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Punk Rock Fleadh w/The PubCawlers, The Gobshites, The Ruffians, Jackdaw, The Skels – McGanns, Boston, MA (August 15, 2003)

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First off thanks to Kristen MadCat for going to the trouble of and taking the risk putting together the Punk Rock Fleadh, the Boston stop was a great success and hopefully the other gigs were similar and fingers crossed more will follow.

First up taking the low stage of McGanns were the New Hampshire/Southern Maine based the Pubcrawlers who played a short, powerful set of traditional standards and original compositions that got the growing crowd warmed up and scared off anyone that shouldn’t have been there. The Skels after some prompting were good enough to join them on stage during Finnegan’ Wake. The Pubcrawlers have always shown big promise on their demos and live they keep that promise. My biggest problem with the demos was always the vocals, yet live vocal man, Kevin hits the nail on the head every time.

The Gobshites followed and staying true to their name they were a bunch of Gobshites. The singer (Pete, I think) is a seriously funny bastard and the music as hoot even with the out of tune fiddle. The set started with the Pogues, “Streams of Whiskey” and ended with “Frigging in the Rigging” and in between we were treated to jokes, silly songs all given the acoustic-Celtic-hardcore treatment, a little rap also given the acoustic-Celtic-hardcore and Andy from the PubCrawlers reading a limerick.

Next up taking the stage were NYC’s The Ruffians who made a grand entrance through the audience marching behind the most colorful bagpiper I’ve ever seen. The set was tight Irish influenced Rock’n’Roll what would be closer in sound to say the Prodigals then the Dropkick Murphys. My biggest complaint was the over-distortion of the guitars during the first couple of songs.

I’m considering suing Jackdaw for terminal damage to my hearing – I’m writing this 3 days later and my ears are still ring – it only took two days for my head to stop pounding- I suing Guinness on that one. These guys just blew me away. I heard both of their CD’s through a friend who was raving about them and neither impressed me particular (I’m going to be checking them out again.) But live they were unbelievable, tight as the proverbial ducks arse or more correctly AC/DC’s rhythm section. Actually someone described them to me after the set as AC/DC with bagpipes though I’m more inclined to go with a Celtic Wall of Sound description. They certainly impressed me and a sizable section of the crowd who whipped up a serious pit – not bad for a band who were completely unknown in Boston before their set. Hopefully they come back soon and if you ever get a chance check’em out. One issue though and that’s the Bagpipers kilt was too short – never wear a Kilt above the knee, people start to ask funny questions about you.

The Skels headlined and I hate to say this but I had to fuck off home after 3 songs – I’m sure the Skels were their usual selves and gave a riot of a show (the new CD is the fucking business but you know that anyway).

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The Peelers – live at The Celtic Ray Public House, Punta Gorda, Fl (August 9, 2003)

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To the Peelers’ credit, they had just arrived in town a couple hours prior to the show after an eight-hour drive from Savannah, Ga., and went on to play nearly FOUR FREAKING HOURS (admittedly, with a couple of short breaks thrown in, but still!).

First, a bit about the venue. The Celtic Ray Public House — by the time you read this, management may have already completely split off the music room into a separate smoking bar called the Temple Bar Public House — is a small pub in Punta Gorda, Fla., which is about 90 minutes south of Tampa. It serves no domestic beer (!) and has the feel of a country pub in Ireland. It’s not a huge room, and the pub has traditional Irish music a few nights a week.

That said, The Peelers were a bit of a departure for the pub. It was only the second time it’s charged a cover for an event (the first was Black 47 in February), and owner Kevin Doyle was a little apprehensive about bringing in a band that was a large unknown.

(As the show approached, many friends from the pub were calling me “The Guy Who Brought The Peelers To The Celtic Ray,” as I had played a limited role as a matchmaker between the band and the pub. A lot of people asked me about the band, whom I’d never seen live before. I merely told them, I’d just heard their CD, which was very good, but I had very high expectations for their live show. I was nervous as an expectant dad.)

The Peelers, making their Florida debut, were also a little nervous. “We really didn’t know what to expect,” said lead singer Dave Barton. “We didn’t know whether to expect a young audience or old. A lot of these southern cities are known for older crowds.” They needn’t have worried. The band drew enough people of a variety of ages to make the room comfortably crowded. If the crowd was a little tentative as the show started, so was the band, which started at about 9:40 p.m. with no opening act to warm up the crowd.

