ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP MAY 2023

in this month’s Odds’n’Sods all the news fit to print on what’s going in our wonderful Celtic-Punk world. From the scene’s biggest and well established bands to those just starting out it’s all in here!

We start off this month with some footage from deepest South London just a couple of weeks ago. BRYAN McPHERSON came over from Boston for a couple of gigs (and some other stuff to be revealed shortly!) and here he is playing the massive epic ‘American Dream’ from his award winning last album, the Ted Hutt produced How To Draw Everything. 

Now a homegrown band from Oldham RUN OUT THE GUNS. They perform Irish Folk with no airs or graces, no pretence, just fine quality musicianship and raw enthusiasm. Here they are performing a brilliant ‘Drunken Sailor’ at The Bank Top Tavern, Oldham at the end of March.

HAPPY OL’ McWEASEL are a seven-piece Irish Celtic Punk band that formed in Maribor, Slovenia in 2007. It’s been an incredible eight years since Heard Ya Say! so about time they followed it up!

DROPKICK MURPHYS continue to churn out the new music and I for one am constantly surprised at how it is. This week they released a single with the Violent Femmes taken from their album Okemah Rising due out May 12, 2023. Preorder and Presave http://linktr.ee/dropkickmurphys

I was too pissed and missed the last train on St. Patrick’s day night after watching Neck here in London so missed the DROPKICK MURPHYS live stream from Boston so if anyone can point us to it anywhere on the net???

New York Irish band THE NARROWBACKS are cut from the same cloth as London’s Bible Code Sundays and represent their community in song. https://linktr.ee/thenarrowbacks

JOHNNY KOWALSKI has done a solo album Out Here Forever more Folky than the usual Folky-Punky ‘ness of his usual band Johnny Kowalski And The Sexy Wierdos.

South-West English band BLACK WATER COUNTY put out a superb acoustic unplugged version of ‘Rise And Fall’ from their album Taking Chances.

Irish band THE ELECTRIC WEDNESDAYS put out ‘Shipping Up To Drogheda’ this week and they call it Raucous Rock n Roll! and I can’t disagree with that!

London bluegrass outfit THE HACKNEY HILLPICKERS playing ‘I’ve Waited As Long As I Can’. Filmed end of last year at honky tonk bar The Dukes Of Highgate, London by Bopflix.

HAPPY OL’ McWEASEL – Such Is Life

RUN OUT THE GUNS – Powder And Shot

CONTINENTAL – Hello

FEROCIOUS DOG – 10 Year Anniversary

FAIRPORT CONVENTION – Full House for Sale

DIASPORA – Home At Last

JETHRO TULL – RökFlöte

KROSTELEG FOLKEPARTI – Heimsleg

DORTHIA COTTRELL – Death Folk Country

NORTH ALONE – Ohne Jacke Raus EP

Remember we can’t review it if we don’t hear it!

We would love to review SLOPPY BUT LUCKY a Irish-American Folk-Punk band from Topeka Kansas and they have released an album Four Leaf Failure but it’s only available on streaming services. These guys are unique within the Celtic-Punk scene in that they don’t get paid for gigs and donate any fees to animal charities hence they don’t want to spend money getting physical copies of the album done. A truly marvellous and wonderful thing to do. Now at over $20,000 since January 2021 their is a list of who they have supported over on their Facebook page. So like them anyway on FB and Instagram.

SHANGHAI TREASON new single ‘Pallbearer’ will be out next month! Outrageously excited for this one, pre save it ‘ere: https://hypeddit.com/6nohlq 

The MISPLACED PUNK SHOW is a radio show / pod-cast we listen to and they did a special St. Paddy’s Day edition featuring 45 minutes of out of this world Celtic-Punk. Give it a listen at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2125292/12470100-episode-4-st-paddy-s-day-edition

MELMOR formed in 1994 and are one of the most important Celtic-Punk bands in Brittany who sung in both Breton and French. They played their last gigs in 1999 and in 2005, a double live CD and DVD was released. In 2016, they reformed with two originals members and since then played in France and Germany. In 2019, four French labels released a vinyl LP featuring all their studio materials and some live songs and then last month they put out a new song. 

The fourth solo album from Dublin’s multi award winner DAOIRI FARRELL, in his own words, ‘combines the rawness of my first album, the impact of my second album and the beauty of my third album.’ Crafted and honed over two and a half years, it is the work of a mature artist who has succeeded in taking on the challenge of recording a completely acoustic album that heads deep into the heart of the songs.

Ex- Dropkick Murphys founder Rick Barton’s band CONTINENTAL had a new 8-track EP out on St. Patrick’s Day that we missed. Continental mix it up, from Country through to Powerpop and Blues through to Punk but always very very good.

DIASPORA are an Irish trio from Ballaghaderreen playing a mix of originals tunes and their own take on traditional ones. Having spent their entire lives abroad they are happy to be finally back home in Ireland. Two tracks from their new album are available to hear below.

DARIUS KOSKI guitarist and songwriter of the US Punks The Swingin’ Utters as well as the Celtic-Punk band Filthy Thievin’ Bastards has a new 2-track single out.

2022 saw Folk-Rock legends FAIRPORT CONVENTION celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their 1970 album Full House (though two years late thanks to Covid!) with the original line-up of Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Dave Mattacks and Dave Pegg (with Chris Leslie filling the shoes of the late great Dave Swarbrick) at the bands Cropredy Festival where the show was recorded and has just been released as Full House for Sale.

PINT KILLERS are a Street Punk band from Boston, Massachusetts with Mark Doherty, Bill Jolliemore and Johnny Fencer formerly of The Pug Uglies together to play Punk in their own style with anthems about celebration, drinking, friendship, and brotherhood. Their debut album The Dirty Dozen was released in 2018 but has only just been downloaded onto Bandcamp.

We’ve been doing this now for nearly 10 years and in that time we have covered 100’s of bands and musicians but still plenty of bands have passed us by. We can’t see everything after all so this column is to remind us of bands that never made these pages at the time but deserve another mention. These hopefully come with a free download like today so you can help yourself to some free music. Today we revisit TAIL LIGHT REBELLION from Kenosha, Wisconsin. An amalgamation of roots music genres, incorporating styles from Irish, Slavic, Canadian, and American folk music. Started as a one man band, this project blossomed into what is now a folk dance band that has been called a melding of Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen and The Pogues. Broken is their third album from 2016 but all their release are available for free over on Bandcamp as ‘name your price’ downloads. Next month we will feature the band that Tail Light Rebellion started in THE SWAGGERING GROWLERS.

LANKUM play the Barbican Hall, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS on Thursday 4th May. DAOIRI FARRELL plays Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG on Friday May 5th. Also on the 5th is the gig of the month with the marvellous HUNGRY GRASS and NECK playing The Birds Nest in Deptford for the landlord Joel’s birthday. Trad meets Celtic-Punk and one not to be missed. Its free in but buy him a drink ok! Trad band LUNASA are at ICC Hammersmith, May 12-13. THE OLD TIME SAILORS at the Holroyd Arms in Guildford on Friday 12th. 17 accomplished musicians playing Irish Folk, Bluegrass, and so much more. Not seen them before but heard great things and Guildford is just a short hop on the train from London. The utterly amazing and fantastic and amazing THE MARY WALLOPERS play Kentish Town Forum on Saturday 13th May The following day is HOTHOUSE FLOWERS at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on the 14th. With the demise of the 4 piece Wolfe Tones and the inevitable split into two bands and while both offer a great night out we can’t recommend DEREK WARFIELD AND THE YOUNG WOLFE TONES enough. Power, passion and history with their charismatic leader. Playing the 229 on Great Portland Street on Friday 2nd June. FLOOK at the Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith on June 10th. The marvellous CROCK OF BONES play the Crouch End Festival on Sunday 9th July. American Folk-Country-Doombilly band the HEATHEN APOSTLES play The Lexington in Kings Cross on Wednesday 19th July. The founders of Alt-Country THE LONG RYDERS are coming back to these shores this month with a full Europe and UK tour. The postponed MR. IRISH BASTARD UK tour is back on and during November they will be heading to Brixton (22nd), Southampton, Bridgwater, Manchester and Edinburgh. Can’t wait!

LONDON IRISH RFC are on the verge of their best finish in the league in over a decade and can make the Play-Offs if their great form continues. Join the London Celtic Punks and support the lads! Tickets and details.

All money we raise from our merch we put back into the Celtic-Punk scene so if you like what we do then you can support us by checking out our online store and buying something. Just this month we helped get Bryan McPherson over from Boston, Mass. to play a few gigs on these shores. All the merch we sold at the gigs went directly to Bryan but we are back to square 1 again so please check out the site. The Harp’n’Bones design is back in all sizes and also on black or white shirts. Also we have the last few remaining polo shirts, nifty woolly hats and Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer shirts that we need to get rid of. Click the link below for the full range of all our other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets – all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan could ever need! Help keep Punk Celtic! https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

Facebook is rubbish and I can’t wait to see it go broke and a return to the era of paper flyers and fanzines. It has a stranglehold on all forms of expression that is far from healthy. If you are thinking of leaving and still want to keep up with us you can do via the London Celtic Punks group on the phone app Telegram. Similar to What’s App but completely free from outside interference. Join us on Telegram, don’t miss a single post and even receive the odd exclusive and special offer! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/

Some new London Celtic Punks merch. The LCP ‘Tricolour Skull’ mug is back after a couple of years. Available for a tenner in the UK (£20 EU) with free badge / coaster/ sticker.  I nearly fell over when I found out its £20 to post to the States but there you go if you desperately want one it’s £30! The ‘Celtic Punks’ metal badge is selling well only a handful left and available for just £5 – UK and £7 – EU post-paid and we’ll throw in a few stickers and a button badge too. For further overseas contact us and we’ll work it out. Also if you want to add more merch from the store above contact us. It helps us out if you buy from Paypal (friends & family) for these items to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk 

Even though we hate it Facebook does supply the (very) occasional ray of sunshine so a shout out to some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys – Fan Page and the Celtic Punk,  Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans just like you and me. Like and join in the fun!

With the sad demise of The Celtic Punkcast over there in Oz we have thrown in our lot with the good folks over at MacSlon’s Irish Pub Radio. Check them out for all the best in Celtic-Punk, Irish Folk and Rock. They also have just about the biggest selection of shirts and hoodys and all sorts of other gear over at the https://www.macslons.com/ shop.

Back in time to my youth when things were much simpler and everything especially music and football were much better and before the inspirational WOLFE TONES split into two different bands. Here’s their sublime ballad celebrating the 1st of May.

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ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP MARCH 2023

If ever their was a time when we should have a Celtic History Month in schools then March would be it with the patron Saint’s of Cornwall, Wales and Ireland all in the next few weeks. That it will never happen will surprise no one.

Hers is this month’s Odds’n’Sods. All the news fit to print on what’s going in our wonderful Celtic-Punk scene. From the scene’s bands big and small, established or just starting out it’s all in here!

The top two Celtic-Punk bands both have new material out with FLOGGING MOLLY beating the Murphys to the punch with a new EP out ‘Til The Anarchy’s Restored’ which will be available March 10, 2023. As well as the title song it includes two live favourites recorded at Electrical Audio. Buy/stream at https://riserecords.lnk.to/FloggingMolly.

Lots of news from the THE DROPKICK MURPHYS camp this month. They released a new video for ‘Never Git Drunk No More’ featuring Nikki Lane their final music video from This Machine Still Kills Fascists, the Murphys album featuring the lyrics of Woody Guthrie. They also announced last week.

“Keep an eye out for another full length album of DKM/Guthrie tunes…the final instalment of our collaboration…coming this spring”.

Okemah Rising comes out May 12 on CD, LP and on streaming services worldwide. You can pre order CD and vinyl now direct from the DKM web store. DropkickMurphys.com/store. For those who order the vinyl, we’re also kicking in a free 7″ recorded live in Nashville. Finally they announced a live stream of their St. Patrick’s Day show from MGM Music Hall Boston. Check in at midnight UK and Ireland time and look up the Facebook event for regional times. 

Ace Canadian Celtic-Punks THE PEELERS released ‘Stick and Move – Spike O’Sullivan’ from their album Down And Out In The City Of Saints. Song written by D. Barton, filmed by The Peelers, Produced by D. Barton with additional footage provided by Terry McMahon from ‘The Prizefighter’.

RAISE YOUR GLASS are a cracking Celtic-Punk band from Brazil. ‘Suck My Pipe’ is the first single from the bands forthcoming third EP.

The full live set from international Celtic-Punk giants THE RUMJACKS recorded live at Wembley Arena on January 21st 2023. We were all there dotted around in different places!

Old school London Punk band DISSENT have a acoustic version of their last single out now. You can tell they are old-school as none of them went to university or have posh accents.

Canada’s THE STAB ROVERS always put out interesting videos evoking glorious visions of the past and ‘Grandma’s Kitchen’ is no different. 

German band TIR NAN OG new single ‘Firestorm’ cam out in mid-Feb to promote a whole load of gigs so check their Facebook page for dates. 

THE WHARF RAT REPUBLIC are a new band from Edmonton in Canada. They played their first ever gig at the end of January and looking forward to doing it all again over St. Patrick’s weekend.

More footage from a new Celtic-Punk band’s first ever gig this time THE TOSHERS from January 2023 at the Wild Rover in Aachen, Germany. Their a new band so hit them up on Facebook and Instagram and let’s get them growing!

SWAINN perform ‘Dark Angel’ live at the Rebel Lounge in Phoenix, Texas on December 23rd 2022.

Not a lot of videos out this month but a fair bit of live footage including HEADSTICKS performing ‘Wishing’ as part of their Almost Acoustic set at Nottingham Rough Trade last month.

All girl French Celtic-Punk rockers TOXIC FROGS new single ‘Go Back Again’ taken from the album My Lucky Own. Video directed by @fatcutproduction and @julienrealeproduction. 

When Iain left The Placks it didn’t take him long to gather some great musicians around him who share his vision of what a Scottish Celtic-Punk band should be and sound like. So it was that THE RAMSTAMPITS started. They just released their second video (starring a great friend of ours!) of the track ‘No Place Like Home’ from their almost sold out ‘Light The Beacon’ EP. It’s not up on You Tube yet but can be viewed on Facebook.

THE POGUES have a new album out! Well not really but a double album titled The Stiff Records B-Sides 1984-1987. A collection of The Pogues non-album B sides from the band’s time on the famed Stiff Records label. This collection will be pressed on vinyl for the first time exclusively for Record Store Day 2023. More details from here. 

The MISPLACED PUNK SHOW is a new music podcast playing Punk, Ska, Surf and great bands from Bandcamp with a random sprinkling of Celtic-Punk!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/2125292

THE TOSSERS – The Tossers

FIRKIN – Spice It Up

CARROTTE – Glouton Gluten

RUSSKAJA – Turbo Polka Party

THE PRIVATEER – Kingdom of Exiles

SKALD – Huldufólk

Remember we can’t review it if we don’t hear it!

Psychobilly has a lot in common with Celtic-Punk both take a old genre and inject it with loud and noisy Punk music. Psychobilly is a potent brew of classic Rock’n’Roll and Punk and some of its best bands can be found on Diablo Recoirds. One of these was CELTIC BONES made up of an assortment of Irish and London Irish rockers date from the early 00’s.

Spanish Celtic-Folk band DEIRA have a new album out called Alba and the title track is available for name your price download. 

BEAU JAMES WILDING has a new single out packed with Folk-Punk attitude. The vocals are gritty, earthy and brilliantly dirty. Bringing in Celtic influences and re-imagines them in a head-on collision with a heavy rock backbone. Direct and takes no prisoners.

SHANGHAI TREASON have a new single ‘The Lighthouse’ will be released on, surprise surprise!, on March 17th! Pre-save here https://tinyurl.com/SaveLighthouse 

10 years on from it’s release FEROCIOUS DOG have re-mastered and re-released their debut album as a double CD including their Live At Leeds Academy orchestral set. Release is March 31st and you can order it via www.ferociousdog.co.uk now.

THE TOSSERS have a new album out now. A bunch of old songs and Irish Folk favourites set to get the blood pumping! You can hear a preview here at https://thetossers.hearnow.com/ 

Hailing from Buffalo NY CAPTAIN TOM & THE HOOLIGANS captured live performing ‘There’s a Fine Line’ / ‘MTA’ at The Banshee Irish Pub

We’ve been doing this now for nearly 10 years and in that time we have covered 100’s of bands and musicians but still plenty of bands have passed us by. We can’t see everything after all so this column is to remind us of bands that never made these pages at the time but deserve another mention. These hopefully come with a free download like today so you can help yourself to some free music. Today is the turn of GREEN ASHES who launched into the Los Angeles Irish community in 2009 with one goal: blowing the roof off a pub on St. Patrick’s Day. With depth, range, and brazen musicianship, the band’s music is steeped in raw emotion and runs the gamut from fierce rebel songs to soulful ballads. Drawing on their own Irish-American heritage and diverse musical roots. Following the exit of their lead singer, Sean Lee, this, their second CD was named in honour of their former lead singer.

So slap bang in the middle of the month and a brief respite from Lent is St. Patrick’s and London turns green. Here’s the pick of what’s happening over the weekend. Friday 17th is actually St. Patrick’s Day something that is not always clear from the gig advertisements I see. On St. Patrick’s day we’ll be heading off to see London-Irish psycho ceilidh band NECK doing a couple of sets for free at The World’s End in Camden. Just up the road expect a righteous ruaille buaille from SKIMMINGTON RIDE at the Dublin Castlle. The excellent and great bunch of Folk-Punk folk CROCK OF BONES are at Shortlands Tavern in Bromley. PerKELT play at the Magic Garden,  Battersea Park Road, London, SW11 4LG. Superb Trad band FOUR MEN AND A DOG are playing the 17th and the 18th at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith. The highlight of the day mind is in Amsterdam where FEROCIOUS DOG are playing with cracking Dutch band THE ROYAL SPUDS! The following day sees DAMIEN DEMPSEY at the Electric in Brixton. He has many who try to copy him but there is only one! The BIBLE CODE SUNDAYS are playing several gigs around London the pick of which is Saturday 4pm at the London Irish Centre in Camden alongside the Ireland v England 6 nations game. Not heard a great deal out the CLAN OF CELTS but hopefully this will all change after they announced a headline afternoon gig at The Dublin Castle kicking off at around 2pm. Sunday 19th sees London Irish at home in Brentford in the Premiership Rugby Cup Final, in which they take on Exeter Chiefs. With general admission pricing at £15 for adults and £5 for kids tickets – cup final rugby doesn’t get any cheaper than this! The 25th sees the official end of St. Patrick’s with the annual St. Pats game at London Irish. Always a great day out and with the Bhoys doing better than they have in years the Play-Offs are a good possibility.  

Other non-St Pat’s live news London-Irish Celtic-Punks THE LAGAN have a home game at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston on Saturday 11th March. Tickets have sold out but 30 will be on the door first thing on the night.  Saturday 25th March is STIFF LITTLE FINGERS at the Roundhouse in Camden. Saturday 8th April sees THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG at the Powerhaus. With the demise of the 4 piece Wolfe Tones and the inevitable split into two bands and while both offer a great night out we can’t recommend DEREK WARFIELD AND THE YOUNG WOLFE TONES enough. Power, passion and history with the charismatic leader. Playing the 229 on Great Portland Street on Friday 2nd June. American Folk-Country-Doombilly band the HEATHEN APOSTLES play The Lexington in Lings Cross on Wednesday 19th July. The founders of Alt-Country THE LONG RYDERS are coming back to these shores with a full Europe and UK tour.

All the concerts announced by Emerald Events – London last month have been postponed.

Winner of #1 Folk /Trad / Roots 2022 album of the year – Boston born LA based BRYAN McPHERSON is touring the UK and Ireland in April. It is still in the planning stage but he will be playing the London area on April 20 and 21. Thursday 20th he will be at The Bird’s Nest in Deptford with Anto Morra and a t.b.c. and the following day in South-West London venue and supports t.b.c.

