It can’t be much joy being Finland’s only Celtic flavoured Punk Rock but Loretta Problem have been kicking and screaming since 1991 and are still going strong.
Loretta Problem may have been together for 31 years but its only in the last few that they have really come into their own with a handful of singles coming out including what I called a masterpiece back in 2019 and my views haven’t changed much since. It was without a doubt my favourite song of the year and one that I still play regularly. So here’s a band that can do the business and have a pedigree that makes them among the elders of the Celtic-Punk scene. Their sound has developed and changed over the years and only got better as they have gone along.
So the day after my birthday on the 11th the anti-war ‘Green ‘n Gray’ came out on Spotify (link below). The video for the single came out a few days later and we are delighted to bring it to you today. An absolutely amazing video accompanies the song that packs a solid punch reflecting the situation the world finds itself in and the emotions it brings out of us in the middle of it all. The song is backed with ‘So I Drink’ a cheeky swirling Irish ballad made by Finnish drinkers to fellow Irish drinkers. A three minutes that is the perfect B-side to Green ‘n Gray’.
Directed by: H. Viinamäki and E. Jussila * Cinematography / Editing: Esa Jussila
Early in the morn’ I heard the beating of the drum
The flags are waving, restless. The shield of night is gone.
We all trusted blindly in the bible and the gun
I knew we’d have to pay some day for all that we have done
Early in the morning the rain has just begun.
I’m standing in the front line waiting for the kingdom come
My feet are stuck in mud but my heart begs me to run
We should’ve never followed the beating of the drum
The beating of the drum
The beating of the drum
The beating of the drum
I will find my way
Through green and gray
I will find my way to you
Trough green and gray
I will find my way
I will find my way to you
Early in the morning, farewell my dear, goodbye
By the train I kissed away a teardrop from your eye
I’m lying on the battlefield until the kingdom come
The tattoo never ends the pipes will always hum
The beating of the drum
The beating of the drum
The beating of the drum
Well here we go again. It seems an awful long time since we were compiling all the votes into 2019’s Best Of. Last year saw The Walker Roaders triumph but with this year being a lot quieter on the Celtic-Punk front thanks to the lockdowns around the world bands have found themselves unable to tour and promote new releases so have held onto them till things got better. Still that’s not to say it was a complete wash out and as you can see from below their have been some absolute knock-outs during the year.
Remember this is only our opinion so feel free to comment, slag off or dissect our lists. The Readers Poll is back again this year so you can even vote on your favourite release of 2020 yourself. We don’t pretend to be the final word as that my friends is for you…
(for more information click on the release title in green)
Was very close between the top three this year but Ogras seem to have been not only our favourites but also most of the Celtic-Punk medias too. A lot less albums may have come out during the year but still plenty more that didn’t make the cut. Don’t be down hearted if you are one of them it could just be that one of the judges hadn’t heard that album. Again if we don’t hear your album we can’t review it so the massive majority here are ones that were sent in to us. We only need a download link (NO Spotify!) and we’re happy. Out of the 30 albums 18 countries were represented including 2 from the Celtic nations Scotland #4 and Brittany #13 and our first from Hawaii!
Several bands have taken the chance during the lockdown to release compilations of sorts. While it would be a little unfair to include them in the main ‘Best Of’ section they still deserve a mention. Among these were two 30 year celebrations from two of Celtic-Punks most successful and popular bands in THE MAHONES – This Is All We Got To Show For It and FIDDLER’S GREEN – 3 Cheers For 30 Years. Both fully deserve a round of applause, a raise of the pint and a tip o’ the hat! Band compilations included ANTO MORRA – Twenty, THE DEAD RABBITS – The Dead Rabbits, LEXINGTON FIELD – Here’s To You Ten Years Of Fiddle Rock and LQR – Barrel-Aged. A couple of live albums THE STANFIELDS – Welcome To The Ball and ShamROCKS – FCP Livewere both well received, you may have heard that a little known band THE POGUES put out a new album of previously unreleased materialBBC Sessions 1984-86andQuintessential Quarantuneswas a 6-band compilation released in the Summer featuring the Bible Code Sundays and The Reels. MacSlons Irish Pub Radio also released volume 5 of Raise Your Pints the best Celtic-Punk sampler around of 19 of the Celtic-Punk scenes best bands.