If the band has a weakness (if you want to call it that) at this point, it’s their limited amount of original material, which I’ll go into later. They started with The Waterboys’ “Bang on the Ear” — halfway through, Kevin yelled out, “I fucking love these guys already!” A look around the room indicated this was a common theme. They opened with a set of standards, including “Finnegan’s Wake” and “Dirty Old Town,” and threw in a version of the “Broad Majestic Shannon” — the first of several Pogues songs that was played that night. They also did a song from their upcoming CD “Plastic Paddy” that I did not recognize or know the name of.

As the night grew longer, the crowd got younger, the Peelers got faster. They did their versions of “Irish Rover” (obviously minus Ol’ Jimmy of Siobhan, who guested for the song on their CD), Flogging Molly’s “Salty Dog” and allowed me to go up with them and do “Streams of Whiskey” (which I’d wanted to sing with a live band for a long time). The band also let Leslie, Kevin’s girlfriend, sing on a well-received version of “Fairytale of New York.”

All hell broke loose toward the end, with a mosh pit erupted in this small Irish pub, much to the delight of those that stayed until the last. A few people got knocked into a table near the stage with fish and chips for the band, and the fish went flying. They finished with some Clash songs — “London Calling” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” to a rousing, rowdy ovation.

“I thought at first, they (the crowd) was a little reserved. We were a little unsure where to go with the whole thing,” Barton said after the show. “In the end, it turned out to be a Peelers show.”

One could dismiss the Peelers as a cover band (which is how one newspaper alluded to them) if you wanted to look at it that way, as they’re still working on a repartory of original stuff. (Then again, when the Pogues were in their infancy, they did a lot of Dubliners stuff and traditional tunes, not to compare the two.)

I just look at The Peelers as a smoking live band. My body is still stiff from all the dancing/moshing that erupted toward the end. And I have no doubt that their original stuff, as it comes, will be fine, too. As a side note, they are really cool guys.

There’s a strong rumor that The Peelers will be coming back at some point. (“As soon as possible,” Kevin told me. “If they’re available, next week.”) They may have also opened the door for other bands of that ilk for the Celtic Ray, oops, sorry, Temple Bar. (I REALLY hope so.)

When The Peelers make their return appearance to Punta Gorda, I can’t freaking wait. And from the feedback I’ve received since the show, I know I won’t be the only one.

Review by Rob Shore

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the McGillicuddys – Crannóg Brewery Beltaine Festival, BC, Canada (May 3, 2003)

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Driving 10 hours for one show isn’t anybody’s idea of fun, but I’d been committed to seeing the McGillicuddys at Crannóg’s Beltaine festival since the fall. I was in Seattle for a Timbers soccer match the night before, so it was only really eight hours driving. OK, eight hungover hours, that last few pints of Beamish in Clancy’s in Wallingford had sealed my fate. Within a few minutes of my arrival at the Crannóg brewery I had a pint in hand and began the healing process.

I can’t think of a better place for a Pogues influenced band to play than the source of inspiration, the very brewery itself. Crannóg Ales, Canada’s only certified organic farmhouse brewery, brew Irish style ales, and played host to the McGillicuddys on their recent tour of Western Canada. Crannóg brewer Brian MacIsaac’s knot-work mural on the brewery door was the ideal back drop for the Victoria Celtopunks.

The ancient Celts celebrated the coming of spring on Beltaine with rituals to celebrate fertility. Appropriately enough Morag the cow in a adjoining field was about to give birth writing the McGillicuddys into punk history as the first band to play for a pregnant cow.

Fueled by Crannóg Back Hand of God Stout, Red Branch Irish Ale and Beyond the Pale Ale, the McGuillicuddys played two sets of original, traditional, punk, and trad songs to a select crowd set against the Shuswap mountains. The black-clad five piece, with accordion, guitar, bass, drums, male and female vocals, and whistle transported the crowd to a mythical smoky pub with brawling songs of drink, hard livin’ and hard lovin.’ Opening with Roaring Jack’s “Buy Us a Drink” the McGillicuddys played songs from last year’s Kilt By Death album and hard hittin’ new material such as “A Dozen Pints,” a drink-your-ex-off-your-mind anthem. “Let it Rain,” an ode to the pub-spent days of London winter, “So let it rain/Let it flood away the pain/Wash away my sins/ so I can start tomorrow clean again,” rings as true on the Cascadian Raincoast as on the eastern shore of the Atlantic.