Our gig last month with The Whipjacks was a great success and great fun but now we are broke again! All money we raise from the merch we put back into the Celtic-Punk scene so if you like what we do then you can support us by checking out our online store. The Harp’n’Bones design now is back in all sizes and on black or white shirts. Also we have the last few remaining polo shirts, nifty woolly hats and Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer shirts we did rid off. Click the link below for the full range of all our other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan could ever need! Help keep Punk Celtic! https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

Facebook is rubbish and I can’t wait to see it fold. It has a stranglehold on all forms of expression that is not good and it’s no surprise to see people leaving in droves. Don’t despair though if you are one of them as you can keep up with London Celtic Punks posts via group on the phone app Telegram. Similar to What’s App but completely free from outside interference. Join us on Telegram, don’t miss a single post and even receive the odd exclusive and special offer! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/

The response to the new London Celtic Punks badge has been amazing. Not surprising really as they are just about the nicest bit of merchandise in Celtic-Punk if you ask me! Comes with butterfly clip and made in Ireland (Guaranteed Irish!) available for just £5 – UK and £7 – EU post-paid and we’ll throw in a few stickers and a button badge too. For further overseas contact us and we’ll work it out. Send to Paypal (friends & family) to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk

Even though we hate it Facebook does supply the (very) occasional ray of sunshine so a shout out to some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk,  Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans just like you and me. Like and join in the fun!

‘Denis ‘the Menace’ Irish Punk in London 1996 a clip from the 1996 documentary ‘Charlie Harper, 20 Years of Chaos’ directed by Mads Astrup Rønning. Don’t think I crossed paths with this chap. Think I would have remembered him!

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ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP FEBRUARY 2023

No round up last m onth so welcome to a bumper edition of all the news fit to print on what’s going in our wonderful Celtic-Punk scene. From the scene’s bands big and small, established or just starting out it’s all in here!

Fresh from storming off with #1 Roots/Folk album in our Best Of awards here’s a new video for one of the best tracks off How To Draw Everything the last album from BRYAN McPHERSON. The good news is we will be helping out with his Ireland and England tour in the Summer. Expect a couple of local gigs!

Nothing beats Aussie Celtic-Punk and MEDUSA’S WAKE are up there with the very best. Here’s a fantastic dozen minutes of them playing at the Hobofopo ’22 festival in Tasmania put on by our friends The Dead Maggies and Folk Til Ya Punk Records.

The internet is awash with incredible footage from the DROPKICK MURPHYS recent tours. We saw them at Wembley Arena and it fair knocked our socks off. The energy throughout was amazing. Maybe even the best I have ever seen them and i saw their first ever gig in London! Here’s ninety minutes of their set. watch it before it gets taken down!

THE CLOVERHEARTS arrived in England from Italy for a short tour last month and we caught them at a busy and lively show at The Black Heart in Camden. Here’s footage of their encore. Looking forward to seeing them again already.

Love THE KINGS BUSKATEERS. Be sure to check out all their videos on their You Tube channel. Here they are doing a ‘Alt-Country Celtic-Punk Labor medley’.

German Celtic-Punks TIR NA OG with a new video and tour dates announced for the next few weeks.

South-Western English band THE JAMESTOWN BROTHERS have a new video and song taken from their new single ‘Just Is’.

We love a new Celtic-Punk band and there is nothing better than a Celtic Celtic-Punk band. TECOR SOCIETARIO hail from the Celtic nation of Galicia currently occupied by Spain. We will be featuring these guys very soon. Love the Peter And The Test Tube Babies t-shirt by the way!

North London junkyard Folk and skeletal Blues group LOCKS have a new single out now called Nola https://lnk.to/NolaLocksSgl and a new You Tube site too.

YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS a monstrous Pirate themed ensemble from Scandinavia teamed up with the Umeå Musiksällskap Symphony Orchestra for this incredible concert. An emotional hurricane.

SINFUL MAGGIE consider themselves a Punk band with an accordion but we think of them as one of us. Sorry folks! Whatever it is it’s bloody marvellous.

THE IRISH AND CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST an award-winning free radio show of some of the best Irish and Celtic music online had their best of recently and you can check it out here https://marcgunn.com/best-celtic-music-of-2022/

The annual St. Patrick’s day Celtic-Punk album release fest is on it’s way with albums from CONTINENTAL, THE GO-SET and FIRKIN already announced and many more to come I’m sure.

RUSTY NAIL – Burnt Prairie, Illinois

DROPKICK MURPHYS – This Machine Still Kills Fascists : Expanded Edition (Extra songs!)

CAROTTE – Glouton Gluten

THE SMITH STREET BAND – Life After Football

Remember we can’t review it if we don’t hear it!

Born and raised on the New Jersey shore Irish-American singer-songwriter SEAN TOBIN has been compared to another famous Irish (and a bit German) American from the same place but he’s much better. Sean has a new 4-track live EP out the end of last month

Amazing Brazilian Folk Metal pioneers TUATHA DE DANANN have a new single ‘The Nameless’ that came out on New Year’s Eve.

From Bern Switzerland the old-school No-Hit Hobo Psycho-Western-Punkabilly sensation BOGOS released their debut album. Punk v/s Ennio Morricone. Closer to Psychobilly but with some amazing Folky touches I’ve been playing this album to death recently.

FOLLOW THE CROWS are a London-based folk-rock outfit with distinct overtones of bluegrass, Irish trad and Americana. A typical setlist blends original material with unique interpretations of folk standards. Expect hard-driven vocals fused with guitar and mandolin mayhem, all underpinned by riotous folk rhythms of rebellion and redemption.

We love Lincoln, Nebraska Folk-Punkers THE KILLIGANS and they seem to have picked up the pace somewhat with plenty new music coming out.

DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS will release The Feminine Divine, their first full original album since the masterpiece One Day I’m Going To Soar was released a decade ago this coming summer! In Kevin Rowland we trust…

The Salty Dog cruise line up is out and it’s very disappointing if you were expecting to see a few Celtic-Punk bands with only HOIST THE COLORS and FLOGGING MOLLY in the line up. Still it does have a free bar! https://www.floggingmollycruise.com/

Sea-Punk, Folk, band hailing from the Cornish coast the Piratey Punks JOLLY ROGER have released a new live album recorded at The Globe Cardiff and Leamington Spa Assembly when they supported Ferocious Dog on tour in November.

We’ve been doing this now for nearly 10 years and in that time we have covered 100’s of bands and musicians but still plenty of bands have passed us by. We can’t see everything after all so this column is to remind us of bands that never made these pages at the time but deserve another mention. These hopefully come with a free download like today so you can help yourself to some free music. Today we head to God’s Own Country to Yorkshire and the debut EP from Sheffield’s WHAT THE FOLK. Tom one of the scenes best banjo players would later go on to be in Shanghai Treason so whether we will see anymore from these is a mystery. They have three releases all available for ‘name your price’ download.

After January when Celtic-Punks in London were spoilt for choice Feb is a bit thin on the ground but things are hotting up for St. Patrick’s this year. Having been robbed of two we gonna make this one awesome! Next month’s Odds’n’Sods will have full listings for London area. The highlight for me so far is DAMIEN DEMPSEY at the Electric in Brixton on the 18th. He has many who try to copy him but there is only one! The founders of Alt-Country THE LONG RYDERS are coming back to these shores with a full Europe and UK tour.

London Celtic Punks presents another night of rip roaring Celtic-Punk and Irish-Folk 

Coming down from Worcester to play London for the first ever time THE WHIPJACKS. Pounding drums, driving bass and screeching guitar flit hand in hand with melodic mandolin, accordion, partial nudity and attitude filled lyrics. https://thewhipjacks.bandcamp.com/

Supported by London-Irish Celtic-Punk band CROCK OF BONES. Hot Irish jigs, reels, foot stompers and lyrical folk out of north London whose backgrounds stretch back to 90s Celtic-Punk, gypsy jazz, dark folk and rock. Using fiddle, accordion, banjo, guitar and double bass, their set contains originals/standards/reels and jigs, from full-pelt foot-stompers like Hot Asphalt to sing-along ballads like the original Ferry. https://www.facebook.com/Crock-of-Bones-327151471252980/

The night will be compered by London Celtic Punk Poet and rabble raiser BENNY RABBLE who will perform between acts with his incendiary working class 2nd generation poems https://www.facebook.com/bennyrabble

The gig is FREE ENTRY so bring cash for beer and to buy some band merchandise and kicks off at 7-30pm sharp. THE BIRD’S NEST – One of the last standing live venues in SE London and one of the best. Located at 32 Deptford Church Street, Lewisham SE8 4RZ. close to New Cross and New Cross Gate tube stations so easily accessible from across London. http://www.thebirdsnestpub.co.uk/

If you like what we do then you can support us by checking out our online store. The Harp’n’Bones design is back in all sizes and on black or white shirts. Also we have new polo shirts, in all sizes, and some nifty woolly hats as well as the Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer shirts. Click the link below for the full range of all our other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan could ever need! Help keep Punk Celtic! https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

Facebook is rubbish and I can’t wait to see it fold. It has a stranglehold on all forms of expression that is not good and it’s no surprise to see people leaving in droves. Don’t despair though if you are one of them as you can keep up with London Celtic Punks posts via group on the phone app Telegram. Similar to What’s App but completely free from outside interference. Join us on Telegram, don’t miss a single post and even receive the odd exclusive and special offer! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/

The response to the new London Celtic Punks badge has been amazing. Not surprising really as they are just about the nicest bit of merchandise in Celtic-Punk if you ask me! Comes with butterfly clip and made in Ireland (Guaranteed Irish!) available for just £5 – UK and £7 – EU post-paid and we’ll throw in a few stickers and a button badge too. For further overseas contact us and we’ll work it out. Send to Paypal (friends & family) to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk

Even though we hate it Facebook does supply the (very) occasional ray of sunshine so a shout out to some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk,  Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans just like you and me. Like and join in the fun!

Hello to our friends in Indonesia THE WORKING CLASS SYMPHONY. Check them out. If they were American they would be massive! Facebook  YouTube  Instagram. These are the guys that Flogging Molly should be taking on their Cruise!

A reminder too that we need your news so anything you would like to share with the rest of the Celtic-Punk scene send it onto us.

If you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Bands, promoters, record labels, venues send in any news to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or via the Contact Us page.

LONDON CELTIC PUNKS PRESENTS THE BEST OF 2022!

It’s that time of year again for the London Celtic Punks annual Best Of list. Has it really been a year since The Peelers waltzed (or should that be jigged) off with album of the year? It’s been possibly the best year for Celtic-Punk since we started doing this site and this was easily the closest it has ever been in that time. Pretty much all the big hitters, with one or two one notable exception (The Tossers where were you!), released records and on top of that a bunch of debut albums that were top class too.

so without further ado…

CLICK ON THE GREEN LINK TO BE FORWARDED TO REVIEW

2022’s #1 was the amazing new album from THE MAHONES. That they are as prolific as they are and yet can still put out quality like this 30 + years on is incredible. Well done Finny & co. FLOGGING MOLLY won the battle of the big Celtic-Punk 2 with the DROPKICKS and were also the best gig of the year for me personally (August in Dublin with Ferocious Dog). THE LUCKY TROLLS followed on from their Best EP award from 2019 with the highest place for any ‘outsider’ this year while Scandinavian stalwarts SIR REG gave us possibly their best album yet. REINA ROJA from Spain were another highly placed new band and their were several others among the Top 30. Their were also a handful of albums that didn’t qualify for the chart but were worth noting including a couple of greatest hits albums THE REAL McKENZIES – Float Me Boat and UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS – The Story So Far that were both superb introductions to the bands, the second volume of the Black 47 covers compilation AFTER HOURS VOL. 2 and finally the HEADSTICKS 10th anniversary album of the best songs of their career to date re-recorded.

1. THE MAHONES – Jameson Street

2. FLOGGING MOLLY – Anthem

3. DROPKICK MURPHYS – This Machine Still Kills Fascists

4. THE LUCKY TROLLS – Raised Fist And Rebel Songs

5. SIR REG – Kings Of Sweet Feck All

6. REINA ROJA – Hooligan Folk

7. FINNEGAN’S HELL – One Finger Salute

8. REAL McKENZIES – Songs Of The Highlands, Songs Of The Sea

9. HOIST THE COLOURS – When Daylight Breaks

10. SHANGHAI TREASON – Shanghai Treason

11. PADDY’S PUNK – With Full Horse

12. THE TAN AND SOBER GENTLEMEN – Regressive Folk Music

13. ZECKYBOYS – Dirty Brands

14. THE MOORINGS – March On

15. THE MULLINS – Gold In Our Hands

16. PADDY AND THE RATS – From Wasteland To Wonderland

17. SYR – Sentinel 

18. MAN THE LIFEBOATS – Soul Of Albion

19. THE GROGGY DOGS – Still Groggin’

20. WHISKEY’S WAKE – Wake Up Whiskey

21. JAMIE CLARKE’S PERFECT – Monkey See Monkey Do

22. O’HAMSTERS – From Green Hills To Raging Sea

23. SLAINTE – Up Down 95

24. THE ENDINGS – Completely Pickled

25. THE CUNDEEZ – Geez It

26. THE ROYAL SPUDS – Roots Of Life

27. THE DREADNOUGHTS – Roll And Go

28. THE SCARLET – Freedom Call 

29. TEMPLARS OF DOOM – Rising Of The Doom!

30. DRUNKEN FIGHTERS – Someday

Bubbling over: THEIGNS AND THRALLS – Theigns And Thralls 

As funny as it may seem the Best Debut Album award for 2022 was decided way back in January last year when the long awaited self titled debut album from Yorkshire banjo Punks SHANGHAI TREASON arrived in the post. Eleven original songs of high tempo energetic Celtic-Punk with some of the best banjo we heard all year long! On top of that later in the year they released a 3-track EP of songs that didn’t make the album that was also superb!  That’s not to say it was a easy choice as by the end of the year REINA ROJA, THE LUCKY TROLLS and ZECKYBOYS all put out albums that challenged the Treason and in any other year could easily have won the award themselves.

A well deserved top two for THE RUMJACKS and their new singer Mikee. The split EP with FLATFOOT 56 in particular was absolutely flawless! Their were fantastic debut releases from THE DEAD IRISH, THE GALLOWGATE MURDERS and THE RAMSTAMPITS out of the Celtic nations of Ireland and Scotland that completely blew us away and were eagerly anticipated. A word here for BOG IRON from California who I found completely by accident and been playing ever since.

1. THE RUMJACKS / FLATFOOT 56 Split EP

2. THE RUMJACKS – Brass For Gold

3. THE DEAD IRISH – Four Corners Of Hell

4. THE GALLOWGATE MURDERS – ‘ Dead, Gone And Living On’

5. BRICK TOP BLAGGERS – Obey The Tyrant

6. BOG IRON – Star Of The County Down

7. DISTILLERY RATS – We Are Rats

8.  THE KILLIGANS – Dread Naught

9. KRAKIN’ KELLYS – Old Ways New Days

10. THE RAMSTAMPITS – Light The Beacon

Bubbling Under: THE CLOVERHEARTS – Still Pissed / JAMESTOWN BROTHERS – Just Is

In what is usually the hardest category to choose from we actually had a very easy choice this year with the new album from Boston singer-songwriter BRYAN McPHERSON never off our play list all year long. The great news is that Bryan is heading to these shores in the Summer and we are very happy to be helping out. Dundalk’s THE MARY WALLOPERS were busy all year round and ended 2022 with a sell out London show and a debut album in December. The debut album from THE WINTER CODES saw a welcome return to the wider music scene for Barney the original vocalist for Blood Or Whiskey. Some may be surprised to find the first solo album from MARCUS MUMFORD listed but it really was a great album both musically but especially lyrically. 

1. BRYAN McPHERSON – How To Draw Everything

2. THE MARY WALLOPERS – The Mary Wallopers

3. OYSTERBAND – Read The Sky

4. IAN PROWSE – One Hand On The Starry Plough

5. PRONGHORN – Welcome To Pronghorn Country

6. BODH’AKTAN – Valcourt Sessions

7. BURBRIDGE AND BOOTH – Icons

8. THE WINTER CODES – Set The Darkness Reeling

9. THE ALT – Day Is Come

10. MARCUS MUMFORD – (self-titled)

A new section this year and the first winner is THE OUTCAST CREW out of Laois in the Irish midlands. A new single and video directed, filmed and edited by Thomas Moyles that came out at the end of the Summer. Laois is famous for an abbey, some gardens, a castle and a couple of lakes and now a kickarse class Celtic-Celtic-Punk. They won the 2020 Celtic Punk debut album of the year and it’s about time we heard some more guys!

The competition for best Celtic-Punk video of the year was incredible so next year (which will be our 10th anniversary) we will make a bit more effort and maybe even include you in the decision!!

There were several people involved in the collation of these results and so it is that some of those people may not have heard every album listed or released through the year. If you’re album is not listed maybe you didn’t send it us or not all the folks here heard it so couldn’t give a opinion so really don’t feel too put out. We’re not perfect but we do try our best.

This is the ninth year we’ve been doing these Best Of lists. It seems incredible looking back at some of the previous winners and also-ran’s just how many bands are still with us from Year 1. Have a look for yourselves just click on the year below to redirect.

*  2013  *  2014  *  2015  *  2016  *  2017  *  2018  *  2019  *  2020  * 2021 *

THE LONDON CELTIC PUNKS SHOP

If you like what we do then why not visit our  shop where you can buy all manner of Celtic-Punk tatt including t-shirts, badges, stickers, CD’s, fridge magnets, patches, Celtic nations flags and we just got in new for ’22 some bobble hats and polo shirts.

https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

Alongside the Best Of polls we also run a special Readers Choice poll where you get to pick your favourite release of the year. This will be the fifth year it’s been running with Krakin’ Kellys, Mickey Rickshaw, The Go-Set and Ferocious Dog our previously champions! Last year we had well over 1500 votes (the most ever!) so remember the auld Irish adage ‘Vote Early – Vote Often’. There is only room on the form to list the Top Ten albums but there is an option for YOU to write in your favourite release (album or EP) of the year.

Poll will run until midnight on Tuesday 31st January 2023. You can vote twice. If the release you want to vote for is not listed then you can write it in.

Keep up to date with London Celtic Punks web-zine for all the latest news, record reviews, features and plenty more. Find all our social media here

https://linktr.ee/londoncelticpunks

to subscribe to the web-zine email londoncelticpunk@hotmail.co.uk

The poll will close at midnight on Tuesday 31st January 2023 with the result to be announced soon afterwards.

Dedicated to our good friend Scott Chrystal

Slainte, The London Celtic Punks Bhoys – January 2023

ALBUM REVIEW: DROPKICK MURPHYS – ‘This Machine Still Kills Fascists’ (2022)

Unsurprisingly whenever the release of a new Dropkick Murphys album is announced the internet glows white with reviews and promotions so now two months after the release of This Machine Still Kills Fascists Ray Ball gives it a listen and our last post of 2022 sees if it does indeed live up to the hype.

So here’s the disclaimer. This isn’t what we expect Dropkick Murphys album to sound like at all. Al has been on leave for a bit now taking care of his family, and I know we call commend him for that and wish the best for the Barr family.

But here’s also what I learned. The Murphys have been in contact with the Guthrie family for about a decade. “Shipping Up To Boston” was originally a few Guthrie scribbles. Guthrie’s daughter had recently given an all access pass to her fathers materiel he never used or recorded.

Nora Guthrie with her father Woody “I collected lyrics on all kinds of topics…lyrics that seemed to be needed to be said – or screamed – today. Ken Casey is a master at understanding Woody’s lyrics, which can be complicated, long, deadly serious, or totally ridiculous. DKM is capable of delivering them all.”

So you’ve got Guthrie lyrics. While, as Ken stated in an interview, it wouldn’t be right to put out a regular album without Al, this was a good chance to put out this years in the making project. Instead of giving you a list of radio singles or hidden gems B-Sides, pick up a copy. Discover the stuff you like about the album. It’s all but completely acoustic, but straight up balls to the wall Americana at its best in nearly if not over half a century in my opinion.

Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey explained, “The project has been a long time in the making. Nora Guthrie thought her father would’ve got a kick out of us, would’ve liked us, that we were somewhat kindred spirits so to speak, which to us was a huge honour.”