You have to go back to the beginning of January for 1916’s release and though many more would challenge it stayed top of the pile all year long. Some great debut releases here from bands that will I am sure go on to bigger things. This time last year I was crowing about Shanghai Treason and how much I was looking forward to seeing them play… well I still am!
This year’s winner of Best Debut Album comes from a continent where Celtic-Punk appears to be booming! The South American scene has been dominated in the past by bands from Brazil and Argentina (last years winners in this category were Aires Bastardos from Argentina) but with Batallón de San Patricio from Guadalajara in Mexico things are changing with several bands popping up over the last couple of years. The last twelve months have seen Batallón de San Patricio garner favourable reviews from various singles and live streams. Hermanos De Guerra/ Brothers Of War is delivered entirely in Spanish and spans the length of Celtic-Punk from trad Irish up to Celtic-PUNK making it fully deserving of the award.
Always the hardest list to compile as it covers so much ground. Some of these bands play Trad Folk with a Punk Rock heart like Clover’s Revenge while others didn’t quite fit as Celtic-Punk releases but the winners are the Rose family from NY state otherwise known as The Wild Irish Roses. An album that took us by surprise and managed to please everyone.
Now this section is tinged with sadness. There is no question which site has the biggest impact on the Celtic-Punk scene over the last year and while not strictly a web-site the CELTIC PUNK, FOLK AND ROCK FANS group on Facebook fully deserved this years award. Sadness because the group founder Mike Kilroe very sadly passed away at the beginning of the month. Created back in February 2019 it was around the time of last years ill fated St. Patrick’s day and the subsequent Dropkick Murphys live stream show that membership of the group exploded and has now passed over 8000 members. If on Facebook they should be your first port of call, alongside us of course! We had a great interview with the founder of the group Mike back in May that you can find hereand of course our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
We are not alone in doing these Best Of 2020 lists in fact all the major players in Celtic-Punk do them so click below to check out what they thought.
So there you go. Remember we have never pretended to be the final word on things in fact have a look at the other Celtic-Punk media’s Best Of’s and I’m sure they are all pretty different. Our Best Of’s, as usual, cajoled and bullied out of the admins from the London Celtic Punks Facebook page and then tallied up over a few pints in Mannions in north London. One important thing to note is that not all of us heard the same albums so like all the various Best Of’s ours is also subjective.
Nine years we’ve been doing these lists now. It seems incredible looking back at some of the previous winners and also-rans how so many bands are still with us from Year 1. If you would like to check for yourself then just click on the link below the relevant year.
Alongside the Best Of polls we also run a special Readers Poll where you get to pick your favourite release of the year. This will be The Readers Poll’s third year with Krakin’ Kellys and Mickey Rickshaw previously champions! There is only room to list the Top Ten albums but there is an option to write in your favourite release of 2020. You are allowed to vote for up to two releases but not for the same artist.
The Poll will close at midnight on Sunday 31st January with the result announced soon after.
Sláinte, The London Celtic Punks Crew- January, 2021
A new band on the Celtic-Punk scene Beaver Secret Handshake from Finland may have formed at an awkward time but their excellent debut release a 4-track EP manages to capture both their energy as well as their great live sound.
The days are long gone when anyone would be shocked by a band from Finland playing Celtic-Punk music. Yes their was a time when only the offspring of the Irish diaspora felt the need to affix traditional Folk music to Punk Rock to express their identities. Even a country like Finland, where the sole public face of the Irish diaspora is the Finnish defender Daniel O’Shaughnessy, who plays his football in the land of his birth but also would have qualified for Ireland through his Irish father, has while not quite a thriving Celtic-Punk scene but a very good one nevertheless. Bands like Loretta Problem and & Stout Clan represent both ends of the Celtic-Punk scale and are both pretty active (when they are allowed to be!). The new band on the Finnish scene then is the rather interestingly named Beaver Secret Handshake who hail from the country’s capital Helsinki. I was tempted to ask them where they got their name from but I think a bit of intrigue does no harm at all. This four-track self/titled EP is the band’s debut release and was recorded at the end of 2019 at Sonic Pump Studios in their hometown. The band were gigging regularly right up until clampdown with a lengthy set made up of originals and Irish themed covers.