McG’s frontman Mike Walker’s repeated requests for whiskey lead me to break out the Balvenie that I’d gotten at duty free (gotta love the buy six bottles get $10 off card). A punky version of “Nancy Whiskey,” was my just reward. After a whiskey intermission the McG’s embarked on their second, more raucous set. Tossing in covers from the Nips “Gabrielle,” Cock Sparrer “Riot Squad,” to Richard Thomson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” and a fistful of trad songs, the McGillicuddys showed their range of influence, finishing with the Clash’s “White Man in Hammersmith Palais.”

The drive back the next day was soothed by the memories of the night before. The McGillicuddys had proved well worth the trek.

By Abram “Boyo from the Bog” Goldman-Armstrong

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Shamrocked, Part 2 – Inside the Shamrock-N-Roll Festival (September 2011)

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September 15, 2011

John Curtin is the drummer Tin Whistle and  Bodhran play for The Gobshites (and a stand-up comic but not with The Gobshites – that’s Pete Walsh’s gig).  John posted recently on his blog, “This Is Not A Rant”, an non-rant about the Shamrock-N-Roll Festival stop in Bangor where The Gobshites played – I thought it would be cool to post as a review of the show and an insider view of what was going on. So, in John’s own words……

This weekend was pretty exciting.  The Gobshites played Shamrock-N-Roll Festival in Bangor, Maine with headliners Dropkick Murphy’s, as well as Stiff Little Fingers, Street Dogs, the Mahones, Chuck Ragan, and the Parkington Sisters.  We were part of the local band “Undercard” that included Pubcrawlers, Bar Stuards, Beantown Boozehounds, and the O’Tooles.  Our set wasn’t until 3PM, but we had to be there at 10 in the morning, which meant leaving the house at 5.  Ah, the life of a rock star.  Due to a couple of last minute cancellations, I ended up playing drums (And a HUGE thanks to the O’Tooles for letting us use their kit.  Lifesavers, so y’are!), and we borrowed Travis from the Pubcrawlers (Another big thank you) to play tin whistle.

It was a long day, but boy was it fun.  The local bands hung out in the field behind the “B” stage, and it was like a cookout without the grill.  Everyone brought their amber-colored liquid of choice (mine, of course, was iced tea), and Jess went into teacher mode and organized the snacks along with the Pubcrawlers’ ladies (Who brought sandwich making materials.  We brought plenty of crunchy stuff, plus popcakes and Nutella.  We definitely made some converts that day.).  Everyone came out to watch each other’s sets, and there was actually a pretty decent sized crown there from the start.  We’ve played festivals where no one really shows up until the main acts start, so it was nice to see folks supporting the local acts too.  It definitely added to everyone’s energy on stage, which resulted in some really fun sets from everyone.

As for our performance, well, it could have been better in my opinion.  But nonetheless, we were well received.  Actually, the crowd seemed to appreciate everyone, which was nice.  For some reason, I kept dropping sticks.  I don’t know if it was exhaustion from the long drive or what, but my right hand just could not seem to get a proper grip on the drumstick.  Weird.  Plus I could barely hear the rest of the band, so I don’t even know if I was playing in time.  Oh well, it’s punk rock, it’s not supposed to be pretty.  At least I had the Nutella handy to wash all of my frustrations away…

The main stage started up around 6 or so, with the first act being the Parkington Sisters.  Not an act you’d typically expect to see at a show like this.  But what they lacked in sonic boom-ness, they made up for in profanity.  There’s just something about a hot chick that can wail on a fiddle and swear like a stevedore.  I’ve been listening to a lot of rootsy music lately, so they were a welcome interlude.  Not everyone liked them, but Jess and I did, so they made at least two fans that day.  Mahones were up next.  We opened for them in Boston last Summer, but I unfortunately had to miss that show, so this was actually the first time I’d ever seen them live.  Wow, they put on a great show.  Their whistle player is simply amazing, and their accordion player was lively and leggy.  Mama’s got a squeezebox, indeed.