So if you want to hear something tried and true other than “Fairytale” this holiday season grab a copy. Discover your favourites. This album is true- no deadline / record company profit marketing whatever / has to have a radio single track album.

 

There is no Al. God bless him and his family right now, but it’s a great piece. Give it a listen for something truly unique. Cheers guys!

Dropkick Murphys  WebSite  Facebook  YouTube  Instagram

Back in September when This Machine Still Kills Fascists came out we took a look at the life of Woody Guthrie and offer you the opportunity to download a great double album containing all of his greatest work for free. The link is still available so click below to be re-directed.

WOODY GUTHRIE – Dust Can’t Kill Me

Thanks to Ray Ball. He has already featured on these pages as the driving force behind The Fighting 69th from Buffalo. The review of his 2-volume set of Dropkick Murphys coverswas one of the most viewed of the year. One of the most prolific and diverse artists in the Celtic-Punk scene we are proud to have Raymond on board our team. Writer, artist, musician he is a credit to the American-Irish community and you can find a wealth of his material available at his Bandcamp site.

*

 

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ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP NOVEMBER 2022

2022 is nearly over and hasn’t it gone quickly blah, blah, blah. But it has hasn’t it? November already and almost time to raise a beer to the freedom fighter Guy Fawkes. The only person to enter parliament with good intentions!

A brand new Odds’n’Sods round-up of all this months Celtic-Punk entertainment from the scene’s bands big and small, established or just starting out.

Irish sensation (that’s the only word possible!) THE MARY WALLOPERS released their debut album a couple of days ago. The self titled album is eleven songs and forty minutes and is a collection of both unusual and rare and a some pretty well worn covers but brought to life in the unique Wallopers way.  Looking forward to them visiting London in December as they head off on a major tour of the UK and Ireland.

We often repeat the mantra that Celtic-Punk man cannot live by Dropkick Murphys alone but we are as guilty as anyone with being obsessed with them! With their new album out a month now here’s the guys with a short eleven minute set recorded live at The Boch Center Wang Theatre by the The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame.

During the recording Ken mentions the new video they filmed of ‘The Last One’ that features Evan Felker of TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS who will be supporting the Murphys in Boston on March 16.

In case you missed them we recently had the pleasure of interviewing a couple of Dropkick Murphys with ex-member Marc Orrell and drummer Matt Kelly gracing these pages.

We featured MADIGAN’S WAKE and their debut single last month and here is their follow up a song written after the night terrors and they can be added to the list of great Aussie Celtic-Punk bands in my head! Available on Spotify or to pre-order.

Ukrainian band O’HAMSTERS have a 13-track album out soon and available for download as a pre-order from Bandcamp for $7. A band we have followed for a few years always great music and we look forward to more. All money raised from this album pre-order will go to HMV.UA – the team of volunteers headed by our friend Alex Sedov helping the army of Ukraine.

Another band we have been huge fans of over the years is ZUNAME Punk-Rock with bagpipes from Moscow. They just released a new album as well called Vertigo. Their fifth album and is on all streaming platforms  https://band.link/vertigo. Recording of Vertigo began four years ago and events since then no one could have ever foreseen so they decided to stop postponing the release again and again and hope it will give folk the strength to get through these hard times and the best way for the band to support you.

The Black Tartan Clan were onew of the best and most popular Celtic-Punk bands in Europe with their McKenzies-ish bagpipe heavy Scots Celtic Rock’n’Roll so we were all saddened to hear they were non more but they re-surfaced and began life again as THE BLACK TARTANS and have been recording and playing live. They have a new song called ‘F’Corona’.

Even as this is ready to publish I’m still adding to it and THE MULLINS from the South of France have a new album, Gold In Our Hands, that I am writing the review to at the moment. It’s a cracking 40+ minutes of uptempo Celtic Punk’n’Roll I can’t wait to share with you. In the meantime here’s the latest single from the album.

This is an incredible live performance from French Celtic-Punk band CelKILT recorded live at this years Hellfest Open Air Festival in Clisson, France. Fifty glorious minutes!!

Great video from the Horslips influenced THE POXMEN. Formed in the bogs of Donegal thousands of years ago and recently ventured out into the cold modern air, with a bag of songs and a wheelbarrow full of instruments. Fuelled by Poitín, mushrooms and spuds, roaring and shouting and singing and playin, about the horses, the wee folk, the witches, the turf, the thunder and lightnin’, and the silver tractors of ancient times.

Not quite a new video from SWAINN but I only just rediscovered it so here it is again. It is from their awesome Under A Willow Tree album which we did review last year.

Brilliant Argentinian Celtic-Punk band RAISE MY KILT were on the telly last week. It’s all in Spanish of course but there’s a wee interview and the music starts about a minute in. They have 2 (two!) pipers!!!

Kings of Cow-Punk PRONGHORN still out there entertaining the masses in the South-West of England. This is them with an old traditional Ukrainian Folk song just a few days ago as I’m writing this.

THE REAL McKENZIES – Songs Of The Highlands, Songs Of The Sea

THE MAHONES – Jameson Street

MARCUS MUMFORD – (self-titled)

ZUNAME – Vertigo

MAN THE LIFEBOATS – Soul Of Albion

ZECKYBOYS – Dirty Brands (reviewed last week)

THE MULLINS – Gold In Our Hands (review coming!)

THE MARY WALLOPERS – The Mary Wallopers

Remember we can’t review it if we don’t hear it!

We’ve been doing this now for nearly 10 years and in that time we have covered 100’s of bands and musicians but still plenty of bands have passed us by. We can’t see everything after all so this column is to remind us of bands that never made these pages at the time but deserve another mention. These hopefully come with a free download like today so you can help yourself to some free music. DOOZER McDOOZE is a singer songwriter from Essex with a passion to play everywhere and anywhere! This is his debut album from 2014 but look a little closer and all his music is available for ‘name your price’ download from Bandcamp. In a download world of media solitude, Doozer likes to give music back to the people. He has a new single out now ‘Pirate Captain‘ and as usual if you can afford to leave him enough for a Guinness or two as a tip please do so.

The BIBLECODE SUNDAYS are at the Powerhaus in Camden (formerly Dingwalls) on Saturday November 5th. NEW MODEL ARMY play 3 Christmas dates ending at the Roundhouse starting on the 10th. SHEELANAGIG play groove heady traditional folk and have quite the following and play November 18 at their regular haunt in Brixton, the Hootananny. An interesting night in store on Decem,ber 15 with both THE SCRATCH and THE MARY WALLOPERS playing in Camden (mad I know!) so if you’re stuck check out our preview, One Night In Camden,  to help you make your mind up which way to jump on the day itself! DROPKICK MURPHYS have announced THE RUMJACKS, PENNYWISE and JESSE AHEARNE as support for their Euro tour starting in Jan. One for the diary now and DAMIEN DEMPSEY is back at the Electric Ballroom in Camden the day after St. Patrick’s day which means he’ll probably be at the St. Patrick’s Parade in the afternoon though that is now shite and I promised myself I would never go again after last years abomination!

If you like what we do then you can support us by checking out our online store. The Harp’n’Bones design is back in all sizes and on black or white shirts. Also we have new polo shirts, in all sizes, and some nifty woolly hats as well as the Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer shirts. Click the link below for the full range of all our other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan could ever need! Help keep Punk Celtic! https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

It’s been great watching MAN THE LIFEBOATS career and we played ever such a tiny tiny part in it having put them on a couple of times but they truly are a great band. Funny, fast and raucous Folk-Punk with a few Celtic style flourishes. We’d call them Celtic-Punk though I doubt they would themselves still whatever they are their new album is tremendous. 11 songs but check out the first couple of songs here for an idea of the scope of their songs.

London Celtic Punks north-American writer Ray has a new EP out with his band RAVENSWALK out for Halloween. All-Hallows is 5 songs of his typical eclectic taste with spirited versions of  Echo And The Bunnymen, The Rocky Horor Picture Show among 2!

RADARNA were founded by Rikard Falk after joining forces with José Miguel Martinez to write their debut album. With all the artists living in different countries live shows are unlikely to happen but they continue to record and just released a 3-track EP of FINNTROLL inspired Folk-Metal.

Accomplished multi-instrumentalist DAMIEN O’NEILL of legendary bands The Undertones and That Petrol Emotion has a solo project and has just released his third album, a collection of largely instrumental tracks, mixed by veteran producer Paul Tipler. The title ‘an crann’ is Irish for ‘The Tree’, a symbol of growth and inspiration.

I don’t know much about TIM LOUD except some people whose musical taste I respect are huge fans of his. He describes his new release as “These are some tunes I wrote for what was going to be an album but now it won’t be”. It’s available as a ‘name your price’ download via Bandcamp.

The re-released and re-mixed second album from DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (now just to be called DEXY’S) Too-Rye-Aye from 1982 is out now on vinyl, CD, download and a beautiful 3 disc box set packed with extras. I have compared it to the original and yes it is much improved. It’s down with the treble and strip back the echo and give Kevin Rowland’s vocals room to breathe. As my mate said “it’s like they have taken off the polish and added wood stain”.

Finnish Celtic flavoured Punk band THE LORETTA PROBLEM have a new single Green ‘n Gray out in a couple of weeks. Expect a feature here of this fantastic innovative band.

Facebook is rubbish and I can’t wait to see it fold. It has a stranglehold on all forms of expression that is not good and it’s no surprise to see people leaving in droves. Don’t despair though if you are one of them as you can keep up with London Celtic Punks posts via group on the phone app Telegram. Similar to What’s App but completely free from outside interference. Join us on Telegram, don’t miss a single post and even receive the odd exclusive and special offer! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/

Well we have been blown away by the response to the new London Celtic Punk badge. Not surprising really as they are so bloomin’ gorgeous. Just about the nicest bit of merchandise in Celtic-Punk if you ask me! Comes with butterfly clip and made in Ireland (Guaranteed Irish!) It’s available for just £5 – UK and £7 – EU post-paid and we’ll throw in a few stickers and a button badge too. For further overseas contact us and we’ll work it out. Send to Paypal (friends & family) to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk

Even though we hate it Facebook does supply the (very) occasional ray of sunshine so a shout out to some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk,  Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans just like you and me. Like and join in the fun!

Finally a message to bands. Its Christmas soon (yes I know!) and if you are planning on doing a Christmas release then be sure to get the details to us by the beginning of December. Last year we could hardly keep up so give us a chance folks!

A reminder too that we need your news so anything you would like to share with the rest of the Celtic-Punk scene send it onto us.

If you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Bands, promoters, record labels, venues send in any news to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or via the Contact Us page.

CELTIC-PUNK Q AND A WITH DROPKICK MURPHYS MATT KELLY

Hows this then? With the release of the new Dropkick Murphys album ‘This Machine Still Kills Fascists’ due in a few days Matt Kelly has kindly taken the time to take part in our regular feature – The Celtic-Punk Q And A. Turns out he had ‘Rainy Night In Soho’ as his first dance at his wedding too and we have the same favourite Pope but he’s also sadly West Ham! 
So with out further ado…

Name / Nickname : *** Matt, MK, Kelz, Kel, Mutt, Magic, etc.

Age (Estimate allowed!) : 47

Status : happily married

Birthplace / Nationality / Ancestry : Leominster, Massachusetts. American.

Where do you live : New Hampshire

Occupation : Musician

First job : worked for the family business that did vinyl tops, pin striping, and auto care stuff.

A job you would have loved to do : Philologist

What / Who makes you laugh : Regional comedies, gurning contests, atheists

Favourite movie star : Patrick McGoohan

Favourite film / TV show : Only Fools and Horses

Favourite band/s : Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Stiff Little Fingers, the Who, Agnostic Front, Judge, the Chieftains, Straw Dogs, Bull the Buffalos, Strong Style

Favourite Celtic-Punk band : The Pogues

Up and coming Celtic-Punk band to watch : Blood Or Whiskey.

First and last record you bought : Led Zeppelin II in 1980; more recently(two weeks ago), I found a nice clean copy of Iron Virgin’s “Rebels Rule” single.

How many instruments can you play : Play well? One. I also play bass guitar, bodhrán, and murder the guitar once in a while.

How many bands have you been in : Ten. Late ‘80s/early ‘90s: GSP, Common Sense, Dive, Pressure Point, Mid-‘90s: Bound, Hatchetface, Grade H, Fit For Abuse, Late ‘90s: Get High, Dropkick Murphys.

Favourite venue / gig attended : W.A.S.T.E.D. festival in Blackpool at something-Gardens in 2006. Filled in on drums for East End Badoes. Saw most of the top UK Punk and Oi! bands all in one weekend and my liver fell out. Hell of a time!

Favourite venue / gig played : Dropkick Murphys at Voorst National outside of Brussels in 2019. Absolute magic.

Describe yourself in 5 words : Annoying, flippant, serious, quiet, foolish.

Most embarrassing moment : Most nights when I drop a drumstick in the most obvious of spots.

Favourite song and why : That is tough. It can vary. Sometimes it’s “A Rainy Night in Soho”, which was my and my wife’s first dance at our wedding reception; sometimes it’s “Nothing” by Negative Approach; sometimes it’s “Heaven and Hell” by the Who; sometimes it’s “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles; sometimes it’s “Because You’re Young” by Cock Sparrer; sometimes it’s “Warrior’s Law” by Bull the Buffalos; sometimes it’s “Moanin’” by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers…. Dunno, extremely difficult to answer.

Favourite album and why : AC/DC “Powerage”. It’s the pinnacle of perfect rock and roll.

Favourite song you’ve been involved in: when Dropkick Murphys recorded a cover of Angelic Upstarts’ “Never Again”.

Team/s supported as a kid : Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, New England Revolution, West Ham United

Favourite sportsperson : Patrice Bergeron

Favourite sport : Ice Hockey

All time hero : G.K. Chesterton

Favourite book : Tie between the poem Lepanto by G.K. Chesterton and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Best friend : My Wife

Biggest influence on career : Probably my Dad. He’s a drummer and that influenced me to take up the sticks.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given : “Try out! What have you got to lose?”— Dave Pratt, upon telling me I should try out for the Dropkick Murphys.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be : Right where I live, in the mountains, with my family and our dog.

Your five dream dinner guests : My Grandfather Bill Kelly, my other Grandfather Bob Lucier, my Grandfather’s Bill’s Aunt Tessie, St. Pope John Paul II, and Hilaire Belloc.

Your favourite quote: “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it” —G.K. Chesterton

Anything to plug / promote : Dropkick Murphys have a new, acoustic, album coming out Sept 30, it’s a bunch of unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics put to music by the boys. it’s cheekily called “This Machine Still Kills Fascists”…. Guthrie’s guitar had a bumper sticker on it that read “This Machine Kills Fascists” on it, then he painted another guitar with the slogan. Please don’t kill ANYBODY, but check out the album!

Many thanks to Matt for doing this. Much appreciated!

Return in the next few days for a special feature on Woody Guthrie and then our review of the new album written by a special guest writer!!!

ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP SEPTEMBER 2022

Here’s another Odds’n’Sods to keep you occupied for a bit. A whole load of Celtic-Punk entertainment from all the scene’s bands big and small, established or just starting out.

Big news from the DROPKICK MURPHYS that their long awaited new album This Machine Still Kills Fascists lands on September 30th. Following up on their success collaborating with Woody Guthrie’s lyrics in ‘Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight’ and ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’, the Murphys are at it again. This Machine Still Kills Fascists is a ten song album featuring original previously unpublished lyrics by Woody Guthrie.

“First off, Woody Guthrie embodies the spirit of true rebellion. Always one to stand up for the working man, and to fight the good fight against fascism. As his famous guitar so boldly declared – THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS… And this isn’t our first collaboration with him. Back in 2004, we found an unpublished lyric in Woody’s archives called “Shipping Up To Boston,” and turned that into a song you may know… With Al Barr on hiatus, the rest of us wanted to record, but not do a typical DKM album without him…so we figured this was the perfect time to reconnect with Woody’s words. And we can’t wait for you to hear it.”

Here’s a short documentary the Bhoys made about the making of the album bringing you behind the scenes with some new song previews. Pre-order your copy here – available in CD and vinyl.

‘Roots Run Deep’ is the first music video from the last HEATHEN APOSTLES album Bloodgrass Vol. 3 & 4, out now on Ratchet Blade Records. It was directed by Caroline Poisson and shot in and around Liege, Belgium. Read our review and hear this fantastic album!

Dyed-in-the-wool Boston-area blue collar punk rock icon Lenny Lashley (ex – Street Dogs and Dropkick Murphys) returns with new LENNY LASHLEY’S GANG OF ONE single ‘It Got So Dark’ from upcoming album Five Great Egrets.

I know it must seem like I have 1000 favourite bands but KRAKIN’ KELLYS are definitely in the top 2 or 3. Celtic skate punk, beer and bar fight! Cannot wait to see these guys live. ‘Golden Youth’ is from their debut album and here is from last St. Patrick’s day at L’entrepôt Arlon, Belgium. The guys have a new EP out which we reviewed the other day so go look it up.

THE RUMJACKS had a successful tour of the UK last month. Here is them mucking about in the far north singing ‘One for The Road’ from Brass For Gold.

UNHOLY MISSIONARIES are from Texas I think and a really new band. The video is from their debut show so chuck them a like over on that there Facebook.

Love TEJON STREET CORNER THIEVES. Came across them by accident and bought their new album. It’s sorta alternative Bluegrass but with some Folk and Celtic influence and brilliant!

KRAKIN’ KELLYS – Old Ways, New Days (review incoming)

TEJON STREET CORNER THIEVES – Thick As Thieves

THE GALLOWGATE MURDERS – Dead, Gone and Living On

UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS – The Story So Far

THE JAMESTOWN BROTHERS – Just Is (review coming soon))

REINA ROJA – Hooligan Folk

HOIST THE COLORS – When Daylight Breaks

Remember we cannot review it if we don’t hear it first!

THE TOSSERS are one hell of a band. Is their a American band that nails the Irish-American experience so well? I think not. They are in the studio recording a new album right now!

I’ve nay time for Rebellion festival but this is a personal view so any bands get to play it then good luck to them. Their isn’t much Celtic-Punk and never has been so was good to see them book Czech band PIRATES OF THE PUB whose set went down a storm. They even made the The 10 rowdiest sets from Rebellion Festival 2022 article from Kerrang.

THE MAHONES 30th anniversary tour first dates are out for Vancouver so expect more to follow!

FLOGGING MOLLY fresh from their Euro mega-tour have a new album on the way. ‘This Road Of Mine’ is taken from Anthem and the album is available for pre-order. I’m after a hoody myself!

Their is really no one out there that can compare to DEREK WARFIELD AND THE YOUNG WOLFE TONES when it comes to ballad singing, the retelling of Irish history and an absolutely bloody good night. They are always touring (even to my God forsaken home town!) an just released a new album too of some auld Wolfe Tones favourites and a few new ones.

Former Dead 60s frontman Dubliner MATT McMANAMON returns with a slice of sunshine gilded jangle-pop that evokes memories of classic Merseyside sounds, slipping neatly between The La’s and The Coral.

London Irish rockers THE GODFATHERS new EP Midnight Rider is out now. Featuring two tracks from the forthcoming Alpha Beta Gamma Delta album and two exclusive numbers that won’t be released on the album.

DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS had a triumphant performance at the Commonwealth Games representing the West Midlands enormous Irish community and have just re-mixed a bunch of old material to sound just as how it was originally envisaged. All is explained in the video.

In the 9 years we’ve been doing this plenty of bands have passed us by. We can’t see everything after all so this column is to remind us of bands that never made these pages at the time but deserve another mention. These hopefully come with a free download like today so you can help yourself to some free music. This month is the turn of NEDERGOTH from Toulouse in France. Made up of French and Finn’s the music is a mix of Punk, Metal elements and Folk and trad from Celtic, Scandinavian and Slavic culture. Their only goal is to have fun and there’s not much wrong with that. Their debut album here is available as a ‘name your price’ download as well as last years La Mandale Amicale.

Some old school Punk-Rock outta north London from our mates DISSENT and thumbs up and pints in the air to our auld mucker Eric who was on strike the other day. Up the posties – Up the workers!