Beaver Secret Handshake left to right: Samppa Salminen – Guitar * Perttu Ruotsalainen – Lead Vocals, Mandolin, Banjo * Jukka Polvi – Bass, Backing Vocals * Petra Vedenpää – Fiddle, Backing Vocals * Olli Ruotsalainen – Drums, Backing Vocals. Photo – Kuutti Haapanen
The EP begins with ‘Captain John’ and its high tempo dancing music from the off. Fiddle led but not too in yer face it’s produced excellently with all the instruments complementing each other. Perttu’s vocals are clear and sit nicely between the Punk and Folk styles. This is music to get down to and in ‘Sins Of Our Fathers’ a slight Country influence is added and the song while slower still has enough of a bounce not to empty any dancefloor. Nay ballads here and ‘Walk Of Shame’ takes us to the embarrassing world of going home in your clubbing clothes after spending the night ‘out’. The music has that Irish/Country feel but not an Irish Country feel. That last sentence may only make sense to anyone who grew up listening to Brendan Shine, Margo or Big Tom! The EP comes to an end with the rather Poguesy ‘Last Day Of The Summer Sun’ and perhaps the EP’s standout track for me. Catchy as hell and reminiscent of not just The Pogues but also The Levellers and more recent English Folk-Punk bands like The Jamestown Brothers. The whole release is a foot-tappers dream and after several listens I get the feeling that it is pretty much how they would sound live which as you know in Celtic-Punk that is not a bad thing.
All in all an outstanding first release and just a pity it’s confined to just four songs and thirteen minutes. Beaver Secret Handshake are very much and a band that I will be checking out in the future when normality returns. Scandinavia has produced more fantastic Celtic-Punk bands than I care to mention and already this year Ogras have captured my ear and now I can add another one to the list too.
Now to find out what their name means???
(You can hear the EP in its entirety on the Soundcloud player below)
Another EP release this time three original songs from Eastern Finland from a band that deserve a lot more recognition. I give you 7 Stout Clan.
I find it quite hard to fathom how a band that has been together since 2008 has only just released a small handful of recordings! I suppose its quite heartening as it means this is literally a band that are in it for the love of the music. This is the bands fourth release which includes their sold out debut Demo from 2009 and Too Drunk To Punk EP from 2010. Another EP from 2018, Alcohostility, is still available from the band. While this may not be exactly groundbreaking it is bloody great stuff and abso-bloody-lutely perfect music for the pub (especially at a time when the pubs are all closed!). There’s only three songs sadly but each is damn good and significantly different enough from each other to show a band with a great depth.
7 Stout Clan left to right: Elias – Drums * Juho – Vocals, Tenor Banjo, Mandolin * Julius – Guitar, Backing Vocals * Taavi – Vocals, Bagpipes, Tin-Whistle, Mandolin * Kalle – Bass, Backing Vocals *
7 Stout Clan were formed in 2008 in Savonlinna in Eastern Finland and take hard drivin’ Punk and team it with Celtic and Finnish Folk music influences and the result is pretty spectacular. The opening song is ‘Wretch Robert’s Grin’ and theirs a certain UK Punk sound going on here but with a catchy Celtic-Punk style chorus. The pounding bass and tin-whistle combined with Taavi’s breathless vocals make a great combination. Over in just three minutes it seems even shorter such is it’s style.
Like I said only three songs and ‘Good People’ showcases Taavi’s bagpipes well with another catchy as hell Punk Rock number with not just great piping but great use of the pipes within the songs framework also. The UK Punk sound is still evident and the energy here is overwhelming. Even just listening to it on the computer gets the blood racing and the foot tapping. The last song and the whole EP is done and dusted in just three minutes which is a great shame but they go out in style with ‘Pogo Stick’ and the Bhoys crank it up with a great singalonga gang chorus.
“Damn right you’re a lunatic bouncing ’round like a pogo stick
Get your feet off the ground for a while but it ain’t much fun, anyway
Damn right you’re a lunatic treating me like a pogo stick
You should get a new that’ll get you through from this little thing called life”
A fast Punky number that’s a surefire dance floor filler I’d say as all the songs here here. Catchy, Celtic-Punk that is heavy but still accessible but if you’re a fan of the Real McKenzies then 7 Stout Clan is a band you will really get.
“Staying still will get you killed”
The 7 Stout Clan single is only available in digital format at the moment from the links below but I’m hopeful the guys will get a Bandcamp account started soon and get their entire back catalogue uploaded. Hint- Hint!!!
The hardest hitting bands of Finnish Celtic-Punk, 7 Stout Clan and Band Of Shysters are joining forces and this time the good times are brought to you right into your living room via live stream from restaurant Maxim!