Chuck Ragan had a good set, although I had gone to get dinner during much of it.  His low growl and emotion really drove his folk punk songs.  I need to pick up some of his music.  We’ve played withStreet Dogs before, and they’re about as good a punk rock band as there is nowadays.  Mike and Johnny really know how to fire up a crowd, everybody was moving and having a good time during their set.  If they come to your town, make sure you don’t miss it.  For reals, these guys scorched the stage.

The band I was most excited to see was Stiff Little Fingers.  Punk rock legends.  Northern Ireland’s answer to The Clash.  As with the Mahones, I had to miss the show we opened for them a few months ago, so this was a second chance to bask in the glow of one of my all time favorite bands.  They pulled out almost all the hits.  I found myself singing along like a twelve year old girl at a Justine Bieber concert (No, I’m not linking to his website.).

We didn’t stay for the entire Dropkick Murphy’s set, because by then we’d been walking around and rocking out for nearly 12 hours.  So I missed the acoustic part of the show, and the part where Ken Casey stepped on my friend Gina’s head (She’s fine, she actually got kind of psyched about it.).  I’ve seen them many many times, and they’re a great live act, but we were totally spent and decided to call it a night.  Luckily, Jess has family not too far away, so we sacked out there with two of the biggest dogs I’ve ever seen and a kitten with double paws, who seemed and acted like a long lost relative of Finn.

Sunday’s drive home was long, but fun (I retained my Punchbuggy crown), and we ended the weekend at Secret Society Tattoo and Art Gallery in Worcester.  They were having an art opening for a local artist, and Jess was pouring the whisky (she spells it without the “E”, so I will too).  The food was good, and I met some cool folks from the Worcester arts scene.  Jeff Gemma and Danny Gunns, the guys who do the ink slinging there, were in attendance (Jeff is actually the owner), and it was a cool, laid back way to finish the weekend.

Tonight, the Gobshites try out a new drummer, and we’re playing out on the deck again this Friday at Mick Morgan’s in Sharon.  Last time there was an absolute blast, so I’m definitely looking forward to this show.  Stop by and say hi if you can.

Souveniers are available in the gift shop…

John Curtin

http://mccruitin.blogspot.com/2011/09/cool-story-brah.html?spref=fb

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Sir Reg – Arlington Arts Centre, Berkshire, England (October 2018)

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The Arlington Arts centre is in the wilds of rural Berkshire, southern England. Not the most easily accessible of venues but one with great sound, lovely staff and one that isn’t shy of booking eclectic bands. Tonight was no exception; the Neil Brophy Band and Sweden’s finest, Sir Reg- both on the final night of their 11 date UK tour.

We’d taken our eleven year old son. He’s a veteran of the Celtic music scene for one so young; having seen Dropkick Murphys at Brixton Academy, Christy Moore, Tidelines and Ferocious Dog as well as having the Biblecode Sundays and the Lagan play in his living room! I mention this because he hates support acts. Hates ‘em. Just wants them to go away so the main act can hit the stage. He made an exception for the Neil Brophy Band who opened with Nice to Know, a tale of an emigre English troubadour returning to his home town after years abroad. Other stand outs from this Copenhagen based band included tales of Viking ghost ships, London boozers and the joys of being a musical gypsy. Drums, bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, whistles and pipes all made for a full sound married to catchy lyrics and infectious enthusiasm. A great opening act and one which we will try to catch in the future. Their new album, True Stories is definitely worth seeking out.

Sir Reg hit the stage with their trademark high energy- a full-on Celtic punk assault which might have un-nerved some of the more folksy patrons of Arlington Arts. But you can’t not love Sir Reg. Sing along choruses, a perfect mix of fast punky tunes like new track The Underdogs sitting alongside quiet, slower more heartfelt numbers such as the brilliant All Saints Day. It’s always interesting to see a band who have a new album to promote as sometimes the gig can be a load of songs with which the audience are unfamiliar. Sir Reg got the balance right. New tracks were given an airing, like instrumental Cairbre, an ode to the MGN lion but older tracks like Emigrate were also thrown into the mix. The band were also very tolerant of fans like us shouting song requests at them- a request that resulted in a spirited rendition of Drinking like a Dane. They even managed to get the crowd singing along to The Wrong Bar- their brilliant cautionary tale of being so smashed that you confuse a church for a pub that saw Sir Reg joined on stage by the Neil Brophy band.