We start this section with some interesting news that we are expecting to be putting on Italian Premier League Celtic-Punk band UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS sometime later in the year. If you can offer any help or fancy putting them on in your town drop them a line. FLOGGING MOLLY had a triumphant return to these shores accompanied by FEROCIOUS DOG. The Dublin gig was incredible and just underlines why the Dog are so popular. Dublin Metal style acoustic Folkies THE SCRATCH are touring in December and playing Camden Underworld on December 15th while fellow Irish acoustic band THE MARY WALLOPERERS are a minutes walk on the same night at the Electric Ballroo . Expect to see a few of us at each of them. NEW MODEL ARMY play 3 Christmas dates ending at the Roundhouse on the 10th. The BIBLECODE SUNDAYS are at the Powerhaus in Camden (formerly Dingwalls) on Saturday November 5th.

Both our recent gigs went brilliantly so big thanks to all the bands for playing and McCaffertys and The Bird’s Nest for hosting us. We enjoyed it so much it will happen again so if you’re in a band and fancy playing London let us know but only if you’re Celtic / Folk-Punk OK!

Forty years ago in 1982, a new group played their first ever gig at The Pindar of Wakefield. It was 4th October 1982 when James Fearnley, Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer took the stage in dingy Kings Cross as Pogue Mahone. They would go on to change peoples lives.

The Pindar Of Wakefield is now The Water Rats and Kings Cross is, unbelievably to those who remember it from them days, a most desirable place to live and The Pogues are no more either. Their spirit lives on though within The Pogue Traders. Now in their 15th year themselves of bringing The Pogues back to life for those who were lucky enough to see them live and for those that never will. Support for the night is from Paul ‘Mad Dog’ McGuinness And Band. Paul toured with Shane MacGowan for almost a decade as a founder member of The Popes. For an hour before that Shane’s official biographer Richard Balls will be doing a Q And A and copies of his recent book ‘A Furious Devotion: The Life of Shane MacGowan’ will be available.  https://www.wegottickets.com/event/555406

THE WORKING CLASS SYMPHONY are one of the best Celtic-Punk bands in the world. You don’t know them well that’s probably because they are from Indonesia but we love them and guarantee you will too. Check them out on You Tube and Facebook and look forward to catching them live in Europe at the end of the year. They are heading over sometime between December – January and need the help of the Celtic-Punk community. If you can help with the tour in any way then drop them a line and let them know.

We managed to capture the last song of from DIRTY ARTICHOKES for posterity when they played London last month. An amazing set and we can’t wait to see them back. Standing room only!

If you like what we do then you can support us by checking out our online store. The Harp’n’Bones design is back in all sizes and on black or white shirts. Also we have new polo shirts, in all sizes, and some nifty woolly hats as well as the Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer shirts. Click the link below for the full range of all our other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan could ever need! Help keep Punk Celtic! https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

Facebook is rubbish and I can’t wait to see it fold. That the world’s most ‘popular’ social media site has only 2/5 in the app store says it all! It has a stranglehold on all forms of expression that is not good and it’s no surprise to see people leaving in droves. Don’t despair though if you are one of them as you can keep up with London Celtic Punks posts via our wee group on the phone app Telegram. Similar in style (but better and easier to use) to What’s App but completely free from outside interference. Join us on Telegram, don’t miss a single post and even receive the odd exclusive and special offer! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/

Well what do you think of these then?

Brand new absolutely gorgeous new metal London Celtic Punk badge. Just about the nicest bit of merchandise in Celtic-Punk if you ask me! Comes with butterfly clip and made in Ireland. It’s available for just a £5 post paid for the UK. That’s £3-50 plus £1-50 postage and we’ll throw in a few stickers and a button badge too. For the EU it’s £3-30 postage and anywhere else contact us and we’ll work it out. Send to Paypal (friends & family) to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk

Even though we hate it Facebook does supply the (very) occasional ray of sunshine so a shout out to some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans just like you and me. Like and join in the fun!

London Irish band THE KINKS take us out…

A reminder too that we need your news so anything you would like to share with the rest of the Celtic-Punk scene send it onto us.

If you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Bands, promoters, record labels, venues send in any news to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP JULY 2022

Calling out around the world, Are you ready for a brand new beat? Summer’s here and the time is right, For dancing in the street… well maybe not!

Here’s another Odds’n’Sods. A whole load of Celtic-Punk entertainment from all the scene’s bands big and small, established or just starting out.

We kick off with exciting news out of the FLOGGING MOLLY camp with a new album just around the corner and a full European tour in August. ‘The Croppy Boy ’98’ tells of the 1798 Irish rebellion while we can expect Anthem in early September. Pre-save or Pre-Order the record now at https://riserecords.lnk.to/FMAnthem.

Flogging Molly will be joined on tour by our very own FEROCIOUS DOG so be sure not to miss out on what promises to be a facking marvellous night!!! The tour takes in Ireland as well as Germany and we’ll see you in Dublin so give us a shout if you see us!

Now over to Boston and our bhoys the DROPKICK MURPHYS have a new album This Machine Still Kills Fascists – featuring the lyrics of Woody Guthrie — out on September 30. Pre- order from https://dropkick-murphys.ffm.to/7reo1k8.OYD. The albums 10 songs were recorded by Ted Hutt in Woody’s home state of Oklahoma, bringing Woody Guthries words into the present. All acoustic. Not a single amplifier was used.

Major disappointment around the Celtic-Punk a couple of weekends ago when the DROPKICK MURPHYS televised set at Hellfast 21 festival was cancelled at the last minute. Still the show went on and i still drank the beers I got in and we can now watch it on You Tube.

Another band with a new release coming out is Los Angeles based HOIST THE COLORS whose album, When Daylight Breaks will be coming out on all the usual platforms on Friday, August 26th!!! Pre-sale for the vinyl release is now up on their website. https://hoistthecolors.com/merch

Anyone remember Finny McConnell’s announcement last year that THE MAHONES were going to be retiring from touring? Well absolutely no surprises here to find out they will indeed be touring later in the Summer!! They also announced plans for a new album, Jameson Street recorded by a combination of all the different classic Mahones line ups from the very beginning right up until today’s team. Coming out on True North Records in the autumn and the first single coming in the summer will be ‘Rise Up’, written by Finny and Punk legend Greg Norton from Husker Du.

In the next few days we begin a short series of nine interviews with ‘movers and shakes’ within the Celtic-Punk scene. We start this Sunday with John Murphy, editor of the original Celtic-Punk fansite Shite’n’Onions. They recently reviewed the new solo album from Hugh Morrison of Murder the Stout and ex- Street Dogs. Don’t miss the whole series by checking in daily!

We haven’t heard much over here from AIRES BASTARDOS from Argentina since they won London Celtic Punks best debut album in 2019 but they have kept busy and here’s the first song from a upcoming EP of new material and it is brilliant!

Irish-American Folk-Punk accordion maestro TC COSTELLO is teaching in Spain and is available for online tuition especially language stuff. I’m sure he could help a few London Celtic Punks out!!

I have a long list of favourite Celtic-Punk but their are several ones that I really love and respect and listen to regularly. One such band is from Argentina called RAISE MY KILT who have released a new song called ‘Raise Your Pints’. It’s the first release from their upcoming new album. You can hear it over on Spotify

New Japanese Celtic-Punk out this week 凩KOGARASHI. Not a band I’ve heard from before but a great song and i tracked them down on Facebook so head over and leave a ‘like’.

We had booked Dutch band PYROLYSIS to play London pre-Covid but life thought better than that but they did are playing London on July 15 and have been recording some new material and released ‘The Whalers Lantern’ on You Tube via A Pirates Life Radio. Check it out, a internet radio station for 24/7 pirate music! https://tunein.com/radio/A-Pirates-Life-s294482/

SCHANDMAUL – Knüppel aus dem Sack

DAVE BAINBRIDGE – To The Far Away

THE DREADNOUGHTS – Roll And Go (review on its way)

ALESTORM – Seventh Rum Of A Seventh Rum

CRASH NOMADA – Broar EP

Remember we can’t review it if we don’t hear it

Each month we have a ‘blast from the past’ where we feature a band / album from someone we love but missed out on release. These come with a free download so you can enjoy them too. You all (well both of you!) said you enjoyed last month’s excursion away from Celtic-Punk with The Swearengens so here’s some more in the same vein from THE COWSLINGERS. Formed in 1989, the band barnstormed the world, playing more than 600 gigs, from West Virginia to Spain, Seattle to Germany. The Cowslingers’ whomp-and-stomp sound cruised as many musical paths. Over nine albums, 12 singles and two EPs, the band explored dusty detours, from country to punk to rockabilly to hard rock to garage rock. Here’s their debut 1994’s Off The Wagon And Back In The Saddle (Link) and their final album 2017’s Real Big Rooster (Link).

After two years of cancellations they have finally bought the plane tickets so no backing out now! CLOVER’S REVENGE are over from sunny Florida in the US to play in London for only one night making this is a concert NOT TO BE MISSED!! A dangerous intersection of two Irish musical traditions – Acoustic pub music and Celtic-Punk-Rock. Saturday 30th July around 8pm at McCafferty’s Crouch End, 128 Tottenham Lane, London N8 7EL. Nearest rail – Hornsey and nearest tube – Turnpike Lane. Admission is free but don’t be too tight to buy a CD or a t-shirt off the lads. Facebook event.

The following month we have Italian band DIRTY ARTICHOKES – the tidiest Celtic-Punk band in the Celtic-Punk scene – returning to town at the beginning of August and will be playing with THE LAGAN and ANTO MORRA, two artists popular on the London Irish music scene that sadly haven’t been able to play much of late. The gig will be at the Bird’s Nest in Deptford and all details are on the Facebook event.

Londoners PERKELT ‘Pagan Speed Folk’ are joined by PYROLYSIS at the legendary live music venue, The Troubadour, in West London on Friday 15th July (Facebook event). Swill from THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG has a solo show at The Water Rats on 19th August (Facebook event). NEW MODEL ARMY announced 3 dates in early December ending with the Camden Roundhouse on the 10th.

If you like what we do then you can support us by checking out our online store. The Harp’n’Bones design is back in all sizes and on black or white shirts. Also we have new polo shirts, in all sizes, and some nifty woolly hats as well as the Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer shirts. Click the link below for the full range of all our other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan could ever need! Help keep Punk Celtic! https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

Facebook is shit. Proper shit. That the world’s most ‘popular’ social media site has only 2/5 in the play app store says it all! It’s stranglehold on all forms of expression is not good and it’s great to see people leaving in droves. Don’t despair though if you are one of them as you can keep up with London Celtic Punks posts via our wee group on the phone app Telegram. Similar in style (but better and easier to use) to What’s App but completely free from outside interference. Join us on Telegram, don’t miss a single post and even receive the odd exclusive and special offer! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/

Even though we hate it Facebook does supply the (very) occasional ray of sunshine so a shout out to some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans just like you and me. Like and join in the fun!

Last word and it’s a serious one sadly. THE KILLIGANS drummer Shane and his wife are new parents to a wee guy named Wylie. Sadly, they have had some issues with Wylie’s health and The Killigans put an appeal out for any help. Remember folks #onebigcelticpunkfamily https://gofund.me/bfa45f1e

A reminder too that we need your news so anything you would like to share with the rest of the Celtic-Punk scene send it onto us.

If you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Bands, promoters, record labels, venues send in any news to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or via the Contact Us page.

MOLLYS vs MURPHYS ST. PATRICK’S FACE OFF!

As usual it’s been impossible to keep up with the flow of new music over the St. Patrick’s day period. Not just singles but many EP’s and albums landed on our doorstep that we will get to over the following few weeks but we couldn’t let this years festivities go without a special mention for that oh-so rare occurrence a double release for both the most popular bands in Celtic-Punk – Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys. 

First off the mark on the 10th March were Flogging Molly with “These Time Have Got Me Drinking / Tripping Up The Stairs’. A solid return to form and if anything the classic FM sound of early Flogging Molly. The track is available for streaming and download.

“Morning starts with sunset

As the darkness fills my eye

It’s been so long since another soul,

Occupied this life”

This year the band have been busy with a tour leading up to a all day show at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on the big day itself that was live streamed but was only online for 72 hours before being withdrawn ensuring I never got (and plenty of you too i suppose) to see it!

The Murphys followed this just a few days after with a tremendous cover of the auld Gospel religious song ‘We Shall Overcome’. Descended from a hymn that was first published in 1901 it has since been sung by strikers and protesters and famously civil rights activists in the United States and the north of Ireland. The song begins with the words of Bobby Kennedy as he calls for unity on the day of Martin Luther King’s assassination and they have never ever sounded so relevant. The Murphys belt it out of the ball park and their is surely no better band in the world at turning any song into a full blown anthem.

“Oh, deep in my heart
I know that I do believe
We shall overcome, someday”

The video sees footage of the band included along with historical photos and film of American protest movements – from striking workers and picket lines to the civil rights movement. No band stands up for the working class like the Dropkick Murphys do. As busy as ever too with a tour that went across the States accompanied by The Rumjacks among others that one of the gang was lucky to catch and review. They also managed a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day live stream from the House Of Blues in hometown Boston though theirs was free but in common with Flogging Mollys was also withdrawn after a couple of days. What’s that about I wonder?

Dropkick Murphys Fan Page By the fans – From the fans – Of the fans

Check back with us at the weekend for as comprehensive a round up of all the St. Patrick’s Celtic-Punk music that was released last week as possible!

LCP INTERVIEW WITH THE AWARD WINNING PRODUCER AND WALKER ROADER TED HUTT!!

We are incredibly pleased to be able to bring you a interview with a man who has given so much to music but in particular to our wonderful Celtic-Punk scene. Our fella in the States Ray Ball chatted to Ted Hutt just the other day, Grammy Award-winning record producer, musician and songwriter and original guitarist and founding member of Flogging Molly. Ted is currently part of the Walker Roaders alongside The Pogues James Fearnley and Marc Orrell of Dropkick Murphys.

So I got the chance to talk to award winning producer, Flogging Molly founding member, and Walker Roaders guitarist Ted Hutt. Ted has worked with some of the the artists we all know and love and I am so thankful he took the time to talk to me on his approach to music production and working with those groups.

(The Walker Roaders- Smokestack Lightning – 2021)

Here’s the Q&A. I asked him a little bit to introduce himself. Here’s what he had to say-

“I have always loved music.  I have always loved collaboration where the sum is bigger than the parts (at least hopefully). I have always been thankful for music as a constant companion through good time and bad, and the constant reinvention to be creative and challenge to be creative. I have always felt stuck in bands, always a bit restricting?  I like a lot of things musically and producing gives me a way to dig into different parts of my record collection, to try different things from project to project. It’s interesting as I look through a body of work, that there are common themes and threads that come from the music that we grow up with.”

(Flogging Molly – Drunken Lullabies – 2002)

(Couple of years after Ted left Flogging Molly he returned on the Drunken Lullabies album as producer and mixer and also as co-writer for a few songs including the title track)

I mentioned again that the last person I saw him talk to was KT Tunstall, which I think was a little outside his usual spectrum. Here are his thoughts-

“Well, interestingly KT contacted me because she was working with a guy named Chris Leonard in Dublin, they were looking for someone to produce them. I guess the long story short was the names and artists they wanted to inspired by and the common denominator was me. I also know James Fearnley (Accordion Pogues, Accordion and Vocals Walker Roaders) and Marc Orrell (guitar, piano, a slew of instruments between DKM, Wild Roses, Walker Roaders, and a slew of other projects as well). I wouldn’t work on a project I didn’t think I couldn’t add something to…but there’s this thread of Irish/Scottish music…with the obvious others like Old Crow Medicine Show for example. I was a fan and thought it would be fun to work with them. I called their manager and next thing you know I’m recording with them at the Sound Emporium in Nashville. I asked them why they agreed and the pointed out the Link between the Celtic music I had made with Flogging Molly.  Interestingly enough there’s also that story telling element with Gaslight Anthem. Bruce Springsteen loved ‘59 Sound’ and sang in a Dropkick Murphys record (Peg o’ My Heart). Once you start digging, that Celtic thread is everywhere!

(KT Tunstall and Chris Leonard – Run Rudolph Run – 2021

Produced by Ted Hutt)

I actually started working on an outline for a book or movie or something about how much of the music we love today had Celtic roots.”

I asked a little bit about that story telling aspect, it obviously plays a huge role in Celtic tradition, but also in his productions. I pointed out the link in ‘59 Sound using “Great Expectations” “Estella” and “Marley’s chains we forged in life”-pulled directly from 19th British author Charles Dickens.

“I loved that lyric”, he said. “Mary I worried and stalled every night of my life/better safe than making the party”, and so many others on that record. I felt like I unearthed another layer, which is something I’m very interested in. It’s an attempt to draw the listener in immediately, but also layers, texture and subliminal stuff that keeps revealing the more they Listen.

The story, when all told, provides a sort of companionship with the listener and artist, it reminds the listener they’re not alone!”

He concluded-“That someone else has similar experiences, that they had similar feelings!  It reminds us “we are not alone in our struggles”. It’s always been important to me as a fan. Maybe we need that more than ever”.

Email: worldsendamerica info@worldsend.com

Instagram: Ted Hutt @tedhutt •Instagram

Facebook: Ted Hutt

Twitter: Ted Hutt (@Ted Hutt)|twitter

Thanks to Ray Ball for the interview. He has already featured on these pages as the driving force behind The Fighting 69th from Buffalo. The review of his 2-volume set of Dropkick Murphys covers was one of the most viewed of the year. One of the most prolific and diverse artists in the Celtic-Punk scene we are proud to have Raymond on board the London Celtic Punks team. Writer, artist, musician he is a credit to the American-Irish community and you can find a wealth of his material available at his Bandcamp site.

BOOK REVIEW: MICHAEL CROLAND – ‘Celtic Punk Superfan’ (2022)

Anyone up for the history of Celtic Punk in 42 pages? We’re not kidding 🙂 We review a lot of albums, but sometimes books come our way too. This one is for die-hard fans, by a die-hard fan. Add in a dose of Judaism and Latin America, and you’ve got a unique take on Celtic punk. Check this out!

^{Celtic Punk Superfan by Michael Croland.. A must-read for any Celtic punk fan!}

Celtic Punk Superfan is a neatly presented little chapbook (i.e. about 40 pages), and the title describes the author accurately ☘️ Though Michael started out writing about Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys for his college newspaper, the book’s preface carries a dedication to Neck – an early sign that Michael doesn’t just discuss the big names. “Every day’s St. Patrick’s Day”, the band once said. And if you’re Irish at heart, with an understanding and respect for the music, then the door’s open for you to discover more.

^{Neck get a mention in the book. Here’s their cracker of a tune “Always Upsettin’ Somebody”.}

Introduction: Context

Celtic Punk Superfan starts by looking at the role Celtic punk has played in representing the Irish as a group of people. Shane and the Pogues get an early mention, and we’re happy to announce that a few webzines do too – including yours truly, London Celtic Punks 🙂☘️ So thanks for that, Michael!

The author explains how and why bands like Flogging Molly and the Dropkicks originated in the US, rather than in Ireland and Scotland. Their roots in the British Isles are obvious, but then so is the Irishness of Boston, for example. We’re reminded of how Celtic people throughout the world have put their voices and feelings into music. Plus, a lot of references from other literature are included here, proof that the author has definitely done his homework 👍

Foundation: The Two Heavyweights

Back in 2002, Michael was a student at Carnegie Mellon uni. He was as keen on writing Celtic punk articles as he was on writing assignments ☘️ He interviewed Bridget from Flogging Molly, and went to see the band live. The result was two articles that make up half of chapter 1. We look at Dave King’s exile from Ireland, the impact this had on Flogging Molly’s early music, and we’re treated to a quote by the man himself:

“Anyone who has a beating heart in their chest can relate to what I’m singing.”

– Dave King

We then move on to the Dropkick Murphys. Michael sees these guys as a different beast, one fuelled by working class pride and sport, e.g. the Boston Bruins (pictured below). The author was there in 2004 when the Murphys played to a sold-out Pittsburgh crowd, one that didn’t hesitate to rush the stage, if they weren’t just invited up by the band anyway.