7 Stout Clan are joined by Band Of Shysters. Pseudo-Celtic-Savonian folk orchestra from pre-historic fog to cyber punk. Showtime is Saturday 30th May at 8pm (which is 7pm UK time) and their is a Facebook event with all the details you need.
Well here we go again. It only seems like five minutes since I was compiling all the votes into last years Best Of that saw The Rumjacks romping home with Album Of The Year. This year has been a bit quieter on the Celtic-Punk front but as last year was so busy that is perhaps not surprising. That’s not to say their weren’t some fantastic releases as their were plenty and it was still really difficult to come up with the various lists below. Not so many big bands this year so it was left to the lesser known bands to shine but remember this is only our opinion and these releases are only the tip of the iceberg of what came out last year. Feel free to comment, slag off or dissect our lists. As a bonus we are adding the Readers Poll again this year so you can even vote on your favourite release of 2019 yourself. If it’s not listed then simply add your choice.
We don’t pretend to be the final word as that my friends is for you…
(click on the green link to go where you will find more information on the release)
How to compete with last year? Every single top band in the genre released an album so things were always going to be a bit quieter for 2019. Top spot this year unsurprisingly goes to The Walker Roaders Celtic-Punk super group! With Pogues, Mollys and Dropkicks making up the team how could they possibly go wrong! Everyone’s ‘next big thing’ Mickey Rickshaw came in a well deserved second and Ferocious Dog took third after releasing their best album, for me, since From Without. Greenland Whalefishers celebrated 25 years on the road with their best album for quite a while and what Best Of would be right without some bloody brilliant Irish-American bands challenging at the top too. Pipes And Pints new album with a new singer received acclaim from across the Punk media and The Rumjacks couldn’t follow up last years unanimous victory despite having two album releases (both sort of live) in the top thirteen. Fiddlers Green continue to make consistently great albums and go into 2020 celebrating thirty years together! Good to see homegrown bands The Whipjacks, The Tenbags, The Filthy Spectacula and Sons Of Clogger making it too. The top thirty was made up of thirteen countries from USA, England, Norway, Czech Republic, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Argentina, Japan, Quebec, Hungary, Spain and Japan.
The Lucky Trolls took #1 spot with their brilliant self-titled EP following on from fellow countrymen the Krakin’ Kellys multi award winning 2018. Trust me it would have taken an exceptionally good release to keep The Party by Drunken Dolly off the top spot but that is what happened. Dolly’s excursions over to these shores this year j=has seen them grown in stature and you can’t go to a Ferocious Dog gig without spotting at least a dozen of their shirts. Loretta Problem wowed us with their single ‘Waltz Of My Drunken Dream’ which took us right back back to The Pogues glory days and what about that accompanying videotoo!! If we had a award for best video then that would have walked it. The Kellys had a quiet year with comparison to ’18 but still managed a respectable #5 and great debut releases from The Placks our sole representative from a Celtic nation (big things are going to happen to this band in 2020 mark my words), Italian/Aussies The Cloverhearts and, from just down the road from my Mammy, Shanghai Treason from Sheffield who only put out one song… but what a song! Eight countries represented from Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Scotland, Argentina, Australia and Yorkshire!
Argentina is becoming a bit of a hot-spot for Celtic-Punk with not only some well established bands but also some new ones starting up too and with this release Aires Bastardos announced their arrival on the international scene too. Not afraid to dive straight into a folk number after a Cock Sparrer cover they veer from standard Celtic-Punk to Folk and back to fast as hell Punk but in that really accessible way that only Celtic-Punk (and maybe Ska-Punk) bands can do.
The Dreadnoughts don’t really think of themselves as Celtic-Punk so I reckon they’d be happier to win this than Celtic-Punk Album Of The Year. A superb collection of sea shanties that is a pleasure to listen to that was always going to be #1. Crock Of Bones representing the London Irish in 2nd with an album of trad folk with punk rock attitude and it’s especially good to hear some originals done in the style of the ‘auld ways’. 6’10 challenged for the top spot as they always do with everything they release and Bryan MacPherson and Callum Houston both produced great releases of singer-songwriter acoustic folk with Irish roots.
