The new 3-track single from Czech Republican Celtic-Punkers Foggy Dude takes one of their earliest numbers and turns it into a mini concept album. Needless to say it is up to their usual fantastic quality.
Blessed with possibly the best name in Celtic-Punk Foggy Dude formed in the Summer of 2017 in the Czech Republic capital of Prague. Their earliest days 
saw gigging round the local student and Punk at mainly the Vagon Rock club, 007 club Strahov and, what would become their spiritual home, the Block 10 Pub. A few years later they may no longer be students but they can still be found hanging around the pubs of Strahov. The original eight piece slimmed down to seven when their singer left but they decided not to replace him and now share vocal duties among the band. A very novel and commendable approach. They have become one of the busiest bands in the scene with it always seeming they have released something new and along with their always interesting and fun videos Foggy Dude have become one of the bands in the scene to watch.
Foggy Dude from left to right : Petr – Drums * Štofi – Electric Guitar * Max – Bass * Joe – Acoustic Guitar * Cába – Mandolin * Jirka – Accordion / Tin-Whistle * Ilia – Violin *
The EP kicks off with ‘Fight Pit’. It’s actually one of the bands oldest songs but this is the first time it’s been recorded it in a studio. It first appeared on the bands live Pub 10 EP in 2020. The story is very simple – fighting in a pit for your life, and re-enacted below on video with stickmen! Deciding that their was a story to be told here the guys have written a mini-concept album and wrote two more songs to continue the story. Basically one story in three parts / songs.
Finally we reach the end of the saga and the third and final track is, appropriately, ‘End Of Fight’. The two protagonists find a home in a land of ales. You saw them fight for their life in the pit, their rise to glory and then their escape from the clutches of oppressors. They decide to remain in their new home and drink beer forever and give the saga a (very!) happy ending.
Recorded by Kryštof Skřipec * Mixed and mastered by Kryštof Skřipec * Produced by Foggy Dude * Camera by Lukáš Nesvadba * Artwork by Drunken Joe *
Contact Foggy Dude https://linktr.ee/foggydude
The transportation of criminals to Australia began in 1787, only 17 years after Captain Cook first washed up on Australian shores. Eleven ships left in May 1787 from Portsmouth with 736 convicts for the eight-month journey to Botany Bay. Forty would never live to see the ships arrival. They were the lucky ones. Transportation was more often a punishment for those seen as the lowest of the low not those convicted of particularly grievous crimes. In fact 80% of those sent across to the other side of the world were guilty of theft and most of those were repeat offenders. Others were targeted too, especially political radicals with Luddites, Rebecca Rioters and the 
they were a 8-piece gigging round the local student/punk scene in Prague at mainly the Vagon Rock club, 007 club Strahov and, what would become their spiritual home, the Block 10 Pub. A few years later they may no longer be students but they can still be found hanging around the pubs of Strahov. As any Celtic-Punk fan will tell you it’s next to impossible to keep that many people together long term and so it proved as people have come and gone from the band and no sooner had they released Pub 10 then two members up and left. Foggy Dude have risen to the challenge though and now a mere 7-piece instead of bringing in a singer they now share the vocal duties among the band. A very novel and commendable approach.
equal measures with the idea of combining all the elements of good old fashioned Rock’n’Roll and Punk with the sound of some glorious Highland bagpipes. 
(Pennywise/ US Bombs/ Suicidal Tendencies) and again the heavy sound of the band didn’t neglect Vojta’s bagpipes. Released towards the end of 2012 the album was very well received by both fans and critics alike winning many awards back home and universally applauded within the Celtic-Punk scene too. The years of touring took their toll and following some band changes including Mike moving back to the USA the group took a two year hiatus before returning. The first signs of life of the new Pipes And Pints was the release of a video for ‘Raise Our Flag’ in November 2017 and featured the new voice of the band in Travis O’Neill a singer/songwriter from County Sligo, Ireland who had washed up in Prague as a member of the, now defunct, 5 Foot Assassins. Incidentally Travis also performs as Travis O’Neill And His Cardinal Sins and are well worth checking out in their own right.
So this brings us slap bang up to date and the release last week of their third album The Second Chapter. Yeah I know it don’t make sense to me that either! It may be a new line up but have they still got the same passion and enthusiasm that made them so popular in the first place? Well the first thing I noticed is the sound of the band is much less Punk-Rock. In fact they could easily have been filed in the Hardcore section back in the day so the new melodic more folky sound was still a bit of a surprise despite the slow trickle of videos the band have put out in the run up to the album’s release. The Second Chapter begins with ‘A Million Times More’ and Vojta’s Highland bagpipes fill the airwaves as the band eventually join in and some class gang vocals before Travis takes over and while his vocal style is nothing like Mike its a new beginning from the band so no more comparisons. Travis vocals are strong and perfect for this Pipes And Pints sound. Chugging guitar and a catchy as hell chorus makes this a fantastic opener for the album and only sets the scene for the other nine tracks. Next up they leave you in no uncertainty that they are a Celtic-Punk band on ‘Raise Our Flag’ as they proclaim allegiance to Ireland
1. FLATFOOT 56 (Chicago)- ‘Odd Boat’ 
1. BLACK ANEMONE (Sweden)- ‘In It For Life’ 
This leads into ‘Misery’ and the accordion stands out here in an angry song about the faceless workers everywhere toiling away. The chugging guitar keeps it tuneful and ‘Dagger’ takes us down a different path with its upbeat Flogging Molly-esque Irish folk. Pafka’s vocals are strong and clearly sung in English. The CD has the lyrics but they are clear enough just from listening. ‘Here We Are’ is kind of Bad Religion meets Irish folk. Fast rapid drumming and accordion keep it going before next song, ‘Standard’, returns us to Molly’s territory and a song that starts acapello before familiar sounding fiddle takes over. Brilliant lyrics next in ‘Pie Of Shame’. Not about pie as you may think but the wish for a better and more peaceful world. It could be a bit cloying but isn’t at all especially as it lasts just a few seconds short of five minutes. I’m well jealous of songwriters with the ability to write like this. We haven’t had a slow one yet and ‘Saint Of The Scene’ comes at the perfect time. Poguesy accordion and a swirling sound surrounded by gang vocals and tin whistle and fiddle give it a perfect pint in the air feel. ‘Mr. Batter’ is a fast and furious tune with great funny story about a copper stealing bum who ends up on the wrong side of the law. Again Cheers! turn it on its head as just as your settling in they pull out something different to rouse you. ‘Hey Devil’ is next and the band this is most reminiscent of would be The Dreadnoughts fast as hell and completely led by Filip’s glorious fiddle playing.
The seven piece band were formed on New Year’s Day in 2012 and hail from České Budějovice, the capital of the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. The area is most famed for the production of Budweiser lager. Not the watered down pish available in the UK and the States but the original and superior Czech brew. Founded in 1895 the Pivovar Budějovický Budvar (Budweiser Budvar Brewery) has the legal right to sell Budweiser in much of Europe but a inferior American version, which was originally brewed as an imitation of the original, is also available. The US brewers Anheuser-Busch attempted to buy out the Czech company in order to secure global rights to the name Budweiser, but the Czech government has refused all such offers, regarding the brand as a matter of national pride. For once money did not win!
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