^{Ice hockey team the Boston Bruins, supported by the Dropkick Murphys.}

It’s always good to read about gigs where you can feel the energy coming off the page. Chapter 1 gives us plenty of that, and it reminds me fondly of the heart and soul I poured into Folk Springs Eternal. Now we move on to chapter 2…

JewIrish: Connections as a Jew

Now we all know that a book about Celtic punk is anything but boring. But chapter 2 gives us an angle that most people wouldn’t think of. Michael is Jewish, and he talks about the holy Yom Kippur and Purim holidays. But what about Celtic punk? Michael asked himself, “is there such thing as a Jewish-Irish music connection?”

Well, klezmer punk exists, so maybe yes. Michael looks at bands who’ve tried to blend the two influences. There’s Josh Lederman y Los Diablos and the White Shabbos, to name two examples. The Shabbos only recorded one album as far as I’m aware (2004’s Shabbos Holy Shabbos), and the production quality could have been a bit better. But these bands were capable of making a noise as good as any Celtic punk band, make no mistake about that.

^{The White Shabbos played a blend of Jewish, bluegrass and country music. Give this a listen!}

Somehow, Celtic music seems to attract Jewish people. And if there really is a common thread, then two words sum it up: tradition and persecution. The former is something that both Jews and Celtic punks carry with them. The latter, sadly, is something that both have been victims of. And if they survived, they were often displaced, longing for their homelands.

But Saints and Tzadiks are another good example of a band who tried it. So are Black ’47 actually, with their song “Izzy’s Irish Rose” (see below). These guys aimed to mix klezmer with Irish folk. While it’s not quite Celtic punk, it does sometimes feature singing in both Yiddish and Irish. And it’s mixing the old with the new, which is exactly what Celtic punk does! Finally, Jem Finer from the Pogues (Jewish on his dad’s side) gets a mention as the chapter rounds out.

^{“Izzy’s Irish Rose” by Black ’47 takes an interesting turn from 3:08 onwards 🙂}

This is a groundbreaking chapter by Michael, and one that I feel has postgraduate potential to it. Ian Prowse did a Master’s in Irish Studies, so why not? ☘️ But now for the rest of the book…

Ethnic Punk, Celtic Punk

The remaining chapters are a wee bit shorter, as we arrive at Michael’s blog. Michael ultimately draws the conclusion that he likes Celtic punk for its own sake, although there might be an aspect of his Jewish pride to it as well. He continues to discuss the different takes on the music, whether it’s Yidcore (punk first, Jewish second) or Golem (Jewish first, punk second).

Finally, we arrive in the year 2021, in the midst of that pesky COVID-19 pandemic. St. Patrick’s week is underway, bringing us livestreams across different continents, with the Dropkicks, Flogging Molly, the Real McKenzies, Flatfoot 56 and the Fighting Jamesons all checkin’ in. There was an online Latin American festival too, with South American bands using a lot of the instruments we’re used to seeing in Celtic punk. If the music has made it around the world, then so has the dress sense, clearly 😊

The last 2022 postscript brings us right up to date. Now people are starting to go to gigs again. Alas, some shows are still getting cancelled, and some people are still hesitant to go until we get further out of the woods. But the only way is up from here! Michael has the final word with a wee poem he penned for the Celtic punk fan. It contains tributes to various Celtic punk acts, including Vanilla Ice (okay I’m joking, but he does get a mention!)

So…

All in all, it was never just about The Pogues, or Flogging Molly, or the Dropkicks. Celtic punk has reached far and wide, and the scene remains healthy with different bands and fans springing up all over the world. Michael has put his heart and soul into a book about his love of the genre, and his own personal take on it. The book is also well edited and presented; as such, we wish Michael the best of luck with it!

Get your copy of Celtic Punk Superfan by Michael Croland from the author HERE.

Sláinte and l’chaim!

Andy x

LIVE REVIEW: DROPKICK MURPHYS ST. PATRICK’S TOUR WITH THE RUMJACKS AND MORE

The power of your example is far greater than what you say!

and their ain’t no band who set a better example than the Dropkick Murphys. Love, loyalty and friendship. Ray Ball was lucky enough to catch the Murphys on only the second leg of their St. Patrick’s tour in Rochester, New York. 

So, we all know this is a DKM show. And I’ll get into that later, but I wanted to get into a couple of the other groups that played.

Jesse Ahern

First on deck was Jesse Ahern. Before walking in the doors even, I was a big fan. I got turned on to him when he was supposed to see him on a tour that got cancelled opening for DKM. Admittedly I’ve got all the records on my phone and keep them going pretty steadily on rotation in my car.

    But he’s got a classic act down. One guitar, a harmonica and his vocals when he plays live. The records have more instrumental parts but it is bare bones, solid, working-class folk music. Solid solid set, early on and probably didn’t get the attention he deserves but I was definitely right up front and center.

  Next came on The Rumjacks. First and foremost, replacing a band member is hard. I don’t care if you’re playing in a garage or were AC/DC trying to replace Bon Scott. Obviously a singer can also make or break a band. A new one-well damn. Uncharted waters. But they did it well.

The Rumjacks

The sound has changed. Personally I love the newer material-yes the ended with “Irish Pub Song” but ironically I wasn’t to familiar with the rest of the set. The overall sound and vibe is definitely headed in a direction I like. It makes me think definitely of what I wanted to sound like on record-only much, much better. No frills, crazy lighting, etc.  On, straight Celtic punk, filled with whistles, bouzouki’s and a set of highland pipes, and go.

The Bombpops

  The Bombpops are not a group I would have bought headlining tickets for. Just not in my normal spectrum. That said, they had come cool music. Even though in my mind it shouldn’t be, it’s always unique to see two girls on stage. To me, in my own work I could really care less who you are as long as we have a good vibe and make good music. But it made me think of the bonus track on “Elgin Avenue Breakdown” by the 101ers. The track is a live cover of “Gloria” in which Joe Strummer goes into talking about women in the punk scene. “I’ve seen Patti Smith do it…” he says, and in a long tangent into how the whole idea of the punk movement was to break down those walls of convention.

  Have we since 1976 when that was recorded made that headway?  I’m not certain. I think we could argue both sides. I’m not entirely familiar with Bombpops repertoire. But I want to say, girls onstage in any act-punk or no-should not be a novelty. I personally don’t care if you’re a guy, a girl, black, white, purple-if you can play solid music and mean it I will listen. And damn, their guitarist played some of the most true punk palm-muting-all-downstroke machine gun sounding guitar playing I’ve seen in a very long time.

   Ok, onwards. Dkm. I don’t need to introduce anyone here. But there were a few key points. Al Barr is out of the current tour on account of family matters. Much much much respect. The first thing I thought of when I heard that news was “Do you think Mick Jagger took time off from the Stones to help his sister take care of their mom?”  Much respect to those who made it possible for him to do that. Frankly I don’t know much about Mick Jagger’s life, but I’m thinking I’m going to err on the side of probably not.

That leaves a hefty job for Ken to hold down. And he did it like an absolute champion. I’m willing to bet that everyone reading has at least seen them live on one of the Live Streams if not once or many times over the years. You know exactly what a good show you’re in for. But the one thing I will point out-the set list. “Do or Die”, “Caught in a Jar”, Caps and Bottles” and “Curse of a Fallen Soul” (some of which are mostly Al songs) came out of the vaults. The opened with “Cadence to Arms”. I’ve seen them every chance I get since 2004 and don’t think I’ve ever heard that done like that. They also did a mean cover of AC/DC’s “ Rock n’ Roll Singer ”. Old school my friends. A lot of us there were on the older side of the spectrum. There were even a few wee ones with their parents at the front.

So overall, some music I love, some fresh sounds, some impressive unexpected artists? Yes. Some serious nostalgia? Sort of. It got a bit rowdy and we were yelled at by two street preachers waiting on doors to open. It’s a crazy world, and it’s a punk show. Expect anything.

Set-List : Hang ‘Em High / The Fighting 69th / Sunday Hardcore Matinee / Deeds Not Words / Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya / Never Alone / Time to Go / Cruel / Going Out in Style / Take ‘Em Down / Echoes on A. Street / Devil’s Brigade / Boys on the Docks / The Dirty Glass / The State of Massachusetts / The Irish Rover / The Burden / Your Spirit’s Alive / 1953 / Barroom Hero / I’m Shipping Up to Boston / Encore / Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced / Skinhead on the MBTA / T.N.T. (AC/DC cover) /

Dropkick Murphys  WebSite  Facebook  Store

Dropkick Murphys – Fan Page

Now seems the perfect time to mention the #1 Dropkick Murphys group on Facebook. Ran by fans for fans. Simply click the link and join up and join in the Murphys related fun.

Thanks to Ray Ball for the great review and all photos. He has already featured on these pages as the driving force behind The Fighting 69th from Buffalo. The review of his 2-volume set of Dropkick Murphys covers was one of the most viewed of the year. One of the most prolific and diverse artists in the Celtic-Punk scene we are proud to have Raymond on board the London Celtic Punks team. Writer, artist, musician he is a credit to the American-Irish community and you can find a wealth of his material available at his Bandcamp site .

ALBUM REVIEW: BRYAN McPHERSON – ‘How To Draw Everything’ (2022)

Fiery, Folk-playing, Irish-American blue-collar Boston native Bryan McPherson is back aided by a ‘Molly’ and a ‘Murphy’ among others with a new album and bejaysus if it’s not one of his best ones yet!

I’ve often wondered at the word ‘fan’. As a longtime Leyton Orient supporter we don’t get many ‘fans’ down Brisbane Road. Over the years when we have had the odd moment of success some have drifted by before decamping to follow more media friendly teams that they can brag about on Facebook. See I think of ‘fan’ as opposed to ‘supporter’ as a rather trivial term for someone who isn’t really invested in what they follow. In that sense I don’t like to think of myself as a Bryan McPherson fan I think I’m more of a Bryan McPherson supporter! So with that in mind I’m a keen supporter of whatever he gets up. It’s been two years since Kings Corner was released and for Bryan believe me that’s quite a gap. A simple search for Bryan on this site will throw up reviews and articles reaching into double figures, a number reserved only for the likes of scene stalwarts like The Pogues or the Dropkick Murphys.

It doesn’t seem like two years that must be said as Bryan is one of those performers who keeps his audience, his supporters, close by him. Throughout the lockdowns Bryan was a regular face on our screens with his live streams and videos so it never seems he’s too far away and always there ready to connect with us. Perhaps it’s his Working Class background that keeps him so grounded, especially when all I ever see is huge amounts of praise and adulation for him! His ability to sing everything with passion imbued with a raw sense of emotion is second to none. An interesting anecdote here is (she’ll not be happy I told anyone) on hearing this album for the first time alone in the car my Mrs cried. She couldn’t put her finger on why but just a few snatched lines of lyrics and the mere sound of his voice seemed to be enough for the tears to flow.

Unusually for Bryan he has roped in some friends to aid on the recording of How To Draw Everything. Use to just voice, harmonica, acoustic guitar this album feels more fleshed out compared to much of his previous work with the ex- Dropkicks and current Walker Roader Marc Orrell on mandolin, Dustbowl Revival’s drummer Josh Heffernan, violinist Chris Murphy, who has worked with everyone from the Waterboys to Mike Watt, and Grammy Award-winning record producer and original guitarist for Flogging Molly, and also a Walker Roader, Ted Hutt on bass and percussion. Quite the roll call I’m sure readers, here especially, will agree. The album opens with ‘2 Birds’ which was also the first single/video released. With a rare opportunity to film outside his Mam and Dads house it’s a great video. Simple and effective and fits the song perfectly. I always get the impression that Bryan prefers the ‘home’ setting to set ups like this but he throws himself into and even manages to not look uncomfortable!

(Director of Photography: Eric Wagner * Production Assistant: Joe Bennett)

“There’s something about the sky that makes me grateful to be alive.”

A beautiful song with an unbelievably catchy chorus Bryan wraps so much round a simple tune. Lyrically there’s plenty to unwrap with Bryan triumphing over the demons in his life and coming out the other side. ‘Alameda St’ keeps it upbeat and tells of his move from Boston to Los Angeles and trying to figure out what to do with your life, and what lies deep in your heart. ‘Sweet Kari’ is more trad McPherson with a soft whisper cracking over a gentle folk song telling of moving on from lost love. The video here is from one of Bryan’s many live streams and is included here just for reference as like the video for ‘American Dream’ below many aspects of the song changed from these recordings to what eventually would appear on the album.

The harmonica is one of my favourite instruments and I think it’s a shame it doesn’t get used more in Celtic-Punk. It’s most definitely a folk instrument as you don’t need a music lesson to learn, making it the most working-class of all musical instruments! Here it gets an airing for both the upbeat and the gentler songs with ‘Hello, So Long And Goodbye’ a perfect example of the former. Catchy and tuneful but then the whole album is. How To Draw Everything has several anthems and ‘Lightning Lullaby’ is one such with several lines jumping out at you. “A bridge in England where everyone falls” and “going on tour with my depressing songs just like my Grandma use to sing to me” are just two as Bryan sings of the power of music in bringing people together. These are divided times and while each side thinks it’s because of the other their is always hope they are both wrong to think so. All the tracks here are written by Bryan except for ‘Shooting Star’ next up, where he was joined by Josiah Mazzaschi. A gentle beautiful song followed by another in ‘Troubled Times’. Bryan McPherson isn’t scared of an epic. My favourite of his songs is ‘I see A Flag’ check out the video from London where he performed to a small but adoring crowd back in 2015. Who would open their set with a eight minute song? Bryan McPherson that’s who. ‘American Dream’ is more than double that and it’s telling that it was several plays before I realised it’s length so gripping was it. Written in 2020 as tensions across the USA were greater than many even ever remember their was a need to remind ourselves that

“good outweighs the bad no matter how imperfect the country is, and there is power in recognizing our similarities.”

Chronicling his years on the road, playing and visiting every corner of the USA, meeting good and kind people everywhere he went. People with many differing views and experiences but still with the time to bond with this travelling musician living out of his car. A song full of optimism and a song I hope that looks to the future.

We are heading towards the end and ‘Home’ and on an album so strong while it is hard to pick this is my standout track. The word ‘beautiful’ has been overused in this review I’m sure you get my drift. ‘Bedroom Eyes’ is an optimistic love song and it’s just like Bryan to make some beautiful (groan..) out of something that on the face of is tragic.

“where I come from we grow up too tough”

After the first few plays I had insisted this was one of Bryan’s best albums but now while all the eleven songs are sitting at the top of my phones ‘most played’ list I would go so far as to say this is his best work to date. Each song is crafted with so much love and attention. This is what writing ‘musician’ on your passport really means. The album ends with the title song ‘How To Draw Everything’ and another standout track among the many. An amazing end to an amazing album.

How To Draw Everything was recorded at Kingsize Soundlabs in Los Angeles, California and produced expertly by Ted Hutt and engineered by Ryan Mall. Bryan’s journey from his raw debut Fourteen Stories, released in 2007 (I recommend checking out his back catalogue at the Bandcamp link below) has been a roller coaster of emotions with us being allowed into every aspect of his life and his thoughts. With age does come understanding, As he puts it

“From the perspective of age comes a spiritual death of what was, and in its place, a re-discovering of peace, country, and self are found. Hope finally outweighs despair and can be reclaimed, like a child wondering at the seeds of a dandelion. Hope was there all along.”

It may be a peculiar to put it but I support Bryan McPherson.

(Stream/ download Buy How To Draw Everything on the Bandcamp player below)

Buy How To Draw Everything Stream/Download/Vinyl/CD

Contact Bryan McPherson WebSite Facebook Instagram YouTube

All Bryan’s previous studio releases are available via Bandcamp plus many interesting live concerts and tracks, many available for free download and all available to stream. You can also support Bryan by buying some merchandise including a brand new How To Draw Everything t-shirt.

ALBUM REVIEW: SHANGHAI TREASON – ‘Shanghai Treason’ (2022)

2 years ago, Sheffield-based Shanghai Treason played their first gig. Now the wait is over…January ’21 sees the release of their self-titled debut album! If you’re partial to a bit o’ Dropkicks, Flogging and Roughneck Riot (and if you’re reading this, you probably are), then these “Yorkshire banjo punks” should be to yer liking. This record sounds like a band working hard, having fun, and determined to make a difference.

^{Shanghai Treason. From Sheffield, and keen to keep the local music scene going.}

As we all know, the banjo is a firm favourite in any Celtic punk line-up. And on this record, the instrument makes its mark immediately. “Emerald Causeway” is a cracking tune to start things off, an energetic number where banjoist Tom Hardy leads the way.

This is a sign of a band that shows promise, and we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed. The boys have been picked up by none other than The Rumjacks, who’ve taken them out on their current UK tour. Sadly, some shows have been cancelled – including Glasgow, dammit – but it’s a great early opportunity for the band in any case.

Now, the music might make an impression on the listener, but so too do the lyrics. In next track “Gatling Gun”, which has been released as a single, we hear clever lines from singer Sam Christie such as The city sucked me in, and moved the goalposts. A better one is Would you sew my eyes shut? I got a needle – you got any thread? That one’s from “The Fiendish Blue”, and I had to grin when I heard it. It’s always good to see a band using words in an intriguing way, right down to their band name.

Dynamic music

Shanghai Treason stays true to the Celtic punk tradition, by boasting its fair share of speedy, 2/4-time songs. Listen to “On The Ropes”, where the accordion takes over and gives the banjo a wee rest. “Wildfire” sounds like it’ll be another thrasher, but a break in the middle saves it, before we’re plunged back into the fast-paced fun. Importantly, “Wildfire” also features Dan Booth, well known for his work with Ferocious Dog. Dan played fiddle on the track, and also co-handled production of the album. For Shanghai’s take on FD’s “Crime And Punishment”,

Despite the faster numbers, the band is apt at writing slower tunes too. “Uphill Battle” is a good example, with a steady jig rhythm commencing halfway through, making the song one of my favourites on the album. A much sadder example is “Hero’s Welcome”, a song about a POW returning home from war, only to be suspected of being a spy and tragically killed. Closing track “Boatman” is the other acoustic-led one, where the eponymous boatman could be literal, or maybe a metaphor, leaving it up to interpretation.

Where can I hear the album?

The best way to show these lads some support is to head to their Bandcamp page. There, you’ll find not only the album but some kick-ass merch. If ye fancy a listen first, there’s a wealth of videos on the band’s YouTube page for you to try, and be sure to subscribe!

If streaming’s your thing, and ye wanna contribute some royalties to the band, you can also give them a listen on Spotify or Apple Music. Last of all, be sure to drop ’em a message and stay in touch on either Facebook or Instagram. Their Facebook page lists lots of upcoming shows as the world slowly gets back to gigging ways.

Thanks for readin’! Or as they say in Scotland…slàn leat agus pòg mo thòin 😁☘️

Andy x

CELEBRATING A CELTIC CHRISTMAS 2021. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE LONDON CELTIC PUNKS FAMILY

We think Celtic-Punk is about embracing the traditions of the past and bringing them to the present so here’s some of the Christmas customs of each of the Celtic nations.

At this point we also pick the best Christmas themed song we’ve heard to showcase. Their was a time it was quite easy to choose which song. Not any more!

This year our chosen Christmas track is by the fantastic Walker Roaders. Already a bit of a supergroup what with James Fearnley from the Pogues, Marc Orrell, and occasionally Tim Brennan, from the Dropkick Murphys and Ted Hutt from Flogging Molly but they are joined here by the wonderful KT Tunstall and Chris Leonard and fueled by coffee and mince pies got to work and came out the other end with ‘Run Rudolph Run’.

Contact Walker Riders  WebSite  Facebook  YouTube  Instagram

CELEBRATING A CELTIC CHRISTMAS

According to long standing theory, the origins of Christmas stems from pagan winter festivals. One main reason early Christians were able to spread their religion across Europe so quickly came from their willingness to embrace celebrations already common among regional populations. One such example is the Celtic ‘Alban Arthuan’, a Druidic festival that took place around December 21st. the Winter Solstice. This traditional fire festival celebrated the re-birth of the Sun. Although a celebration of the Son’s birth replaced that of the Sun’s, still a number of ancient Celtic Christmas traditions remain today.

