising parties at the Claddagh Ring pub in Hendon, north London. This weekend was the 2013 Summer Sesh and a showcase of, in my humble opinion, the two finest Celtic punk/rock bands currently active in the UK.
The evening’s music was kicked off by politico-metal band 44 Fires. Loud, fast, technically very competent, dressed in Anonymous-style Guy Fawkes masks, not Celtic and, in the words of my dear old mother, “not my sort of film”. No criticisms here, this is a solid band that will appeal to the metal crowd (reminded me of Lard), who were giving of their services for free in support of the Clan London project so good on them.
BiblecodeSundays were up next. Now anyone who has read my reviews before will know that I make no secret of the fact that this is my favourite Celtic band. Opening with The Pittsburgh Kid, a tale of champion boxer Billy Conn, the Biblecodes provided substantial proof that their third album is going to be a stunner. Stand out tracks from last night included ‘When Will the Road Rise’ and ‘Count Your Blessings’ (see the video here…..). I teased the band on Twitter about this gig being the first time I had ever seen them have a set list. In reply Enda Mulloy commented that it “went out of the window after the second song and we went to default”. Well lads, no-one would know. The set was tight, energetic and certainly got a very mixed crowd up on their feet and dancing.
The final act of the night were Glasgow’s finest, the Wakes; fresh from six hours on the motorway from Scotland. Once again, I am in fanboy territory. Opening with ‘No Irish Need Apply’, the Wakes proceeded to fill the next ninety minutes with standout tracks from their debut album (including anti-fascist standard and love letter to FC San Pauli, ‘Pirates of the League’). Augmenting the album tracks were covers of traditional classics such as ‘Galtee Mountain Boy’ and folk classics like ‘Viva La Quita Brigada’. Honourable mention must go to new lad on the whistles, Daniel, who played up a storm and survived the advances of a very drunken blonde!
All in all, we had a great night. Both bands give us song dedications; we won a prize in the raffle, got to hang out with good people and great friends. Keep an eye out for albums coming soon from both bands, a German tour from the Wakes and the commencement of filming on Andy’s Clan London movie.
Neil Bates/Review
BiblecodeSundays -2012, The London Road Tavern, Twickenham, London
St. Patrick’s weekend with the BCS lads has become a bit of a tradition in our house. The only down side this year was that thanks to having to drive to the gig it was going to be a very sober affair. While the Mahones might claim that “the more you drink, the better we sound”, I can now safely say that the Biblecodes sound superb drunk or sober. Fresh off their support slot on the Dropkick Murphy’s UK tour and straight out of the studio where the third album is well in hand, the lads played a blinder.
Opening with the stomping instrumental Rat’s Reels the lads quickly established that the tight, focused playing we’d seen recently at the Camden Roundhouse with DKM had not deserted them. The set was a great mix of new material, covers and old BCS classics. Let’s be clear, we are fans and are seldom happier than hearing the lads playing their own material. We were not disappointed. From their tribute to boxing legend Billy Conn (The Pittsburgh Kid) to London Irish rallying cry (Maybe it’s Because I’m an Irish Londoner) the Biblecodes showed that their material can stand alongside any of the bands they cite as influences. What stands out amongst the BCS own material is their ability to tell the stories of the Irish diaspora in songs that appeal to the “Friday night, let’s get hammered and jump around” crowd. From migrants leaving “County Cork in search of fame” to the “Newport and Mullranny boys along the Northolt road”, this is the story telling tradition of Irish music kept alive for the Twenty First Century.
The lads are about to embark upon a short US tour and if you are in the Philadelphia area on the 24th May, do yourself a favour, go along and get yourself a new favourite band.
Slainte
Neil & Katie Bates
Horslips – August 11, 2011, Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin
Some video’s I took at the Horslips gig at Leopardstown Race track back in August. A great gig, despite I lost all me loot on the nags prior to the gig.
Black 47 – JUNE 18TH, 2011, Boston Irish Festival
June 20, 2011
A few snaps from Black 47 incredibly loud set @ the Boston Irish Festival – Canton, MA. B47 played a great set of old and new favorites to an appreciative and sun baked crowd.