Sadly the Celtic-Punk world has shrunk a little regarding Web-Sites. Winners of the last two years the Mersey Celt Punks have been slacking (sort it out lads!) and enjoying their gigs too much to tell us while Shite’n’Onions have been too busy transferring everything onto a different platform and preparing for a bit of a re-launch I expect. Sadly celtic-rock.de have shut up shop after twelve years so it just makes it all the more clear how much we all miss Waldo and his fantastic Celtic-Folk-Punk And More site. As regular as clockwork and all the news that was ever fit (or not!) to print. Closing down the site in its 10th year in March must have been a tough decision to make and so this year we award best Website to Waldo and let it be known that no Celtic-Punk site will ever come close to replacing you. We would certainly not exist without his kind help and inspiration. All the best comrade enjoy your retirement! One welcome addition is Michu and his Celtic-Punk Encyclopediasite from Poland. Worth checking out especially if you are in a band.
We are not alone in doing these Best Of 2019 lists in fact all the major players in celtic-punk do them so click below to check out what they thought.
So there you go. Remember we don’t pretend to be the final word on things in fact if you check the other Celtic-Punk media I’m sure we’ve all come up with relatively different lists. Our Best Of’s are cajoled and bullied out of the admins from the London Celtic Punks Facebook page. The assorted scraps of paper and beer mats were then tallied up please remember not all of us heard the same albums so like all the various Best Of’s ours is also subjective.
This is our 8th year of making these Best Of lists so if you would like to check out out who was where in our previous ones then just click on the link below the relevant year.
Last year we introduced a new feature THE READERS PICK. We had no idea if it would work or not but it was a raging success so we going to do it all again this year. With well over 500 votes cast you lot chose the debut album from the Krakin’ Kellys as a worthy winner. Only the Top Ten albums are listed but there is an option to write in your favourite release or just to send us love… or abuse!
You are allowed to vote twice but not for the same artist.
The Poll will close at midnight on Friday 31st January with the result announced soon after.
remember any views, comments or abuse or slander we would love to hear it…
Sláinte, The London Celtic Punks Crew- January, 2020
Two Finns, A Yank and three Japanese making Irish flavoured tunes in the craziest city in the world.
A group of drunken musician from all over the world who met up in Tokyo to play aggressive Celtic-Folk-Rock telling tales of drinking, relationships and war.
Angry McFinn And The Old Yank were formed in the Japanese capital of Tokyo in May 2014 by Irish-American Dean Lewis. Dean had grown up listening to a sweet mixture of Appalachian country music and The Beatles. From the age of five he was writing poems and songs so fast forward to the adult Dean and he could be found in the famous bars and clubs of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Then after a visit to Tokyo and falling in love with the city he turned his back on his old life and packed his bags and set off for a new life. Settling into his new life playing the occasional solo gig he had continued to write songs and so it meant to sense to start thinking of playing them so one night in 2014 near the famous Nihonbashi Bridge, Dean was chatting to an auld friend, a Finn named Petja Marttinen. Now despite knowing Petja for years he had never mentioned before that he was a classically trained musician who had even spent time in Ireland playing jigs and reels in local Irish bands. So as they chatted over a few pints of Guinness Dean asked Petja if he knew anyone interested in playing traditional Irish and American folk music with an attitude? Petja quietly said, “I know someone” and so Angry McFinn The The Old Yank was born that very night. Over the next few years the band grew quickly and with the the band now consisting of a stable and regular line up of Dean Lewis on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, Petja Martinnen on mandolin and fiddle, Yosuke Iwanaga on fiddle, fellow Finn, Petteri Pussinen on electric guitar, Nobu Kimura on bass guitar and Giant Sakimura on drums and bodhran. Regular gigs around the city saw their reputation flourish and so it was time for them to get some recording done and the result has been their debut album Songs of Whiskey, Women And War.
(Opening their set at their spiritual home the What the Dickens pub in Tokyo. May 2018)
The album begins with ‘Seamus’ and from the very off you know what’s coming over the next three quarters of an hour. Gaelic fiddle over fast paced Irish tinged folk music that builds and builds and gives plenty of scope for some audience participation too. I bet this goes down well at live gigs. The song tells of Seamus T. O’Malley a brave son of Ireland from Boston who took his fight to the Germans in WW2 and kicked everyone’s arse but still ended up answering to a French girl in France. Another sad one next with ‘Bitter’ but wrapped again in a joyous romp of a song and told with a bit of black humour of a relationship breakdown. The fiddle is more reserved here leaving the mandolin to take the lead alongside Dean’s great vocals. His love of Appalachian country shines through and here on ‘Bitter’ where the music is clearly influenced by Country music it works absolutely perfectly which is not to say he can’t belt out a Celtic-Punker with the best of them!