As we look across the Celtic nations, it is interesting to note some similarities among Christmas traditions that cross geographic boundaries. They include, for example: Holly (a symbol of rebirth among Pagan Celts, but also of hospitality—it was believed fairies sought shelter inside the evergreen leaves to escape the cold); Mistletoe (believed to have healing powers so strong that it warded off evil spirits, cured illnesses and even facilitated a truce between enemies); fire and light (most notably the Yule log or candles placed in windows to light the way for strangers and symbolically welcoming Mary and Joseph); and door-to-door processions, from wassailing to Wren Hunts.

Each of the seven nations possesses its own variations of Celtic Christmas customs. Surrounding cultures and local identify shape theses practices as well.

SCOTLAND

Christmas was not officially recognized in Scotland for nearly four centuries. The Puritan English Parliament banned Christmas in 1647 and it did not become a recognized public holiday in Scotland until 1958. However, according to Andrew Halliday, in his 1833 piece Christmas in Scotland, Scots were not discouraged from celebrating Christmas. Halliday wrote

“We remember it stated in a popular periodical, one Christmas season not long ago, that Christmas-day was not kept at all in Scotland. Such is not the case; the Scots do keep Christmas-day, and in the same kindly Christian spirit that we do, though the Presbyterian austerity of their church does not acknowledge it as a religious festival”

Halliday’s 19th century account went on to describe festive sowens (sweetened oat gruel) ceremonies, “beggars” (actually “strapping fellows”) singing yule song, dances and card parties and children’s teetotum games. Despite Puritan rule, some long-time Christmas traditions are preserved. These include burning the Cailleach (a piece of wood carved to look like an old woman’s face or the Spirit of Winter) to start the new year fresh; or on Christmas Eve burning rowan tree branches to signify the resolution of any disputes. The Celtic tradition of placing candles in windows was also done in Scotland to welcome “first footers” (strangers, bearing a small gift) into the home. Traditional dishes also continue to be featured at Christmas lunch and throughout the holidays, including Cock-a-Leekie soup, smoked salmon, beef or duck, Clootie dumplings, black buns, sun cakes, Christmas pudding and Crannachan.

Because Christmas was not an official holiday until the late ‘50s it is no surprise that today, for some Scots, Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) is the most important event of the season. Arguably, locals ring in the new year with much more gusto than any other place on the planet.

IRELAND

An Autumn clean up was a common practice in Irish homes to prepare for Christmas. Women looked after cleaning the interior, while men took care of the outdoors, including whitewashing all exterior surfaces. Then holly, grown wild in Ireland, was spread throughout the house with cheer. Contemporary Ireland also highlights this clean-up ritual; once complete, fresh Christmas linens are taken out of storage.

Other customs include the Bloc na Nollaig or Christmas Block (the Irish version of the Yule log), candles in the window (perhaps one for each family member), and leading up to Christmas, ‘Calling the Waites’ where musicians would wake up townspeople through serenades and shouting out the morning hour. Christmas Eve Mass is still a grand affair; a time for friends and family to reconnect. It is not uncommon for churchgoers to end up at the local pub after service to ring in Christmas morn. On Christmas Day, traditional dishes include roast goose or ham and sausages, potatoes (such as champ), vegetables (such as cabbage with bacon) and plum pudding, whiskey, Christmas cake and barmbrack (currant loaf) for sweets. Traditionally on December 26th, St. Stephen’s Day, Wren Boys with blackened faces, carrying a pole with a dead bird pierced at the top, tramped from house to house. Today the custom sometimes sees children caroling throughout the neighbourhood to raise money for charity. It is also quite common to go out visiting on this day.

WALES

Music was and still is a major part of Welsh holidays. Plygain is a Christmas day church service, traditionally held between three and six in the morning featuring males singing acapella in three or four-part harmonies. While today this may be mainly practised in rural areas, Eisteddfodde (caroling) is abundantly popular in homes, door-to-door and as part of annual song-writing competitions.

Dylan Thomas’ story ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ is renowned around the world. An excerpt offers a glimpse of a traditional Welsh festive season:

“Always on Christmas night there was music. An uncle played the fiddle, a cousin sang ‘Cherry Ripe’ and another uncle sang ‘Drake’s Drum’… Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-coloured snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steady falling night”

Other intriguing Welsh traditions include toffee making; drinking from a communal wassail bowl of fruit, spices, sugar and beer; children visiting homes on New Year’s Day looking for their Callenig gift; and Mary Lwyd (Grey Mare) featuring wassail singers going door-to-door carrying a horse’s skull and challenging residents in a contest of mocking rhymes.

ISLE OF MAN

Carolling also holds a special place in Manx Christmas celebrations, but traditionally an unconventional twist characterized it. On Christmas Eve, large numbers attended church for Carval. While the congregation sang, all of a sudden women would begin the traditional food fight, having peas on hand to throw at their male counterparts! Accounts from the 1700s and 1800s describe 12 days of non-stop Christmas celebrations where every barn was filled with dancers accompanied by fiddlers the local parish hired. The Reverend John Entick recorded in 1774

“On the twelfth day the fiddler lays his head on one of the women’s laps, which posture they look upon as a kind of oracle. For one of the company coming up and naming every maiden in the company, asks the fiddler, who shall this or that girl marry? And whatever he answers it is absolutely depended on as an oracle”

As in Celtic fashion, Hunting the Wren processions occurred on the Isle of Man and today the practice is going through a revival, characterized by costumes, singing and dancing.

Other Manx customs include Mollag Bands, wearing eccentric clothing, swinging a mollag (fishing float) and demanding money (a practice since outlawed); the kissing bush (a more elaborate ornament than a sprig of mistletoe); and Cammag, a sport that originated on the Isle of Man traditionally played on December 26th and/or Easter Monday. In older times but even as recently as the early 20th century, Christmas decorations were not taken down until Pancake Tuesday (when they were burnt under the pancake pan). Now holiday décor tends to be packed away on Old Christmas (January 6th).

CORNWALL

As a result of Oliver Cromwell banning Christmas, authentic holiday carols began to fade through much of Britain. However, throughout the 1800’s, Cornish composers and collectors sparked a revival of local Christmas song.Certain carols well-known around the world, such as Hark the Herald Angels and While Shepherds, are credited to Cornish origins.

“Contrary to the effect Methodism might have had on the English carollers, in Cornwall its impact was to stimulate song,” states the Cornwall Council (Cornish Christmas Carols – Or Curls, 2011). “In those areas where Methodism was strongest, music and signing had their greatest appeal, and notably so at Christmas. The singers would practice in chapels and school-rooms, some of them walking miles to be there”

Today, Cornwall erupts in festivals, fairs and markets during the holidays. The Montol Festival in Penzance (named for Montol Eve on December 21st) is a six-day celebration highlighting many Cornish traditions. These include Mummers plays, lantern processions, Guise dancing (participants dress in masks and costume, such as mock formal dress, to play music and dance).

Montol is also the time for burning the Mock (yule log). A stickman or woman is drawn on the block of wood with chalk. When the log burns, it symbolizes the death of the old year and birth of the year to come.

BRITTANY

Brittany boasts a wealth of folklore and supernatural beliefs around Christmas time. Christmas Eve was known as a night of miraculous apparitions from fairies to Korrigans, and at midnight, for just a brief moment, waters in the wells would turn into the most sweet-tasting wine. It was also at midnight, when families were either at mass or in bed, that ghosts would surface; traditionally food was left out for deceased loved ones just in case they visited.

During the holidays, Christmas markets come alive in many Breton towns vending hand-made crafts and toys, baked cakes and bread and ingredients for Christmas dinner. You can also buy Gallette des Rois at stalls, as well as bakeries, which is traditionally eaten on January 6th (Epiphany). A tiny figurine (the fève) is hidden inside the puff pastry cake; the person who finds the figurine in their piece gets to be king or queen for the day and wear a crown. Another special tradition through all of France is a meal after Christmas Eve’s midnight mass, called Réveillon. Specifically in Britany, the traditional dish for this occasion is buckwheat crêpes with cream.

GALICIA

Galicia has its own unique Christmas gift-bearer that pre-dates Christianity. He is called Apalpador, a giant who lives in the mountains. For Christmas, he descends into the villages below to make sure each child has a full belly. He brings treats, such as chestnuts, and well wishes for a year full of delicious sustenance. While Apalpador may not be widely observed in Galicia, his legend is seeing a revival.

Food is very important during the Galician holidays, featuring at least two feasts (on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Not surprisingly, seafood is on the menu, including lobster, prawns, shrimp, sea bass, and cod with garlic and paprika sauce. Other culinary delights consist of cured meat, cheese and bread, roast beef with vegetables and for dessert tarta de Santiago (almond cake), filloas (stuffed pancakes) and turrones (nougats). The children of anticipate the coming of the Three Kings or Magis by filling their shoes and leaving them outside on Epiphany Eve, January 5th. Many Galician’s communities also parade on the 5th.

So there you have it the old traditions just like the traditional music we all love live on…

Nollick Ghennal as Blein Vie Noa (Manx Gaelic)

Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath ùr (Scottish Gaelic)

Nollaig Shona Dhuit agus Bliain Nua Fe Mhaise (Irish Gaelic)

Nedeleg Laouen na Bloavezh Mat  (Breton)

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda (Welsh)

Nadelik Lowen ha Bledhen Nowyth Da (Cornish)

Further Christmas themed fun with this London Celtic Punks Top Twenty

GET IN THE FESTIVE SPIRIT WITH THE LONDON CELTIC PUNKS CHRISTMAS CELTIC PUNK TOP-TWENTY!

CLICK HERE

Couldn’t leave it there without another ’21 Christmassa! ‘I Auditioned To Be Santa’ by our most favourite Pirate-Punk band Jolly Roger. All the way from the historic Celtic nation of Kernow. It’s the hilarious tale of two friends competing to be a store Santa Claus. One loves Christmas time and the other loves being a pirate. Listen on for what happens and who gets the job. Jolly Roger recently released a great EP Ship Or Bust and have a new van and are looking to busk in YOUR town!

Contact Jolly Roger  Facebook  YouTube  Instagram Bandcamp

EP REVIEW: THE RAMSHACKLE ARMY – ‘Highflyer’ (2021)

One of Australia’s finest Celtic punk exports are back with their first EP since 2016’s ‘Whitewashed Graves’. Have they still got it? Make no mistake: these guys pack a punch, and they always have.

The Ramshackle Army kicked the Celt-folk door open way back in 2010. Quickly, they proved they could deliver exciting, fast-paced performances to rival the best of ’em. While they’ve obviously been influenced by The Dropkick Murphys, and have a core sound reminiscent of 2000s-era punk rock, the band is much more than a mere Dropkicks tribute, let me tell ya that!

The Army have toured the US several times, supportin’ top names like The Tossers and The Dropkicks themselves, and sharing festival stages with Flatfoot 56 and The Mahones. The Army (as I shall refer to them from now on) have described their music as “the sounds of punk rock, with a dose of the Celtic folk”. And that, my friend, is precisely what we have here on ‘Highflyer’. And damn, it’s good to see these guys the other side of lockdown.

The Ramshackle Army. L-R: Jig (bass), Nath (guitar), Gaz (vocals), Adge (drums), Josh (banjo/mandolin) and Kat (fiddle).

To the EP itself: this 5-track record is a thrasher, from start to finish 🙂 It also showcases some of the band’s punkiest moments to date. From the minute the title track “Highflyer” kicks in, we know we’re in for another good ride. Singer Gaz Byrne treats us to the catchy, Cockney-tinged vocal melodies we’re used to from him. The sound again immediately provides that homely feeling that Celtic music always summons in the listener. With lines like “Where is the line in the sand? / Why do highflyers sink so low?”, the song takes a critical swipe at the business success but lack of moral principles embraced by some “highflyers”, wrapping it up in a hopeful and powerful chorus. A strong opener, and one that brings back memories of “Protest Songs” from the aforementioned ‘Whitewashed Graves’ EP, or indeed 2012’s classic “Rue The Day”, the video to which is currently nearing 50,000 views on YouTube.

Tracks #2 (“Bend Don’t Break”) and #3 (“Rise and Fall”) allow the band’s rock sound into the foreground, with the fiddles and mandolins taking more of a back seat. However, this takes nothing away from the musicianship of these songs, and our favourite Celtic instruments make a strong return in the interestingly-titled “The Also Rans”. If you’re looking for the band’s signature “woah-oh!” singalong moments, then await the chorus patiently 😁 For me, this is the second strongest song on the record only to title track “Highflyer”, but you might feel differently, so crank the volume 😉

You’ll want to keep the volume up for closer “Old Weapons”, too. I’m pretty familiar with The Army’s back catalogue, but they’ve hardly ever sounded heavier or faster than they do here. A desperate burst of energy to emerge from the terrible pandemic that’s wrecked people’s lives, perhaps? Maybe. Either way, this one’s sure to be a firm singalong at the band’s gigs in support of the EP, supplying 1 minute and 49 seconds of untempered energy.

Anyway, enough from me…to feast yer ears on this fine piece o’ work, click HERE or try Spotify.

To connect with the band, check ’em out on Facebook or Instagram.

After 11 years in the biz, The Ramshackle Army are still tight as fuck. If it’s good-quality, almost virtuoso-level Celtic punk that you seek, you’ll still find it right here.

ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP OCTOBER 2021

It’s time now again for this months London Celtic Punks round-up of all the band news, record releases and videos from bands big and small from across the Celtic-Punk scene.

We start with some interesting news from West Britain Dublin of a new Celtic-Punk band THE BLACK IRISH. Whistle, sax, mandolin, accordion, fiddle, bass, drums, 2 guitars, 4 vocals. Brand new, formed with experienced trad and punk musicians. Looking for gigs in the UK and US. The Bhoys have already played a stack of gigs and have more lined up. Sep 10th – IE – Dublin, Grand Social Sep 25th – FR – Montpellier, Secret Place Sep 26th – FR – Montpellier, Secret Place, acoustic sessions Nov 19th – IE – Dublin, Grand Social, with Booze and Glory Dec 10th – FR – Paris, Montreuil, la Comedia Dec 11th – BE – Ghent, Nazareth, Grand Canyon Jan 7th – NI – Belfast, voodoo. You can check them out yourselves on their Facebook page.

More from the ‘Auld Sod’ now and news of two projects to help and promote the Irish language. The idea is to make music under two different band names – PONCCC and DRAOI.MUIR. As Ponccc it will mostly concentrate on post-punk/shoegaze kind of music. As Draoi.Muir the style of music will be more droney/ambient rock. They recently recorded a King Gizzard cover for You Tube. There’s an example of their work as PONCCCC and the song ‘Mo Scriobhaí’ below. The Welsh languages strong position is due in no small measure to its success in the 80’s/90’s in various music genres from Punk legends Anhrefn to rubbish pop band Super Furry Animals! We hope to be looking into this project in more detail soon.

Even more news from home and their debut song, a hardcore ‘Drunken Sailor’, from up and coming North Sligo band the CHURCH HOUSE CREEPERS. They said to expect more of this kind of stuff to follow so keep an eye out here!

The Graveyard Johnny’s CALLUM HOUSTON has featured on these pages several times and he has just released a radically different version of ‘Gravities’ from the EP of the same name. The EP was reviewed back in 2019 if you want to check out the EP that made #5 in our Best Of list that year.

Prescription Punk Rock interviewed Tim Brennan about the new Dropkick Murphys album Turn Up The Dial. Here’s the whole interview without any editing.

THE BLAGGARDS – Blagmatic (review on it’s way!)

GERRY RAFFERTY – Rest In Blue

PHIL ODGERS – Ghosts Of Rock’n’Roll

TORTILLA FLAT – New Stuff In An Old Barrel (review on it’s way!)

THE STAB ROVERS – Beyond The Waves

CONNEMARA STONE COMPANY – For One Ireland

THE O’REILLYS AND THE PADDYHATS – In Strange Waters

remember we can’t review what we don’t hear!

Top geeza FRANKIE McLAUGHLIN is keeping busy and has just done guest vocals for another band. This time Greek’s BACK PAGES on their song ‘Glory Comes’. The song features the sound of Greek bagpipes and a wicked geetar solo!

I hate the word ‘contempory’ as it conjures up an image of a table full of ex-public schoolboys stroking their beards trying to outdo each other with the latest trend but for once the word fits quite nicely when applied to GLENN HODGE BANNED. A solo artist whose previous single ‘As It Is’ we positively loved. Well he’s a new album out, The Long Run, and just released the first single ‘Jack Of All Trades’ Filmed in one shot on the iPhone 12 and recorded in a theatre in Camden Town the song speaks of the journeyman artist that continue against all the odds.

Came across this by accident not long back and really liked it. Recent release to YouTube from PINE TREE RIOT. Riot seems to be replacing ‘Bastard’ as the most popular Celtic/Folk- Punk name. I even think the Yanks call this style of music Riot Folk or something. Anyway its pretty decent.

Dutch band PLUNDER released their new album Vrijhaven last July and here have put out the second single from it. Seems to be a bit of a renaissance among Pirate themed bands of late. Absolutely brilliant video.

“LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC”. It just sounds so good even to just say it!!! ‘Bastard’ will always be favourite band-name though (except for one!) and just to prove it here’s BASTARD FOLK from faraway Russia giving it large.

We mentioned the The Swamp Rabbit Celtic Punk Fest in South Carolina last month well it went ahead and was by all accounts a damn good laugh. Here’s our old mate TC COSTELLO who organised the whole shebang playing with THE PYRATE QUEEN.

This section is for Celtic-Punk bands that have (on the large) left us but their music is still deserving to be heard and there are still so many out there that passed us by. Today is the turn of THE SORRY LOT, a nine piece Irish Folk and ballad group from Napa, California. High-energy renditions of trad drinking songs, as well as a few modern and original tunes, while keeping the music true to it’s roots. The Beer Flood EP dates from 2015 and the band have a wealth of other music on their Bandcamp page that is also available for free download including a live album from St. Patrick’s Day 2013 recorded at Downtown Joe’s Brewery in their hometown. It’s a bit unclear if they are still playing or not but you can still contact them over on Facebook.

Don’t forget the big news of next month is the release of the new FEROCIOUS DOG album The Hope. The single ‘The Hope’ comes out on the 10th and the album is out the 15th. Reviews are already sneaking out. You can pre-order it here: https://thehope.ferociousdog.co.uk/

Forty years after breaking up in their prime. A band has returned from the ashes to give it another lash… No not Abba but VENTURA HIGHWAY from Derry. One of the cities original New Wave / Punk bands. Loads of recent live videos over on their Facebook page.

Interesting video here. Yer-man may be a bit of a prick and he could have chosen an actually Irish Folk song (facepalm!) but at least he’s honest prick! Give it a go as some Irish diaspora Hip-Hop out there is pretty good. Check out SLAINE for a start.

The more I see of Facebook the more and more I dislike it. It’s stranglehold on all forms of expression is not good so if you feel the same you can now subscribe to London Celtic Punks posts via our group on the new phone app Telegram. Very similar in style (but better and easier to use) than What’s App and completely free from Facebook control. Join us on Telegram and don’t miss a single post! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/  

Some London Celtic Punks news now and we still have a handful of Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer t-shirts available. They come in all sizes from Small right up to XXX-L and are available from our online store. Also available are 2 other shirt designs so click the link below for our full range of other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan could ever need!  https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

A plug for some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans. Just like and join in the fun!

*If you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Bands, promoters, record labels, venues send in any news to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or via the Contact Us page.

EP REVIEW: SHADOWS OF BOSTON – ‘Demo’ (2021)

FREE DOWNLOAD!!

Amid the ashes of the Boston music scene burns an ember. A glowing promise of the raging fires that used to burn. The keepers of the flame are SHADOWS OF BOSTON.

A new Celtic Street Punk band band formed out of ex-members of Boston Punk bands Dropkick Murphys, Toxic Narcotic and The Blue Bloods. Raymond Lloyd Ball was among the first to hear the Shadows Of Boston debut release, a 4 track EP that has already set the Celtic-Punk scene alight, and here lets us know what all the fuss is about.

