FEROCIOUS DOG Q AND A : DAN BOOTH

Welcome to Part 1 of our special ‘Ferocious Dog Week’ of these Q and A’s with the guys from our favourite Celtic-Punk band – Ferocious Dog. It is based on the feature that use to appear in the football magazines of my youth (anyone remember Shoot! or Match Weekly?) where we got to know what car our favourite football player drove and of their undying love for the music of Billy Ocean!

Originally it was planned to just have whoever from the band got back to us first but with some recent changes to the line up i thought why not ask and see if they would each like to take part and being a band with a clear fan-based ethos they obliged. I’ve never known a band quite like them for having such a link to their fan base. One big family is how people often describe them and with a tour with Flogging Molly just around the corner taking in three countries that fan base is surely going to grow. So without further ado here is Part One and founder member of the band and Man United supporter, like meself, Dan Booth.

Name / Nickname : Dan Booth

Age (Estimate allowed!) : 42

Status : Violin player/co-founder/band manager

Birthplace / Nationality / Ancestry : Born in Nottinghamshire, England. Grandad was from Clydebank in Scotland

Where do you live : 4 miles south of Nottingham in a village called Ruddington

Occupation : Musician

First job : Stores Manager for an IT repair company

A job you would have loved to do : Footballer for Manchester United but unfortunately my body was never really designed for that job

What / Who makes you laugh : Great stand up comedy shows such as Live at the Apollo

Favourite movie star : Samuel L Jackson

Favourite film / TV show : Match of the Day, UFC & Pulp Fiction

Favourite band/s : Oasis, Arcade Fire, Levellers, The Wonder Stuff, James, Carter USM, NWA, Dr Dre

Favourite Celtic-Punk bands : Flogging Molly, The Pogues

Up and coming Celtic-Punk band to watch : Shanghai Treason

First and last record you bought : Tango in the Night by Fleetwood Mac and Yard Act

How many instruments can you play : Violin and guitar

How many bands have you been in : 2 Ferocious Dog & The Beetroot Kings

Favourite venue / gig attended : Idles at Rough Trade in Nottingham

Favourite gig : When we played Lowlands Festival in The Netherlands

Describe yourself in 5 words : A man of few words

Most embarrassing moment : When a may bug climbed my shirt during a show and I was bouncing round stage like an idiot I think the whole crowd was laughing Was funny

Favourite song and why : Laura by Flogging Molly I just think it’s perfectly structured and so beautiful yet powerful

Favourite album and why : NWA – Straight Outta Compton because not only is it well written but it tackles Police brutality on the black communities in America

Favourite song you’ve been involved in: Playjng What You Know with the Levellers on stage around 14 times when we toured with them Jon asked me if I’d like to do a fiddle off on that song to end the shows Was a lot of fun

Team/s supported as a kid : Mansfield Town FC and Manchester United

Favourite sportsperson : Paul Scholes & Valentina Schevchenko

Favourite sport : UFC & football

All time hero : Dr Dre

Favourite book : Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

Best friend : My fiancé Anna

Biggest influence on career : Jon Sevink and the Levellers

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given : Never eat yellow snow

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be : Nottingham where I live now it’s my favourite city in the world If I was forced to pick another then maybe Barcelona I loved spending time there, it’s a really chilled place

Your five dream dinner guests : Eric Cantona, Samuel L Jackson, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Isreal Adesanya

Your favourite quote: A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends

Anything to plug / promote : Our album The Hope is still flying high in the Official U.K. Folk Charts at number 16 since we released it last October. Any sales/streams are very much appreciated. We’re also off on tour in Europe and U.K. with Flogging Molly soon so we hope to see some of you there. We have our own U.K. and European dates too so look out for those on our website

(Dan guesting with up and coming Sheffield band Shanghai Treason)