Stiff Little Fingers, The Gobshites – JUne 1, 2011, Showtime Live, Foxboro, MA
June 2, 2011
Lesser bands then SLF would have canceled last nights show – guitarist Ian McCallum took sick moments before the tour started – John Haggarty of Naked Raygun infamy stood in, and while a competent substitute, he looked a little uncomfortable on stage. Then there was the odd choice of venue for a punk gig – Showcase Live, a state of the art concert venue beside Foxoboro football stadium some 30 miles outside Boston, but a venue more used to hosting tribute acts – Showcase is also not exactly easy to get to even when there isn’t frigging tornado’s ripping up various parts of the state and a state wide tornado emergency in effect – thus ensured a small turn out (though if SLF had played the Middle East club instead it would have sold out, tornado or not). Despite the poor attendance, an appreciative (and somewhat portly) Jake Burns along with original (and skinny) bass player McMordie, the a fore mentioned Haggerty and drummer Steve Grantley played a blistering set of SLF classics to an enthusiastic and hardy crowd of storm chasers, though with the exception of Strummerville everything was from the glory days of the late 70’s and early 80s and guess what, nobody seemed to mind.
Support was from The Gobshites who gave me a nice shout out from the stage and a song dedication or so I though was a nice shout out until they broke into Arsehole by Snuff –
What an arsehole
What a fucking wanker
What a toss-pot ,a toe rag ,a fart in a jar
– where there is smoke there must be fire I guess.
The Mahones, The Gobshites, Continental, Chris Skel – JULY 24, 2010 @ McGann’s Pub, Boston, MA
July 27, 2010
Just around the corner from Boston’s North Station and the home of The Celtics and The Bruins, is McGann’s Pub. Although only average-sized in square footage, the place is laid out perfectly for a show like tonight’s.
The first act to go on was a single guy with an acoustic guitar. There was no fear of any James Taylor-like smooth and/or mellow stylings though, as the guy was Chris Skel, helmsman of New Jersey pub punk act, The Skels. With just his axe and his voice, he created a huge noise off of that stage! His set included a track or two from the Skels catalog, true, but the bulk of it came from his solo material. For those unaware, Chris has put out two solo project CD over the last eighteen months, so he had plenty of great material to choose from. (Look for a review of his newest 6-track EP, “Sudden Psalms” here soon!) Chris set the pace well and got the crowd on their feet.
Up next, (or ‘again,’ since they did the sound check earlier with some killer stuff!), was Rick Barton and The Continental. Rick Barton, a familiar face in this type of venue as the former guitarist for the Dropkick Murphys, assembled this new project with himself in the guitar and lead vocals role, (and his son on the bass.) An incredible performance from these guys, tight and sharp, with some fantastic guitar solos from his lead guitarist. (Oh, and an excellent rendition of DKM’s The Torch, by the way!)
The third band in the line-up was The Gobshites, who somehow manage to show up and play at every show I see in Boston!
Pete and the gang jumped right into action and proved, once again, to possess the largest catalog of drinking songs in the free world!
Apparently on a first-name basis with every member of the audience, the band’s conversational banter and audience participation portion, (which included alternating readers for the limericks, and some masterful beer-tray playing,) brings Gobshites’ sets as close to an open seisiún as punk rock gets.
The headliners, of course, were The Mahones. The band were in the midst of celebrating their twentieth anniversary tour, and a festive mood was running amok!
Unfortunately, the band was playing as a four-piece, without their mandolinist. As a mandolin player myself this was a bit of a let down, but the band seemed to compensate by selecting songs from the higher-energy end of their catalog! This was probably for the best, and the mood of the crowd was perfect for these tunes.
Tight, clean and in top-notch form, The Mahones blasted out a great set deep into the evening.
By the time the music had died down, the Newcastles and Patron were making their presence known to me. Fearless and bulletproof, I was feeling pretty good. The show, though, was a great time for all, and another huge success for Shite ‘n’ Onions.
Thanks a bunch to S’n’O’s John Murphy, for another fantastic show!
Review by Christopher P. Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
Shite'n'Onions 