Did anyone believe a band out of Boston would be playing a mix of rock, punk, folk, and Celtic music? Of course you do. We all know and love the Murphy’s. And I’ll happily buy their records, merch, etc. because they’re something I grew up loving and shaped my musical trajectory.

I read in a review of the last album that it was “dad rock”. And it’s true. We can’t all be 20-something or younger pisspots forever.

For me, it’s a bittersweet pill to swallow, but that’s for another day. Fast forward to August 2021. I caught some random post that there was a new group coming out of Boston with ex-DKM piper “Scruffy” Wallace.

Shadows Of Boston left to right: Eric – Bass * Benny – Accordion, Banjo, Harp (yes feckiing harp!!!, Bagpipes * Tim – Drums, Bagpipes * Tony – Vocals, Guitar * Al – Lead Guitar, Vocals * Herb – Mandolin, Guitar, Bagpipes *   Scruffy – Vocals, Whistles, Bagpipes *

I didn’t pay a whole ton of attention at the time. Much like the Street Dogs and the Walker Roaders, I didn’t want to think of them as a cool offshoot of DKM.

While each of said groups I love, my skepticism is always there. How can we really keep reinventing the wheel? Frankly we can’t. In the words of the McKenzies- “It’s all been done before”. But that sure as hell doesn’t mean we can’t revisit it.

Enter “Shadow of Boston”. They released a four track demo EP just days ago. Skeptic or not, the rumblings of Celtic punk out of Boston was enough to make me get a copy.

I was floored. Hard. Brash. Unrefined. In-your-face punk music with a Celtic twist. To those of us who still listen to “Sing Loud, Sing Proud” or “Do or Die”, or at least spent our youth doing so-this album is for you.

Part of the beauty of it is it’s format. It’s not squeaky-clean overproduced. It’s rough around the edges. I would love to delve into lyrics and styles but I can’t. And that is awesome. Other than the titles, I can’t make most of it out. And unless you google them, I can’t make a damn word out of a DKM record until “The Gangs all Here”. We’re not reinventing the wheel here. But to old, curmudgeonly bastards who have heard not only the Murphy’s, but important bands from the late-90s / early-00s Celtic punk-download a copy of this. It’s a diamond in the rough of a million bands playing the same thing. Not to knock anyone-and I’ve already talked about that other Boston Celtic band more than I wanted. But for those who remember Far From Finished or Righteous Jams – older Boston punk bands that didn’t make it past an album or two. This record is for you. Forget the connection with that other band. Yeah, ex members, great. But for everyone who’s complained over the groups of this era losing their edge – shut up and download the record. It’s truly a breath of fresh air you didn’t even realize you needed.

(Download or stream the Shadows Of Boston EP from the Bandcamp player below) 

SOB Demo  on all platforms!! ..Spotify, itunes Tidal…etc.etc but free on Bandcamp

Contact Shadows Of Boston  WebSite  Facebook  YouTube  Instagram

Scruffy and Benny sat down with Mistress Carrie and did The Mistress Carrie Podcast at the end of 2020. Scruffy spoke of his time in The Dropkick Murphys, touring the world, learning the bagpipes and Punk-Rock, while they both talked about their time deployed in combat (would love to hear what they think of the current situation!), what makes Boston the city that it is and all things Shadows Of Boston.

https://mistresscarriepodcast.simplecast.com/episodes/25-scruffy-wallace

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Thanks to Raymond Lloyd Ball for the great review. He has already featured on these pages as the driving force behind The Fighting 69th from Buffalo. The review of his 2-volume set of Dropkick Murphys covers was one of the most viewed of the year. One of the most prolific and diverse artists in the Celtic-Punk scene we are proud to have Raymond on board the London Celtic Punks team. Writer, artist, musician he is a credit to the American-Irish community and you can find a wealth of his material available at his Bandcamp site .

ODDS’N’SODS. A CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP SEPTEMBER 2021

Summer holidays are almost over which in time honoured tradition means its time for the good weather to really kick in. It’s also time again for this months London Celtic Punks round-up of all the band news, record releases and videos from bands big and small from across the Celtic-Punk scene. 

Where better to start than with another bloody brilliant music video from the DROPKICK MURPHYS. This time for ‘H.B.D.M.F.’ taken Turn Up That Dial. While not one of the album’s strongest songs the video more than makes up for it!!!

Sheffield band THE SILK ROAD are the first (I think) of the English Celtic-Punk bands to really start gigging and they already have quite a few under their belts. Here’s them giving it large at a Dronfest ’21 last week. Loads more live videos on their Facebook page.

Regular readers will have seen how we gushed over the new recent Phantom Of The Black Hills album (It’s brilliant!!!) well Mather Louth of the HEATHEN APOSTLES played a huge part in the album success and with the Heathen’s set to tour Europe next month their new release is a 3-track EP as featured in the first Gothic Western animated series The Goodbye Family, by author Lorin Morgan-Richards from his comic book series. The instrumental ‘Lake Of Fire’ is out of this world!

Another band in much the same vein are THE BRIDGE CITY SINNERS from Portland who just released their debut album Unholy Hymns last week. 

FINNY McCONNELL of The Mahones released ‘Someone Save Me’ from his upcoming new solo album The Dark Streets Of Love. Out on True North records on September 4th.

We missed the release of the debut album from SLOPPY BUT LUCKY from Topeka, Kansas. It came out back in January 2020 and seems an awfully long time ago now. Glad I caught up in the end though as its pretty damn good. The guys call it all ‘Celtic Folk-Punk Camping Music’ and aye that’s about right. Hobo Rich is 6 songs of intense acoustic music with all proceeds donated to animal rescues and animal charities. An issue the band are passionate about and good to them.

GREEN DIESEL – After Comes the Dark

VARIOUS ARTISTS – The Electric Muse Revisited: The Story Of Folk Into Rock And Beyond (4CD compilation)

BELLOWHEAD – Reassembled

This section is for Celtic-Punk bands that have (on the large) left us but their music is still deserving to be heard. Anyone who knows us knows how much we love our Aussie Celtic-Punk. With all the ranting and raving we do about it is no wonder. Here’s JACK FLASH a band from Toowoomba in Queensland. Having long departed the scene they left some pretty damn good music behind and where better to start then their last release a recording of their final show, recorded live at The Irish Club Toowoomba on 4th June 2016. The album is available for ‘name your price’ download and there’s a whole host of other releases on their Bandcamp page available the same way dating right back to their debut EP Take Notice from 2007.

Ken from FEROCIOUS DOG recorded this heartfelt music video at Harlech in North West Wales while carrying out a beach clean with Sea Shepherd volunteers to support Sea Shepherd UK, a marine conservation charity. The song will feature as a bonus track on our upcoming album The Hope on the deluxe CD version.

MATT HARTLESS AND THE MAVERICK 7 got an interesting new album out. The Manchester band cover plenty of bases but I thought it may be of interest to you as I know how good the musical taste is of people who read this web-zine.

Some great live gigs coming up if you live here in the belly of the beast. It’s been a long, dark year and a half for the live music industry, both here and beyond, but the resurgence of live music has begun and is returning to London once again. For lovers of Celtic-Metal you in for a treat with a rare London appearance from extreme metal masters PRIMORDIAL over from Ireland supported by one of my genre favourites SAOR down from Scotland as well as Hellripper and Fen. It’s all at The Electric Ballroom in Camden, north London August 29th. Tickets £25 from the Electric Ballroom.

Some London Celtic Punks news now and we still have a handful of Green’n’White ‘Skully Cap’ ringer t-shirts available. They come in all sizes from Small right up to XXX-L and are available from our online store. Also check out our full range of other tatt. Shirts, badges, stickers, flags, CD’s and fridge magnets all the discerning Celtic-Punk fan would ever need!  https://the30492shop.fwscart.com/

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The more I see of Facebook the more and more I dislike it. It’s stranglehold on all forms of expression is not good so if you feel the same you can now subscribe to London Celtic Punks posts via our group on the new phone app Telegram. Very similar in style (but better and easier to use) than What’s App and completely free from Facebook control. Join us on Telegram and don’t miss a single post! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/  

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A plug for some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans. Just like and join in the fun!

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If you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Bands, promoters, record labels, venues send in any news to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or via the Contact Us page.

ALBUM REVIEW: DROPKICK MURPHYS – ‘Turn Up The Dial’ (2021)

Now the dust has settled and everyone else has had a go and published their reviews of the latest Dropkick Murphys album ‘Turn Up The Dial’ it is our turn. We see our role here as to promote the little known bands in the Celtic-Punk scene but we have always got time for the ‘big-hitters’ too. We are pleased to have guest reviewer Rory Quinn of New York-Irish-Celtic-Punk band The Templars Of Doom to give us a unique insight of the album from a American-Irish perspective. 

The Bastion Bhoys of Boston do it again!

After a year like 2020 you have two options for your fans: wallow in the suffering, or present the world a reprieve. Dropkick Murphys have (wisely I feel) opted for the latter. Not particularly a surprise from a band that spent the pandemic raising money for others and offering live-streamed performances to keep people entertained. So before you listen you have to ask yourself? Am I ready to say “forget the nonsense, let’s crank the music!”

Anyway, let’s dive in!

Arrangement wise this album has hooks and riffs for days between the multiple instrumental melodies to the gang vocal chant of chorus’s urging you to sing along before you’ve even finished the first listen! This band is tight, the parts fleshed out, the vocals good and snarky. Really what more could you want from classic Celtic-punk?

The Dropkick Murphy’s have had the means to create sonically fantastic worlds on record for a while now and ‘Turn Up That Dial’ is no exception. Every facet is crystal clear from the roar of the guitars to the lightest folk instruments. What really draws me in is their ability to match the intensity of their legendary live performances. At points I completely lost track of the fact I was listening home alone. I would have sworn I was in the middle of a crowd cheerfully chanting as I picked up the lyric!

Speaking of lyrics DKM are known for a combination of comedic and heartfelt songs with ’Turn Up That Dial’ continuing that tradition. You’ve got classic self deprecating “Middle Finger” vs the longing/sorrow of “I Wish You Were Here.” And of course, the occasional grateful power song as found with the albums namesake. Without explaining every song to you dear reader I believe you’ll get the idea, it’s the DKM, they have a style they love and we love ‘em for it!

We are blessed to be living in an age where the internet allows access to Celtic-Punk from throughout the globe. It’s easy to forget that not long ago this wasn’t so. My first experience with Dropkick Murphys came in the late 90’s. A cousin of mine HAD to show me this new record he got, one that combined Punk with our Irish heritage. I didn’t believe it until I heard it, and my life changed from the first riff. Being Irish was something that (as an American) was celebrated by my family and not much else. Sure the St. Patrick’s Day parade existed but it seemed more an excuse to party than to honor heritage. To hear in that music a shared sense of community opened my eyes to a world in which I firmly belonged, an understanding of family that exists from afar. Every year I hear more people dismiss DKM, maybe because they’re the easy target or because they’ve survived long enough to suffer “It’s not as good as their old stuff” syndrome. My retort is NONE OF THAT MATTERS. Love ‘em or hate them Dropkick Murphy’s opened the door for Celtic-Punk and a celebration of Irish culture all the world over, and for that I am eternally grateful. 

If you’re a Celtic-Punk fan lend this album your ear. It’s a prime example of what the DKM have been about for a while, story songs to improve your life from the sheer enjoyment of it all. This collection of 11 songs will have you moving, laughing, forgetting your problems, and most importantly turning up that dial!

Dropkick Murphys  WebSite  Facebook  Store

Now seems the perfect time to mention the #1 Dropkick Murphys group on Facebook. Ran by fans for fans. Simply click the link and join up and join in the Murphys related fun.

Dropkick Murphys – Fan Page

Thanks to Rory for the great review. The Templars Of Doom are soon to begin the recording of their third album but you can listen for free to both their previous albums at the link below.

https://templarsofdoom.bandcamp.com/

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP JUNE 2021

Summer’s here, the pubs are re-opening, live music is returning and the world of Celtic-Punk is getting back to normal as well! This months Odds’n’Sods features all the band news, record releases, videos from bands big and small across the Celtic-Punk scene. 

Kicking off this month with the new video from THE DROPKICK MURPHYS continue their tradition of celebrating their bagpipers with this beauty dedicated to new piper Lee Forshner. The vid is animated by Adam Murphy (@adammurphyart).

A whole host of new tour dates have been released too with several English and Scots dates culminating in a gig at Wembley Arena!

New tour dates announced today from THE RUMJACKS of their most extensive tour of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland ever for Jan/ Feb 2022. Supported on most dates by the fantastic SHANGHAI TREASON. Check both bands FB pages for dates.

Speaking of SHANGHAI TREASON they put out the third track from their upcoming debut album last week. ‘On The Ropes’ tells of a boxer approaching retirement and again shows their the hottest band in Celtic-Punk at the moment.

English Celtic-Folk-Punk rockers FOLK THE SYSTEM release their second album soon and it’s available for pre-release sale from http://www.folkthesystem.co.uk

Eddie Lawlor from the fantastic Aussie Celtic-Punk band MEDUSA’S WAKE has been releasing the odd solo track here and there and his new one ‘The Orange And Green’ shows what a great talent this fella is. You can watch it on Facebook here.

Exciting news from the Orient (and I don’t just mean the appointment of Kenny Jackett) that the new single from Chinese/ Liverpool Irish band GRASS MUD HORSE lands next week and features the incredible vocal talents and tin-whistling of yer man himself FRANKIE McLAUGHLIN. Tune in here on June 8th to hear it.

Cool as hell video from THE POSITIVE AUTISM of the Murph’s ‘Shipping Up To Boston’. The Positive Autism is 2-Man Band featuring an autistic singer (Micah) and his dad (Danny). We make music to promote autism acceptance. Micah has difficulty talking to people so music gives him a voice. Exact;ly what music ought to do. Support the guys and if you have a song request for Micah leave it in the comments.

Norway’s Premier League Celtic-Punk hitters the GREENLAND WHALEFISHERS have re-visted, re-mastered and re-released their first four albums. Mainstreet Sword, Loboville, Streets Of Salvation and the collection of B-Sides and other crap, Amazing Space (b-sides and other crap). The albums are available on all digital platforms now.

Toronto band OLD MAN FLANAGHAN’S GHOST have a new album out. Re-mastered and re-jiggered from their Covid Live Stream performance. Fourteen tracks of covers and originals they have never recorded before.

I can’t remember how I came across TEDDY HORSE but imagine a sound somewhere in the middle of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Will Oldham and the Godfather of Celtic-Punk Shane MacGowan. A sort of Celtic-Emo if you will. Unusual but a real grower.

FIDDLER’S GREEN premiered their new track ‘Haul Away, Joe’ on You Tube this month and it features the comforting sound of a hurdy-gurdy!

THE POKES – Sail

LEWIS BURNER – Dark Wheels Turn Above Our Heads

LIDDINGTON HILL – Cow

SHAMBOLICS – Goin’ Off

THE BLACK CLOVER – Just Another Pub

remember we can’t review what we haven’t heard!

The ever prolific London Celtic Punks fave TIM HOLEHOUSE has a new album out called simply ‘?’. It’s a collection of tracks from compilations, and some other unearthed gems.

Galician street punk / Oi! band KELTOI! celebrate 15 years together in 2021 and have just released a 2-track single. If you’re into bands like the Cockney Rejects then check these guys out. The very definition of a CELTIC-punk band!

This month we are re-visiting my favourite album from Canadians KNACKER’S YARD. High energy traditional Celtic-Folk from Victoria, BC, since late 2012. Gangers, Chancers And The Craic was released on July 6, 2018 and features an amazing seventeen songs and is available as a ‘name your price’ download on Bandcamp. Strongly committed to the preservation of over four centuries of Irish, Scottish, and English traditional music. For fans of The Dubliners, Pogues, Wolfe Tones, Ryan’s Fancy, Stan Rogers, Ewan MacColl, Shirley Collins, Dominic Behan, Planxty, and many more! Knacker’s Yard are still playing and releasing albums and are now up to seven with last year’s Strayaway Child.

Facebook has become an unlikeable monster with more and more good folk leaving. Can’t say I blames you. So we have set up a Telegram group. Similar but better (and easier to use) than What’s App and free from Facebook control. Join us on Telegram and don’t miss a single post! https://t.me/londoncelticpunks/

A plug for some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans. Just like and join in the fun!

All we need to do now is for you to help fill this page with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP MARCH 2021

Our regular monthly feature of all the Celtic-Punk news that’s fit to print. Band news, record releases, videos, tours (not individual gigs though yet sadly), live streams, crowd funders etc., send it into us at londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or through the Contact Us page. All will get a mention but I need YOU to help if it’s going to work.

Well it looks like St. Patrick’s Day is cancelled again this year. Still loads to keep us occupied during the ‘Celtic month’ of March. Here’s all the Celtic-Punk news that’s going on and a load of new music and videos to check out as well to forget your troubles to!

No question what the big news recently has been. The announcement of the release date for the new DROPKICK MURPHYS album. Turn Up That Dial is out on April 30th and is available for pre-order here. No doubt their will be multitudes of different packages and merchandise options so get saving now! They also put out the first song from the album, ‘Middle Finger’.

New Jersey Irish singer/ songwriter SEAN TOBIN is my new favourite artist and he played a Live Stream last week on You Tube well worth checking out. Blue-collar, working-class Irish American Folk music. Watch out for a review of his new EP in the next few days!

BROPHY’S LAW release their favourite live track ‘The Bachelor’, a traditional authentic Folk-Punk sound with an alternative edge. Neil Brophy says he wrote this aged 18 influenced by watching The Pogues performing in their glory days on the London scene. They sang about the drinking holes of London, a great recipe for ‘The Bachelor’ a song that paints a picture of a working class guy who surrenders his life to the devil in the jar and drinks himself insane.

FEROCIOUS DOG have signed to Graphite Records and are currently recording their 5th studio album called The Hope!

More news out of the Ferocious Dog camp is that FD’s Dan and Nick Burbridge (ex- McDermott’s Two Hours) have collaborated on a new album titled Icons. A year in the making now of 12 songs, maybe 13. Once the FD album is off for  mixing it will be finished and out by the end of spring/early summer. Jeremy Leveller is doing the album and t-shirt artwork. To pre-order the CD, t-shirt or bundle visit the web-site at  https://nickanddan.co.uk/

The Bandcamp vultures are waiving their massive revenue share on all sales next Friday, March 5, 2021, from midnight to midnight Pacific Time. If the greedy bastards really wanted to “support musicians during Covid-19” then maybe they wouldn’t take so much of their money the rest of the time. So only buy on that day for the next couple of weeks and you can support us here, we have a handful of releases where all money raised goes to support the Justice For The Craigavon 2 campaign (#JFTC2)

There’s a extensive interview from NY State Celtic-Punk band THE TEMPLARS OF DOOM in the new Winter edition of Punk N Praise. Its a new internet Christian Punk fanzine and is available for **FREE** simply by sending your email address to pamsbnb@aol.com or at tinasaol@aol.com. This issue also includes British Christian Punk band, Peter118.

Lockdown Lullabies is a 5-band compilation CD featuring four major kick-ass Celtic Rock and Punk bands THE SHAMROGUES, KILMAINE SAINTS, BARLEYJUICE, POEHEMIA and JAMISON. Twenty tracks from the Tri-state area’s best bands. Available from Ryf Records.

THE PLACKS from the Scottish Highlands and Islands are one of the most prolific bands around at the moment and not letting the lockdown hold them back too much! ‘The Sabbath’ is their fourth single in the last 12 months and comes out on the 5th March but is available now for pre-order.

To France now and hot on the heels of the Toxic Frogs recent EP comes the Folk’n’Punk band THE MULLINS with a great new video. Lots of new music on their You Tube channel worth checking out.

Fellow Frenchies THE MOORINGS have a new album out soon and you are invited to help get it released here.

The first news out of the MATILDA’S SCOUNDFRELS camp in a very long while sees them release a new 7″ single/ download. Available to buy now on pre-release from Bandcamp. Also a new video featuring ‘Jousting Crowd’ from the single.

The legendary show that started PEAT & DIESEL’s sold out 2020 tour at Glasgow’s most iconic venue, The Barrowlands Ballroom. All the favourites from their first two albums Uptown Fank and Light My Byre played live in front of 2000 diehard fans and the atmosphere they brought with them that special night. It is not in any way recorded with any fancy tools to sort any mistakes or nonsense, its 100% raw, just the way Peat & Diesel wanted it!