All in all, a top night. Great songs from two great bands. Looking forward to seeing them both again in the near future.

Neil Bates

October 2018

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The Go Set, Ramshackle Army: The Midway Cafe, Boston, MA (October 3, 2015)

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October 4, 2015

First up were Boston area based BarRoom Heros, a three piece power-punk trio consisting for the Rice brothers on guitar/bass and vocals and a wild, arms flailing, mass of dreadlocks on drums. Probably best known for opening for the Dropkick Murphys when they were something like 12 years old, I saw ‘em last year opening for Justin Keenan and it was great to see them again and without sounding like an old aunt they have really grown – musically and physically, in fact they could probably now get served in a bar if they had decent fake ids. Early Dropkick Murphys and Darkbuster are the obvious influences – Darkbusters Skinhead was covered and as was a great punked up version of The Dubliners Seven Drunk Nights.

Aussie band Ramshackle Army were up next. They are one of those bands that people speak highly about but I haven’t to date invested a lot of time in listening too ’em. Well I will after tonight, these guys and gal were a high intensity sweat drenched riot – fiddle, banjo, punk rock and the rock star that is Gaz in full flight with shapes thrown and face contortions

Between each of the sets there was an acoustic set from Live Nude Girls (actually two girls and a guy who all kept their clothes on) – fiddle, double bass and girl on guitar with a big voice. A nice touch that kept the momentum going as the bands changed over.

Its been about five years since I’ve seen Boston party punks the Beantown Boozehounds, good to say they are still slamming shots, guzzling PBR and playing hard. Lot’s of ragging on the touring “Austrians”. I do remember last time I saw ’em a lot more beer was spat in the air – maturity possibly? Nah, never.

Finally up were The Go Set who have been one of my favorite bands from when I heard them first over ten years ago. I got the taste of them live last year when I saw Justin Keenan on his solo tour so my expectations for the full band were high. The set started with bagpipes from the back of the venue and as the band were lead to stage the pipes turned into full force punk and pipes and occasional punk and double pipes with the addition of second piper Sean from Alternative Ulster. Expectations were met – the Go Set were as good live as so disk – great songs, tight and they had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands. I’m not sure how may fans The Go Set had in the venue at the beginning of the set but by the end of the set I knew – everyone including the bartender. All the classics were done – 1788, Davey, Old Dark Brown, Sing Me a Song and a very special off the stage, in the middle of the floor, totally acoustic version of 5AM .I have to give a shout out to The Go Set drummer, Agostino Soldati – John Bonham raised from the dead with veins pumped full of redbull – I’ve never seen or heard drums hit so hard and so fast. The set ended with a cover of AC/DCs Long Way to the Top with help form Gaz and the Boozehounds. The Go Set promise to be back next year for another tour of the US and they are not to be missed.

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James Fearnley (The Pogues): Great Scott, Boston (September 18, 2016)

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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.

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The Go Set: O’Brien’s Pub in Allston, MA (September 22, 2017)

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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

Review

The Wakes: No Irish Need Apply

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February 6, 2010

The Wakes are the un-official musical wing of Glasgow Celtic FC – for American readers Celtic are a Glasgow, Scotland based soccer team with strong Irish roots and one of the biggest sports brands in the world.

The music of The Wakes clearly reflects the team they support – pub rock meets the Irish ballad tradition – sort of somewhere between The BibleCodeSundays meets The Wolftones -and though the rebel songs are toned down, scratch below the surface of football and drinking and Irish songs and it’s there.

While all Celtic and Irish sports fans will love this you don’t have to know the first thing about soccer to get carried away in the roar of the crowd (though Huns and Hearts fans will loathe).

Must hears include Drinkin’ Song, Pirates of the League and the cover of David Rovics St. Patrick’s Battalion

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Black 47 – BB Kings, NYC ( November 15, 2015)

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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

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