Category Archives: Review

Review

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes with Ultrabomb at Big Night Live, Boston

Leave a comment

First off, Big Night Live, is a high-end venue. Tucked into the legendary Boston Garden, the two-thousand-capacity music hall offers booths and bottle service to the punter with too much money. It’s not very punk rock, but it’s a fine venue. Tonight was a three-band bill, all punk super groups, Ultrabomb, The Defiant, and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. 

The reason I was there, Ultrabomb, opened. Ultrabomb is a transnational, punk-power trio featuring my pal Finny McConnell of the Mahones, powerhouse drummer Jamie Oliver of UK Subs, and the legendary Mr Greg Norton of the equally legendary Hüsker Dü. Despite being first on, Ultrabomb came on to a fairly full room and played a set of blistering punk rock with the energy and shapes of men half their age to a very receptive audience. While the set was short, the band played songs from both albums (album two, Dying to Smile, is being released real soon) and covers of Hüsker Dü’s Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely and New Day Rising. Ultrabomb won a lot of new fans in Boston. 

The Defiant were next, featuring Dicky Barrett of Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Johnny Rioux of Street Dogs. I hate to say it, but I was too busy chatting with Finny after his set to check them out. Sorry. Next time.

Despite being around since 1995, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are completely new to me. Punk rock covers of pop standards played by middle-aged men dressed in cheesy Vegas lounge act uniforms. Absolute genius, and the crowd loved it. 

Review

Bunch of Bastards: Drink, Holler and Dance

Leave a comment

Drink, Holler and Dance, the new album from Dutch, Celtic-punks, Bunch of Bastards, came about quite by chance. The Bastards had booked some studio time to record a couple of songs over a weekend. Well, drinks did flow, and songs did spill, and the boys two songs, ended up being an 11 track new album. Six new songs, a cover of, Tell Me Ma, and four older tracks re-recorded.

Drink, Holler and Dance, kicks off with the gritty, punky, mandolin led, Three Legged Dog, and continues along in a glorious, arm in arm, pub sing along style. While track three, Hand of a Bastard Son, reminds me a lot of Flogging Molly, the rest of the album is closer to the rough edged sounds of The Rumjacks and The Peelers. I love the high speed, punk-polka-pogo of, Pogo Never Ends, and the re-recorded, Sky over Rotterdam, is great. 

Drink, Holler and Dance is for fans of old school, dirty, Celtic-punk.

Homepage
Review

The Langer’s Ball: Hold Tight

Leave a comment

I have here the vinyl release of Hold Tight. Funded through a Kickstarter campaign, this is the thickest slab of vinyl I’ve ever spun. Nice job guys. The duo of Mike (guitar) and Hannah (whistler and accordion) who make up The Langer’s Ball are super tight; they have been playing together for 15 years. The 11 tracks on Hold Tight are split between traditional Irish, Scottish and Sea Shanties and originals which gel very nicely with the more familiar. Of the originals my favorites are the polka / blues drinking song, Whiskey From The Still and the hard boozing, Bottom of The Bottle.  

Always classy, The Langer’s Ball never disappoint.

https://www.thelangersball.com/

Review

The Go Set: The Warriors Beneath Us

Leave a comment

The Go Set who hit twenty years together this year, 2023, are celebrating with the release of The Warriors Beneath Us, the band’s eighth studio album. I still remember receiving in the mail, Sing A Song of Revolution, The Go Set’s debut album back in 2005. I remember thinking that’s an odd name for a band, and the doggy black CD sleeve gave nothing away.  Sing A Song of Revolution, almost ended up in the dreaded, to be listened to later pile. Fortunately for me, I played the sucker and it instantly blew me away, it’s still one of my favorite and one of the best Celtic punk releases “evah”! Every subsequent album by The Go Set has been superb. The Warriors Beneath Us reminds me most of the spirit and sound of the Sing A Song of Revolution.

West Into The Sun, kicks things off, with pipes, crunching guitars, a big brash course, and a tale of being press-ganged into the Royal Navy. Take Me Home and  Horizons are both catchy, catchy, sing-along, guitar rockers. Speaking of catchy, Opportunities could be a radio hit. The Warriors Beneath Us, is another guitar rocker with some very slick guitar solos. Drink to the Night is a melancholy pub ballad. Raise Your Hands gets things cranking again. Broken Bones and Hearts kicks things into punk-rock overdrive. We Got The Numbers is a pro-union rabble-rouser. Things slow down on Tomorrow, a dark, war ballad of a soldier writing a letter home on the eve of the big offensive. On Gallows Bay, the pipes go up above 11, and it’s an absolute classic. Sunnyside of the Street closes and The Go Set puts a grungy stamp on The Pogues classic.

Here’s to another 20 years from The Go Set.

https://thegoset.com/

Review

Kilmaine Saints: Same Again Tomorrow

Leave a comment

I’ve always thought of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania based Kilmaine Saints as a sort of junior Dropkick Murphys, a band with a huge sound, led by a wall of bagpipers. Same Again Tomorrow, the Kilmaine Saints fourth (as I count’em) full length album after repeated spins to these ears is the album to prove the Saints have stepped out of the shadows from behind the big boys and into their own light.