The pace returns with ‘Making Whiskey’ and the tale of making the “water of life” again its influenced by Country but the Gaelic is never too far away. It’s catchy stuff and reminds me of fellow Japanese bands The Cherry Coke$ and Royal Shamrock and even though the style of music is different they all play with a wild abandon that is a joy to listen to. That said on ‘Burn’ they slow it right down and as we know no Celtic-Punk album is complete without a couple of sad ballads! Adding in some heavy guitar licks and some fantastic fiddle alongside Deans mournful voice keeps the toes tapping (or thigh slapping in my case) while the songs builds towards the end and ends loud and proud. One of the highlights of the album without a doubt. ‘Never Was Your Friend’ starts off slow but soon kicks into another Celtic knees-up with more bitter tale of life and the shite you have to put up with just to get by. The album’s only cover is up next and is a good choice in the wonderful anti-war song ‘Mrs. McGrath’ with its fantastic chorus. Recently made famous by The Boss himself (here on You Tube) on his 2006 roots album We Shall Overcome. Brought to the USA during an Gorta Mór (the great hunger) in the mid-19th century the song is soon adapted as a marching song by Irish soldiers fighting in the American Civil War.
The version here sails closely to both the Bruce Springsteen version and the more traditional folk standard. An excellent song that portrays the horror of war and its effects with Dean’s voice on the album never better than here. ‘1017’ is next and we are back into the Celtic/Country fusion that has worked so well for Angry McFinn And The Old Yank so far. The mystery of the opposite sex is explored while Dean plays in a bar wondering where all the years have gone. Again its a sad song wrapped up in a real stomper of a tune. One of the outstanding things about this album has been the songwriting and it’s clear that Dean’s experiences across continents has paid dividends. On ‘Sally’ while the song has more than a tinge of Flogging Molly about it to my ear it’s the lyrics that really got me so no excuses for re-printing them all here so you can sing along to the video.
(The video for ‘Sally’ is a early versions of the track on the album. The song here represents the band before fiddle and electric guitar added to the mix)
“Sally, my lovely one, where have you gone? Fair thee well my chosen son, now here’s your gun. We marched all through the winter time. Summer has now come. But Sally, my lovely one is gone. Sally, my chosen one, you’ll not reckon’ me. I’d like to think when we were young that you’d have married me. But a hussar’s blade took away my smile and a dragoon my left eye. Sally, my lovely one, goodbye. Take me away, to the rolling hills of old. Take me away, to where the winter is never cold. Take me away, to the sunlight in her hair. Take me away, take me away from here. Sally, my broken one, I ask one thing of thee. If you’ll do me this one kindness, my soul will be set free. Tell my kin, tell all of them, to drink to me in Hell. Sally, my lovely one farewell. Take me away, to the cherry blossom spring. Take me away, to where my love, she wears my ring. Take me away, to where the guns they ring no more.. Take me away, to where she waits behind my bedroom door. The things I used to do with you, the summer rains, the morning dew. The long walks in the fields of green the way you used to dance and sing. They took away your soft caress, replaced it with a gun and death. They took away my light of day, now only pain and sin remain. So not the part I longed to play, a false flag led me far astray. They took my heart, took my name, and took away every damn thing that day. They took you away.”
We are sailing up to shore and the penultimate song ‘Whiskey & Blood’ is the album’s second ‘ballad’. A it of epic as at just over six minutes it’s the longest song on Whiskey, Women And War but the vast majority of songs here all hover around the four and half minute mark giving them plenty of scope to develop. A slow song that belies it’s length and seems over far too quickly leaving us with just ‘Pirate’s Life For Me’ to wrap the album up. Another one that’s a bit of a epic at five and a half minutes and winds proceedings up nicely with a lively and jolly sea bound number.
Angry McFinn And The Old Yank left to right: Yo Iwanaga – Fiddle * Petja Marttinen – Mandolin * Dean Lewis – Vocals/Acoustic Guitar * G’ian Sakimura – Drums * Nobu Kimura – Bass * Hubert Benke – Electric Guitar * (electric guitar on album was – Petteri Pussinen)
Loud and brash but often quiet and reflective Angry McFinn And The Old Yank have produced an outstanding debut album and though it makes for an emotional ride it’s also played for fun with I am sure audiences cheerfully singing along and relating to the songs. Watch out for these Bhoys they are going places!
