Their eleventh full-length album Beer And Loathing is a true return to form for Canada’s The Real McKenzies. Dueling guitars double up against soaring bagpipes while Paul regales the listener with epic tales of alcohol soaked debauchery, historic sagas and hard-fought personal battles.
The Real McKenzies need little introduction having founded in 1992 in Vancouver, Canada. They have established themselves as one of the most formidable the Celtic Punk bagpipe bands on the scene. Hard to believe they have been around for almost 30 years!!!!
(Great interview with Paul from The Real McKenzies from April, 2020)
Although they have gone through many line-up changes, Paul McKenzie remains at the helm leading the crew into another decade of Scottish influenced celtic punk and mayhem. The Real McKenzies have kicked off 2020 with the release of their new album Beer and Loathing. Now its fair to say 2020 hasn’t been the best year so far but its not all doom and gloom. Beer and Loathing is guaranteed to take your mind off small matters such the worldwide pandemic, the potential for WW3 etc etc. It’s a crackin album and I must say one of my favourite from the Real McKenzies.
(Video by: Eric Dieterich https://solomanmedia.com)
The new album has been released on Fat Wreck Records and contains 12 rockin’ tunes. It opens with a bagpipe lead instrumental The Widow’s Watch but quickly ramps up though the gear to a faster tempo with notable song such as Nary Do Gooder, Death of the Winnepeg Scene and The Cremation of Sam Mcgee. The Real McKenzies stick with the Scottish flavour with Cock up Your Beaver. It’s a slower song which is a version of a Robert Burns poem. Probably not what you were thinking when you read the title first (tut, tut)!!! All in this is a great album and good to have the Real McKenzies back three years after the last release. It’s a reminder why the band have lasted almost 30 years on the scene where others have fallen by the wayside. So grab yourself a wee dram, stick on Beer and Loathing and crank it up to 10. It’s time like this we need music like this to get us through all the other crap in the world !!!
The vinyl for the album is available on swamp green and beer, oxblood and gold!
(Grab a listen to Beer And Loathing on the Bandcamp player below)
Buy Beer and Loathing CD/LP-FatWreckRecords Download
Contact The Real McKenzies WebSite Facebook YouTube
(On March 13th, 2020 the Real McKenzie’s live show at the Starlite Room in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was canceled by Alberta Health Services due to the COVID-19 virus. As to not let the all their fans down, the gig went ahead as a live stream!)
LONDON CELTIC PUNKS WEB-ZINE 
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