The album bravely kicks off with the infectious fiddle and pipe led, Fanfare, a bold statement of intent to who the band are today. The bagpipes wail on the intro to, Same Again Tomorrow, merging into some frantic fiddling and a chorus to kill for as the Saints recant the adventures of being a gigging band. Siobhan is catchy, more straight ahead Celtic rock that will be in the band’s live set for the foreseeable future. The Animals classic, The House of The Rising Sun, is a strange choice for a cover but the Saints pull it off and give it their own distinctive Celtic twist with fantastic vocals from Brendan Power and some slick guitar leads from Erich Arndt. Off The Wagon is a spunky singalong about you know what, somewhat reminiscent of The Peelers. McGowan’s Wake, builds and builds on dirty guitars into a piper’s farewell. Throwin’ Hands and The Plight are sing along, drink along, Celtic rockers. Nomad has a distinctly spunky eastern European sound. Rally ‘Round The Flag is a bagpipe rocker tribute to the legendary New York Irish brigade, the Fighting 69th, again with some nice leads. Things slow down with, State I’m In, a ballad of lost love, regret and the resulting drinking. Things crank up again to a neck breaking speed on Undivided. Same Again Tomorrow closes with the fine instrumental lament, The Blood of Cu Chulainn.

Kilmaine Saints, take a bow lads, this is a standout album. Now get back to AA.

https://www.facebook.com/TheKilmaineSaints/

https://www.kilmainesaints.com/

Review

Continental: Hello

Leave a comment

Hello, is the fourth (or fifth?) full-length album by New England based Continental. Fronted by Boston punk legend, Rick Barton, along with his brother, David Alex Barton, formerly of The Outlets. Rick was a founding member of the Dropkick Murphy, playing guitar on their legendary albums, Do or Die, and, The Gangs All Here. Like The Outlets, Continental is a family affair as Rick is joined by son Stephen Barton on Bass as well as drummer Andrew Dickson and Paul Yu on lead guitar. Continental play punk-influenced rock’n’roll. The Clash is an obvious influence but I hear the melodies of the Beatles, the sleaze of the Rolling Stones, and the pop sensibility of Cheap Trick along side some dirty blues guitar. Continental is a very fine band and Hello is a fine album that deserves your attention.

https://www.facebook.com/ContinentalBand/

Review

Pete Berwick: The Damage Is Done

Leave a comment

I’m a long-time fan of Cowpunk originator, Pete Berwick. Now, I thought Pete’s last album, The Island, was supposed to be his last, and honestly, despite the quality songs, it was too mellow and too Nashville, and honestly, I thought he was going out with a whimper. Well, I guess I was wrong as he is back with his seventh full-length release, and out of the gate, he explodes with punk energy and redneck attitude. This is very much a return to form for Pete. Maybe the most intensive album he has ever done. For a reference point, The Damage Is Done, reminds me of Steve Earle when he worked with the Supersuckers, but louder. Peter does manage to sneak on a couple of old-school gritty country ballads and a growling gospel number for balance. Recorded in Nashville, I’m reminded of the old Kris Kristofferson song, To Beat The Devil, about a down-on-his-luck Nashville songwriter who drinks the Devil’s beer and steals his song. Well in Pete’s case, he steals the Devil’s whiskey, his song, and then kicks his ass.

http://www.peteberwick.com/

Review

The Tossers: The Tossers

1 Comment

I picked up the vinyl version of the new self titled Tossers album at their recent gig at the Middle East in Cambridge, Mass. There is not a lot of info on this album. I’m guessing it’s a self-finance, stop-gap release to support the bands 30th anniversary tour.

This album is a mixed bad of re-recorded Tossers classics (Aye Sir, and Buckets of Blood), some standards and a few new originals (Americay, and Irish Blood). The Tossers LP is a good reminder of just how good the original American Celtic-punk band still are. I’m super impressed with Tony Dugging channeling MacGowan at his finest on their covers of Dirty Ol’ Town and Paddy On The Railway.

The Tossers is a fun album and a great listen. Here’s to another 30 years for “The World’s Loudest Folk Band”. Cheers’ lads.

http://www.thetossers.com/

Review

Flogging Molly: Anthem

Leave a comment

I’m not going to do a long review on Anthem as the album has been out a while and it’s got lots of in-depth reviews elsewhere. Flogging Molly had gone off on a bit of a tangent with, Speed of Darkness, but with the follow-up, Life is Good, they got back on track. I’m happy to report that Anthem keeps them heading the right direction. I will say while Anthem rocks hard it is also their most Celtic-sounding album with an almost Seán Ó Riada style Celtic orchestration (especially, The Croppy Boy ’98). There are plenty of songs here that will be in the band’s live set for a long time – These Times Have Got Me Drinking, A Song of Liberty and, The Croppy Boy ’98. 

https://www.floggingmolly.com/

Review

Finnegan’s Hell: One Finger Salute

Leave a comment

I reviewed, Finnegan’s Hell’s last album, Work Is The Curse Of The Drinking Class, a few weeks back and it was outstanding. I now have a copy of their new one, One Finger Salute, and can happily report it’s another cracker. The band is tight, and aggressive with a great sense of melody. The songs are very strong, as good as anything the big boys are doing, while the lyrics betray a sense of humor and a touch of a drinking problem.  The album kicks off on side one with, What Have You Got in the End, which blends tin whistle and aggressive guitars with a bleak outlook on life.  One Finger Salute, is an F-U to an ex and their extended family –   I love the growling vocals here. Mickey Finn is about a bad trip and it’s a wild ride of a song -the double lead vocals are reminiscent of the Dropkick Murphys. Read My Lips, has a bad attitude and strangely reminds me of Motorhead (well if Lemmy played the banjo). Godforsaken Town, closes out side one as a hard luck barroom singalong. Side two opens with, Run Boy Run, a strong accordion-driven Celtic rocker. Comin After You, is growling Celtic-Cow-punk. I’ll make it up to you, is a frantic jig of promises that may not be true – very reminiscent of fellow Scandinavians Greenland Whalefishers. Nothing Left to Lose, is maybe my favorite track here and musically is as nihilistic as its lyrics. The album closes with the doom and gloom of Oh Death.  Overall a great album.

https://finneganshell.com/