Wow! What to say except that Finland’s Loretta Problem have hit the jackpot here with their new single. I think it’s no exaggeration to say it’s a song that The Pogues would have been proud to record! Featuring Juha Lagström on vocals ‘The Waltz Of My Drunken Dream’ is perhaps Loretta Problem’s most influenced Irish folk song and I can’t wait to hear more of them!
Loretta Problem have featured on these pages several times in their past with their Scandinavian/ Celtic flavoured punk rock and back in the beginning we even had them labelled as “not one of the most prolific bands in the celtic-punk scene but certainly one of the more interesting”. Well we will have to change that I think. They may still be one of the more interesting and innovative bands around in the scene but the last few years have seen more than regular releases hitting our doorstep/e-mail tray seeing them fit more in the last handful of years than the previous two decades!. Formed in the tiny Finish town of Vaasa in 1994 and yes Finland may be more famous for death-metal but such is the booming popularity of Celtic-Punk that you’ll always find one band representing everywhere and for Finland it is Loretta Problem. All the Nordic countries seem to have healthy alternative music scenes and appear to be much more open to each others music. Loretta Problem have released one album and a handful of singles in their time together which spread over those two decades plus may not be much but for well over a decade Loretta Problem took a back seat while the various band members were working on other projects like families or in other bands. Getting together to play every now and then at the odd gig or festival the band eventually regrouped and Loretta Problem have now become a permanent fixture on the music scene in their home country and, with every release, further afield too.
I sit and drink through rainy days
And after all what can I say?
Not sure ’bout God but when you pray
Pray for me too
Pray for me too
I lose out babe, reeled from the start
I’m lost, my love, somewhere in my heart
Please keep your faith, stay as you are
Shine like a star
Shine like a star
We waltz till the dawn under darkening skies
The steeples keep silent, the wind’s blowing by
Your eyes bring the light upon this falling night.
The ragged silver screen
of my drunken dream
…my drunken dream
One for the road, one for yesterday
One more for hope and for this sad day
Not sure ’bout God but when you pray
Pray for me too
Pray for me too
We waltz till the dawn under darkening skies
The steeples keep silent, the wind’s blowing by
Your eyes bring the light upon this falling night.
The ragged silver screen
of my drunken dream
… my drunken dream
…. my drunken dream
….. my drunken dream
One listen to ‘The Waltz Of My Drunken Dream’ will I am sure be more than enough for you all to fall in love with Loretta Problem though it is quite the departure from their usual fare. Punk rock with fiddle and the odd Celtic flourish is normal but here they try something new and by Christ it has worked! With the devilishly good looking Finish actor and singer (and former bandmate) Juha Lagström on vocals and aided by visiting musicians Lauri Kotamäki on accordion and Petri Judin on tin-whistle the song has an unmistakable Poguesy air to it but without any attempt at being a copy of them. Juha’s voice is strong and powerful and he cuts a more than menacing figure in the excellent accompanying video too.
Finnish celtic-punks Loretta Problem have been together for over twenty years and are happy to offer up London Celtic Punks readers a free download of their fabulous new single ‘Welcome To The Circus’.
Not one of the most prolific bands in the celtic-punk scene but certainly one of the more interesting. Loretta Problem hail from the death-metal loving fjord’s of Finland and are the sole representative’s of celtic-punk in their country. Like the other Nordic countries there are well established and popular punk and metal scene’s so should come as no surprise that celtic-punk would make an appearance. Loretta Problem have released one album and two singles in their time together which admittedly is not a lot to show for over twenty years together but for over a decade Loretta Problem took a back seat while the various band members were working on other projects like families or in other bands. They still got together to play at a select handful of gigs and festivals every year but regrouped about 2-3 years ago, and have reached the point now where they are ready to fully relaunch the band.
Their new single ‘Welcome To The Circus’ was released a few weeks back but we were waiting on the accompanying video to give it a well deserved plug so here it it. Sounding better than ever the single moves away slightly from their earlier stuff which had a certain metal influence toward a more folky sound akin to what I use to call festival folk. These days that sound is represented by the likes of The Levellers, New Model Army and Ferocious Dog. Well played anthemic punk rock with great fiddle from Tarja throughout. Clear vocals sung in English that completely suit the music but don’t waste time listening to me just have a listen I’m sure you won’t be disappointed! The celtic tone still remains, as well as big hearted punk attitude with fistful of middle fingers!
