Review

The Dreadnoughts: Green Willow

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Two years after its digital debut, Green Willow finally lands on vinyl, and it’s a damn fine excuse to dust off the turntable and down a double of good Canadian whiskey and a shot of vodka. The Dreadnoughts have never been ones to play it tame, and Green Willow is another glorious stew of Celtic punk, polka fury, and sea shanty swagger—like a Czech wedding crashing into a Galway wake.

From stomping fiddle romps to squeezebox-driven drinking anthems, the album is packed with manic energy and haunting beauty. Their take on “The Foggy Dew” is a standout—slow, reverent, then exploding into punk-folk chaos that’ll put a lump in your throat and a fist in the air. Meanwhile, “Spanish Ladies” is a sea shanty masterclass, drenched in salt, sweat, and rum-soaked harmonies.

The Dreadnoughts continue to prove they’re more than just a party band. There’s craft in the madness, and Green Willow is one of their most nuanced records to date. Essential listening for punks, pirates, and polka freaks alike.

https://thedreadnoughts.com/

Review

The Peelers: The Holy Crux of Honour

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The Peelers are back, and they’ve done it again with The Holy Crux of Honour, their latest and greatest, which is a whiskey-soaked, foot-stomping, fist-pumping blast of Celtic punk that’s as rowdy and ruckus as a Saturday night in a dodgy Dublin pub on the wrong side of the Liffey, and as passionate and, heartfelt as an old rebel tune sung way past closing time.

The album kicks off with the title track. This bagpipe lament collides into a raucous declaration of defiance that sets the tone for what follows—furious guitars, searing fiddle, and lyrics steeped in history, loss, and the kind of hard-won victories only a true Celt can understand. “Last Banjo in Paris” throws in a bit of humor and irreverence, a classic Peelers move, while “Criminal, Cop, or Priest” reminds us why Dave Barton is one of the best bards this side of Shane MacGowan.

Musically, The Peelers stick to their guns—pipes, mandolins, and accordions battling it out with crunchy guitars and a rhythm section that could wake Finnigan himself. Fans of The Pogues, The Mahones, and Dropkick Murphys will feel right at home, but there is a depth here that sets The Peelers apart from the crowd. This is not just Celtic punk—it’s Celtic punk with soul, with anthems like “Caught a Bullet” and “Blades in the Alleyway” demanding to be played loud, preferably with a pint in each hand.

Final verdict? The Holy Crux of Honour is a belter of an album, full of grit, passion, and the spirit that keeps Celtic punk alive and kicking. The Peelers don’t just play the music—they live it. Sláinte!

https://peelersfc.com/

Review

Ferocious Dog: Kleptocracy

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Red Ken and his band of merry men have returned with their sixth full-length album, ready to storm the gates of Downing Street. If you are unfamiliar with Ferocious Dog, where the hell have you been? In the last ten years, the band has risen to be arguably the biggest folk-punk band in the UK, mixing punk, Celtic, gypsy, and protest folk (and the first non-signed band ever to sell out the legendary Rock City venue). Kleptocracy is fast, fiddle-infused folk punk with a strong social conscience (they hate the Tories, really hate them). Influences I hear include The Levellers, McDermott’s Two Hours, and The Clash, yet the band still has its own distinct sound. My personal favorite tracks on Kleptocracy include Iron Mike Malloy, Merthyryr Rising (with its Follow me up to Carlow melody), and A Place We Call Home, a song in the spirit of Fairytale of New York (a possible hit single?)

Honestly, there isn’t one bad track or even a filler on the album. Here’s to hopefully seeing Ferocious Dog stateside someday.

Ferocious Dog

Review

The Go Set: Drink To The Night (Live)

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Drink To The Night (Live) is a 20-year live retrospective of one of the planet’s best and most original Celtic punk bands, Melbourne’s The Go Set. If you are unfamiliar with The Go Set, they are a bagpipe-heavy, alternative/punk outfit with a distinctive Aussies style – (old) AC/DC, The The, and Weddings Parties Anything all come to mind when I try to describe them. Drink To The Night is a best of live and a great introduction to the band unless you’re an old hand, then Drink To The Night (Live) is a great reminder of how good these guys are. Sadly, Drink To The Night (Live) seems to be a digital-only album. Hopefully, it gets a physical release, too.

https://snd.click/DrinkToTheNight

https://www.thegoset.com/

News

Philip Chevron new music

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The late legendary Philip Chevron of The Radiators from Space and The Pogues wrote a collection of songs for a musical, The Tuner.

The Tuner is the tale of Irish-American boxer Jack Rooney. Contributors to the album included Kirsty MacColl, Dubliners legend Ronnie Drew, and fellow Pogues Andrew Rankin and Spider Stacy.

The CD version of The Tuner is limited to 250 copies and is available now on pre-order from Bandcamp.

https://philipchevron.bandcamp.com/album/the-tuner

Review

UltraBomb: Dying To Smile

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Well, this is a surprise. As much as I loved the debut UltraBomb album, Time To Burn, I assumed it would be a one-off project, especially after the band’s problems with tour cancellations, COVID-19, and other serious illnesses. But no, UltraBomb is back with a second album, Dying To Smile, and a highly successful tour of the US East Coast opening for Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. 

If you are unfamiliar with Ultrabomb, imagine Finny McConnell from The Mahones at his punk rock best, hooking up with the legendary Greg Norton of the even more legendary Hüsker Dü and Jamie Oliver, the best drummer in punk rock, to make a punk rock masterpiece. Well, don’t imagine anymore cos Ultrabomb is the real deal. Punk rock at its very best. And you read it here first. 

https://www.facebook.com/ultrabombmusic/

Review

Dropkick Murphys: Okemah Rising

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Okemah Rising is the companion album to the Dropkick Murphys 2022 release, This Machine Still Kills Fascists, i.e. it’s the unpublished lyrics of legendary American folk singer Woody Guthrie as interpreted by the Dropkick Murphys. Al Barr is still absent from the band, so vocal duties fall to Ken Casey. Like This Machine…., Okemah Rising is more rooted in Americana than punk, though it still has that raw sing-along, punk energy. The Violent Femmes guest on Gotta Get To Peekskill, Boston folk-hooligan Jesse Ahern, guests on Ripping Up The Boundary Line, and the DKMs rerecord an acoustic, I’m Shipping Up To Boston. If you liked This Machine…, you’ll lap up Okemah Rising; if you didn’t, well, the Murphys will be back to being the Murphys soon.

https://dropkickmurphys.com/

Potato-eating, Whiskey-drinking, Bog-trotting, CELTIC PUNK ROCK