Loretta Problem have been together now since 1994 and have never stood still but instead have had constant development as a band. You won’t hear the Fields Of Athenry here but instead you will get some great folk’n’punk which takes Celtic music and even celtic-punk and puts a different spin on it. A fantastic single catchy and full of energy and life that leaves us only wanting more. You can hear their back catalogue over at their Spotify account herebut follow the link below to get a free download of Welcome To The Circus.
A bunch of Finnish punks and hippies mixing celtic tunes with punk-rock since 1994.
Peace, love and a fistful of middle fingers when needed!
Doing this blog has certainly opened my eyes to the spread of celtic music across the world. Not only with the celtic diaspora re-connecting with their roots but among people with none of those roots in the celtic nations. One country that I had never come across in celtic-punk though was Finland. That changed a month ago when the new single from Loretta Problem turned up in London Celtic Punks HQ. Finland is a music loving country but perhaps is best known here for their Eurovision winners back in 2006 when death metal band Lordi stormed to victory. There is a renowned punk and metal scene much like the other Nordic countries so it should come as no surprise that celtic-punk would make an appearance.What is surprising though is that that band should have been around for over twenty years!
‘Celebrate Now’ -2013
‘Loretta Problem’ -1996
Loretta Problem have only had three releases in all that time with an album and two singles, not much to show admittedly but then Loretta Problem have always prided themselves on being primarily a live band. Their most active period was between 1994 and 1997 and these days they play for fun at a select handful of gigs and festivals every year.
Hantta-guitar
Jakke-Guitar
Jappe-Bass
Pasi-Drums
Tarja-Violin
The music itself is well played celtic-punk with with some celtic metal influences thrown in as well. Their sound has adapted and changed over the years and you can hear that development yourselves as the band have kindly put all their releases on Spotify for you to listen for free.
“Once a man ran away from the army
I’m so tired of killing that’s all
I found it so unnecessary cause there’s no winner in war
Judges were noble and fair
War heroes with medals and tails
they put him away without glory and forgot that man in jail
He met her on the street and raped her
laughing all the time just like that
that girl was so young and pretty and the man he was rich and fat
So she cut off his balls and put knife through her heart
oh yes she wanted to die
she was lying in a grave of her own and people wondered why
Justice or crime, what’s right and what’s wrong
justice or crime, well just sing along
the drums are banging so lets start the hanging
and justice wins once again
Justice or crime, who deserves hell
justice or crime, the jury members yell
the drums are banging so lets start the hanging
and justice wins once again
Hey this was only another song of unfairness of life
where everything’s already lost and pens are weaker than knives
Sometimes I hope there would be God waiting for the judgement day
but I’m afraid the winner’s the devil who has taken us all the way
Justice or crime…”
So click above to hear everything Loretta Problem have ever released.
BATALLON DE SAN PATRICIO- 
All in all an outstanding first release and just a pity it’s confined to just four songs and thirteen minutes. Beaver Secret Handshake are very much and a band that I will be checking out in the future when normality returns. Scandinavia has produced more fantastic Celtic-Punk bands than I care to mention and already this year Ogras have captured my ear and now I can add another one to the list too.
1. 
years so it just makes it all the more clear how much we all miss Waldo and his fantastic 
scene but the last few years have seen more than regular releases hitting our doorstep/e-mail tray seeing them fit more in the last handful of years than the previous two decades!. Formed in the tiny Finish town of Vaasa in 1994 and yes Finland may be more famous for death-metal but such is the booming popularity of Celtic-Punk that you’ll always find one band representing everywhere and for Finland it is Loretta Problem. All the Nordic countries seem to have healthy alternative music scenes and appear to be much more open to each others music. Loretta Problem have released one album and a handful of singles in their time together which spread over those two decades plus may not be much but for well over a decade Loretta Problem took a back seat while the various band members were working on other projects like families or in other bands. Getting together to play every now and then at the odd gig or festival the band eventually regrouped and Loretta Problem have now become a permanent fixture on the music scene in their home country and, with every release, further afield too.
Andy the Celtic Punk Author
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londoncelticpunks.wordpress.com 
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