THE RUMJACKS – Hestia

PEAT & DIESEL – Live at the Barrowlands 2020

MATILDA’S SCOUNDRELS – The Devil’s Dues

THE PEELERS – Down And Out In The City Of Saints

SEAN TOBIN – St. Patrick’s Day Forever (reviewed soon)

THE FEELGOOD McLOUDS – Saints & Sinners (reviewed soon)

NEVERMIND NESSIE –  Another Sixpack Drinking Songs

Remember if you want your release featured then we have to have heard it first!

Thanks to Owen for putting me onto the Grand Rapids, Michigan band THE BILLIES. Dedicated to bringing Celtic music to a more main stream audience, blending modern Pop/Rock tunes and Celtic songs. Never heard this band before and I can’t find them on Facebook so we have to suppose that they are no more. Still they have left their mark and Who Wants Some is a fantastic album. Seven mostly original songs that includes one of the best (and surprising) covers I have ever heard- ‘Mighty And Superior’ by London anarcho-punk band Conflict!

Sad news from Australia and the demise of one of the countries best Celtic-Punk bands FOX ‘N’ FIRKIN. A bit of a cryptic announcement on their FB page but we wish the guys well and thanks for some bloody brilliant music. You helped make the Aussie scene the best in the world!

In light of a recent event and information we have only just been made aware of we are no longer able to move forward as a band. We wish to give no further comments on the situation. Robbie, Adrian & Leigh want to thank our fans for the years support.

Originally from Cork, Ireland, CATHAL COUGHLAN is the co-founder and singer of acclaimed 80s/90s groups Microdisney and Fatima Mansions. Widely considered to be one of Ireland’s most revered singer/songwriters, beloved by fans of caustic literate lyricism and erudite song craft. He has a new album, Song Of Co​-​Aklan, out at the end of March available for pre-order now.

A new song of high-octane Folk from Massachusetts (and a little bit Rhode Island) band THE KING’S BUSKETEERS. Traditional songs from the British Isles and North America shake the rafters, with some bardic acapella hollering and floor-stomping originals added in for flavour.

A new track from Dutch band THE ROYAL SPUDS over on Bandcamp. The Spuds were one of the bands whose tour we had to sadly cancel due to the original Covid lockdown last year. Available as a ‘name your price’ download is all you need to know. Well that and that it is brilliant!

Great new song/ video of ‘Finnegan’s Wake’ from Italian Celtic-Folk-Punk-Trad band PATRICK’S telling the story of Tim Finnegan the only man who escaped death thanks to whiskey and the incredible adventures of poor Tim and his drunken friends during his funeral wake!

Loads of live streams going on around St Patrick’s Day. The main ones of course being Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys of course. It will go live at 2am on the Thursday but loads of live music to take you up to then. Expect sets from 1916, Cutthroat Shamrock and more. Check the London Celtic Punks Facebook page on Paddy’s Day for what we will be watching and recommending!

A plug for some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans. Just like and join in the fun!

and before we end something a little bit different. Celtic-Folk-Metal pioneers TUATHA DE DANNANN from Brazil release their 7th album In Nomine Éireann. Known for their merry Celtic dance rhythms, flute melodies and Celtic mythology-inspired lyricshere they pay tribute to Irish music and culture. Songs and Tunes taken from the traditional lore with special guests like John Doyle (Solas) and Keith Fay (Cruachan) making this album truly unique and special.

All we need to do now is for you to help fill this page with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP DECEMBER 2020

In a attempt to get away from just doing ‘ReviewReviewReviewReview…’ we started a monthly feature of all the Celtic-Punk news that passed us by. All will get a mention but I need YOU to help if it’s going to work. Any band news, record releases, videos, tours (not individual gigs though yet sadly), live streams, crowd funders etc., send it into us at londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or through the Contact Us page.

So much has written about it but here is our one and only take on FONY and it comes from the man himself. The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan brands decision to censor Fairytale of New York ‘ridiculous’  from The Irish Post, 25th November 2020.

We may have heard it a million times before but here’s a different spin on FONY but with a New York Puerto Rican influence by ST. DOYLE AND THE LAST CALL PHILHARMONIC.

‘Johnny Depp Presents’ it states right at the beginning of this feature length documentary on the Godfather of Celtic-Punk the legendary Shane MacGowan. Featuring unseen archival footage from The Pogues and Shane’s family, as well as animation from Ralph Steadman, Julien Temple’s rollicking love letter spotlights the iconic frontman up to his 60th birthday celebration, where singers, movie stars and Rock’n’Roll outlaws gathered to celebrate the man and his legacy. Available everywhere December 4th!!

The BRICK TOP BLAGGERS are a wicked band and here’s a full band live performance originally streamed on the internet but shown here on You Tube. The Blaggers been as active as any band can over the last few months and we’ve enjoyed some great Live Streams from them but this one, performed for the 2020 Samhain Celtic New Year Festival, is one of the better ones regarding sound.

We’ve seen plenty of the DROPKICK MURPHYS since Paddy’s Day but each time with no one there so here’s a recently released video of their storming full set from their last tour at Zenith in Paris on the 9th of February.

Two new songs have been released by the DROPKICK MURPHYS. A cover of Darlene Love’s ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and a new song ‘I Wish You Were Here’ are out on limited edition 7″ flexi-discs available from the Murphys store. They, unsurprisingly, have some wicked new merch available too and just in time for Christmas! At the same time it was announced that the new album will be out in mid-January.

BARBAR’O’RHUM – Pirate Des Champs

EFA SUPERTRAMP – Rhyddid yw y Freuddwyd

LQR – Barrel-Aged

PYROLYSIS – Alotsle

PENNILESS TENANTS – Lockdown Sessions (review next week!!)

Remember if you want your release featured then we have to have heard it first!

Love these daft feckers! They done the Murphys ‘Shipping Up To Boston’ a while back and now they turn their attention to The Rumjacks absolutely-mega-fecking-internet hit ‘An Irish Pub’. I’ll not go into it but sit back and have a listen and again top marks for destroying the ridiculous notion of cultural appropriation. Yes lads it is bollocks.

Life goes on and THE RUMJACKS have a brand new video out seeing them performing ‘McAlpine’s Fusiliers’ dahn an Irish pub in Milan, Italy with new vocalist Mikee from Mickey Rickshaw.

French Pirate Punkers BARBAR’O’RHUM have a new album out and also released the epic ‘Pirate Des Champs’ video. Nearly ten minutes of Pirate themed fun!

Mariner Rock, and Celtic Shenanigans, homebrewed on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Even doing this we still come across stuff we missed from the past that is worth another look. This time we turn once again to Nova Scotia where we turn our attention to THE STAB ROVERS. Nova Scotia is home to vast amounts of Celtic folk and Celtic folk Folk bands and the area has featured here regularly. The Stab Rovers debut album came out in June, 2018 and is available as a ‘name your price’ download. The Bhoys are happily still together and looking forward to recording soon.

Now I don’t pretend to know anything about Hip-Hop and I do know what I like and here’s a couple of new releases that got me. The first video is ‘Back Around The Way’ featuring a bunch of rappers from Boston and New England including our auld favourite SLAINE and American Irish bhoy MILLYZ.

Another rapper to feature on these pages before is the Manchester born Irish D’LYFA REILLY who has a new single out available as a ‘name your price’ download. If you remember he performed with DANNY DIATRIBE on the utterly fantastic ‘Paddys Cure’. Irish immigrant Hip-Hop at its finest!

The Polish band PIJUN have released their debut release, a 5-track demo called Jigra. The band play Slavic Folk which I’m sure you’ll hear is close to Celtic in both sound and vibe.

Dutch band PYROLYSIS had to postpone their dates in England earlier in the year but have just released a mini album of six songs. They play an incredibly joyful mix of Celtic music and Folk and are still not wearing any shoes!

Swedish Celtic/ Folk/ Irish Punk-Rock band PUNK MAHONE performed a bloomin’ brilliant Live Stream on Facebook at the end of October and it has just come out on You Tube. Not to be missed!

A plug for some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans. Just like and join in the fun!

All we need to do now is for you to help fill this page with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP OCTOBER 2020

We want to move away from just being ‘ReviewReviewReviewReview’ so we have started this monthly feature that comes out on the last day of each month. All news items that we otherwise miss will get a mention but I need YOU to be the eyes and ears if it’s going to work so send over to us any band news, record releases, videos, tours (not individual gigs though yet sadly), live streams, crowd funders etc., to us at londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or through the Contact Us page and it will go in here!

Sad news for us as we have had to cancel the BENJAMING’S CLAN tour. As you can imagine being in a band is a very precarious business at the moment and risking the expense of coming over when the gigs may be cancelled at short notice is just not a option. The band though are going to do a special LCP exclusive Live Stream instead on Saturday 24th October. Keep a eye out for more details!!!

Coming to London (and the rest of the UK soon) the OLD TIME SAILORS is a musical show taking the audience back in time to the 19th century. Every audience member receives the Sunday Sailor, a newspaper shaped program including the lyrics to all our songs in order to sing along and become a Sailor for one epic night! The crew is composed of 17 musicians playing fully unplugged to ensure the most authentic experience. A 3 hour show featuring over 30 songs and tunes where the audience will sing and dance surrounded by drunken sailors. Everything takes place within a magnificent stage set, designed to give the audience the sensation of being inside a 19th century vessel.  Facebook  YouTube

Boston Paddies THE GOBSHITES are back! Bloody love this crowd and they got a new video out from their upcoming album St. Patrick’s Favorite Band. A cover of ‘Come On Eileen’ merged with the song that ‘inspired’ Kevin Rowland to write it- ‘What Does Anybody Ever Think About’ by The Blue Ox Babes.

THE CLOVERHEARTS are from Italy though their singer Sam is an Aussie and they’ve been releasing some really solid Celtic-Punk for the last couple of years…

and here’s another one!

We only just reviewed Atlanta’s THE MUCKERS latest album (its a corker!!) Irish Goodbye  a few weeks ago and here’s an interview with Jeff from the band with Ronan ex-lead singer of the London based Bible Code Sundays for a chat all about his band, the Celtic-Punk scene (surprised we never got a mention though) and their shared experiences in the Irish music family.

It’s fantastic to see life beginning to get back to normal. Lets keep our fingers crossed it continues. A new video hit You Tube last week from the brilliant THE TAN AND SOBER GENTLEMEN with a song from their forthcoming second album.

German Celtic-Punkers TIR NAN OG have a new album Sing, Ye Bastards! due out any day so they have put out a crowd-funder on Start Next.

“We don’t want the CDs to rot away in some dark, forgotten corner of our rehearsal room, nor do we want our beautiful new songs to remain unsung. We want to bring them to you – live and loud. So we are going on tour and for that we need your support! Join us Let’s celebrate the music and make sure no-one has to live without our new album!”

The ever prolific PADDY FINNEGAN’S GREEN MACHINE have put out the Little Red EP for Labor Day 2020. A 3-track digital release as a ‘name your price’ download. Basically the new solo project for Raymond from Buffalo’s The Fighting 69th. 

Labor Day is an ‘Irish holiday,’ as the Irish created the union movement.

From Philadelphia in Pennsylvania Misanthropic bare-knuckle country punk, no chaser SIDE POCKET LOUIE. AS Bryan McPherson says “Gritty Working-Class Street-Folk-Punk-Americana and the such!”

Irish Psychobilly legend Philip ‘Doyley’ Doyle guitarist has not stood still for ten seconds during the ‘clampdown’ and continues to put out some superb music on Diablo Records. His new album of Psycho-Surf-Punk, the aptly named Influenza Hysteria, came out last week.

One of the best Celtic-Punk bands around and one of my personal favourites 1916 from New York City have a new song outcoming from their forthcoming new album Revolutions.

High-Energy Celtic Folk Band based out of Northern Colorado THE STUBBY SHILLELAGHS have a new album pout at the end of October and have a new song/ video.

Dutch Celtic-Rockers MAGGIE’S FLOCK were featured on Dutch TV show Podium Kabam performing a great song ‘Maggie Of The Moor’.

Got sent this in and at first didn’t know what to make of it but have a look at ‘Rappers React To DROPKICK MURPHYS I’m Shipping Up To Boston’ and I’m sure it will tickle you too. Approach with a sense of humour and top marks for rubbishing the bullshit ideology of ‘cultural appropriation’.

Remember if you want your release featured then we have to have heard it first!

THE POGUES – BBC Sessions 84-85 (Vinyl only!)

SIDE POCKET LOUIE – Dirty Hands, Dirty Money

ShamROCKS- FCP Live! (review next week!!)

FINNTROLL – Vredesvävd

THE CUNDEEZ – Teckle And Hide

How did we miss this!!!! Melting Punk is a 20 (twenty!) band Folk-Punk / Acoustic-Punk compilation from Quebec, not in Canada. Yes 20 bands and not only that but its available as a ‘Name Your Price’ download that was released back in October, 2018. Loads of bands new to me and the Web-Zine so definitely worth the couple of minutes it takes to download.

Crusty Folk-Rockers the NEW MODEL ARMY are one of the hardest working and touring bands around so having had all their plans quashed they are doing a special Live Stream over on their Facebook page. The concert will be a high-quality, pay-to-view, two-hour (plus) event filmed with multi-cameras, graphics and artwork – with the band playing a wide range of material spanning the 40 years. We will be selling tickets at £10 for which you will be sent an exclusive code to access the broadcast in the hours before the show. Details here. Tickets here.

Germany based MacSLONS SHOP do the merchandise for a whole range of Celtic-Punk bands and they always have a interesting range of sale items including t-shirts and CD’s and much much more!

Swedish Celtic/Folk/Irish punk rock band PUNK MAHONE are planning a Live Stream on October 31st. Check their Facebook page for more details.

Based in Copenhagen, but originally from England, Ireland, Scotland and the northern-most tip of Denmark, BROPHY’S LAW toured the UK a couple of years back with Sir Reg and have released the excellent ‘Record Collector’ for International Record Store Day.

A plug for some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans. Just like and join in the fun!

In case you missed it Irish-American Celtic-Punkers THE TEMPLARS OF DOOM played a storming hour-long full-band Labor Day Live Stream set for the London Celtic Punks direct from their home in Ulster County, New York State.

All we need to do now is for you to help fill this page with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP SEPTEMBER 2020

We want to move away from just being ‘ReviewReviewReviewReview’ so we have started this monthly feature that comes out on the last day of each month. All news items that we otherwise miss will get a mention but I need YOU to be the eyes and ears if it’s going to work so send over to us any band news, record releases, videos, tours (not individual gigs though yet sadly), live streams, crowd funders etc., to us at londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or through the Contact Us page and it will go in here!

BRENDAN MULKERE -REST IN PEACE – 28th AUGUST 2020

Such sad news that the legend of Irish music in London, Brendan Mulkere passed away in the early hours of this morning.
Brendan’s all-consuming passion for traditional Irish music, his unfaltering determination to pass the culture on to the next generation and put Irish music on the London stage for the first time has left an indelible mark on London’s cultural landscape.
His epic work over decades produced countless fabulous second generation traditional Irish musicians and brought a wide audience to value and respect our music as much as any other genre in this city.

Deepest sympathies to Sharon, Claire, Sinéad, Collette, all of Brendan’s family, friends and to the huge number of his ‘jellybabies’ who will undoubtedly continue his legacy.

May he Rest in Peace.

DROPKICK MURPHYS are never ones to hide their political views when it is warranted and the Bhoys did a short but brilliant acoustic Live Stream to promote Joe Kennedy III in the Democratic primary for United States Senate. The vote takes place on Tuesday, September 1st so vote early and vote often as they say in the 6 counties! The music kicks in after ten minutes.

We put on THE DIRTY ARTICHOKES in London a couple of summers ago. Jeez The Fighting Cocks was hot that night. Maybe the hottest gig I ever been to! Glad to hear some new stuff from this massively multi-talented Italian band.

Godfather of Celtic-Punk SHANE MacGOWAN is looking better than he has done in years and he has even defied Covid-19 with two all-night sessions which continued into a third late one but the 62-year-old is recording — not boozing — into the small hours as he called band members back to work on his new solo album.

San Diego Fiddle Rock band LEXINGTON FIELD have graced these pages many times and have hit the jackpot again with their brand new video just out featuring ‘Dear Sorrow’ from their forthcoming new EP Win The Day due out later in the year and is previewed here.

Dutch band MAGGIES FLOCK continue with their plans to release a new song on the 23rd of every month during 2020. At the end of the year all twelve songs will become the album Party At The Cemetery. This months song is called ‘The Pogey Club’ and can be heard here but check out some of their previous songs ‘Battle Song‘, ‘Bored Beyond Death‘ and ‘Maggie Of The Moor‘. To be kept in the loop like them on Facebook.

London Celtic Punks Facebook page put on two Live Streams during August. Both were very well ‘attended’ and seemed to have gone down a storm. CALLUM HOUSTON of Psychobilly legends The Graveyard Johnnys accompanied by Alban performed a wonderful set of Dubliners classics while TIM HOLEHOUSE did an interesting a varied set of his own material. Don’t forget to tune in on Monday 7th September for the next Live Stream starring THE TEMPLARS OF DOOM doing a full band live set.

CALLUM HOUSTON    TIM HOLEHOUSE

Remember if you want your release featured then we have to have heard it first!

THE JAMESTOWN BROTHERS – Rebels, Rogues And Regrets

ASHPIPE – Sbandati (13 Years And Still Waiting For Wave)

THE WATERBOYS – Good Luck, Seeker (Deluxe Edition)

PADDY O’TURNER – Rocky Road To Wherever

LEVELLERS – Peace

CATGUT MARY hailed from Melbourne, Australia and released their one and only album Bourbon And Black Porter twelve years ago way back in June, 2008. Twelve songs of Australian Colonial Punk taking in a couple of Irish classics among the bands mainly own compositions. Catgut Mary received plenty of critical acclaim at the time and were famous for their high energy blend of ‘Folk’, ‘Punk’ and ‘Rock’ in a very Australian context. You can stream the album from the link above. It’s also available to download for only five Aussie dollars which works out around three quid or US $’s.

They may have abandoned progressed from Celtic-Punk but another great video for THE STANFIELDS came out last week and as to be expected its quality. These guys use to tour England regularly but haven’t seen them for a few years now.

It’s not Celtic-Punk but it sure is powerful and incredibly beautiful too. Check out the brand new album from Portland based duo KATE POWER AND STEVE EINHORN. If you’re a fan of traditional Irish Folk like Solas or Runa then you’ll love this album I guarantee.

A plug for some good friends of ours over on Facebook. The Dropkick Murphys- Fan Page and the Celtic Punk, Folk And Rock Fans are two of the best music forums on FB let alone Celtic-Punk. Ran By Fans For Fans. Just like and join in the fun!

… and finally some great news over at the London Celtic Punks Facebook page as we reached the fabled target of 5000 likes. Needless to say we were steaming along with likes coming in left, right and centre and then as we got closer it slowed right down dooooooowwwwwnnnnnnn and took forever to get over the line!! Still we have made it and though it may seem silly we are all very proud of ourselves and you all of course.

So you get the idea so all we need to do now is fill it with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP JULY 2020

Welcome to our regular monthly feature on all the news in the Celtic-Punk scene that you may have missed and we certainly did. Band news, record releases, videos, tours (not individual gigs though yet sadly), live streams, crowd funders etc., we need to hear from you so send it in to londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or through the Contact Us page.

The biggest non-music news this month has been that film company Magnolia Pictures have picked up the North American rights to the Johnny Depp-produced documentary Crock of Gold – A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan. Set for a limited theatrical release later this year in the States with its UK and Ireland debut to be on BBC 4. The Julien Temple directed look at the hard-living Godfather of Celtic-Punk. Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said “This is something to hoist a pint of Guinness over”. (groan!)

Expect more live extravaganza’s from the DROPKICK MURPHYS after they signed a 6-figure (ooh!) sum to live stream future gigs including on St. Patrick’s Day for the next few years. Word is that their Fenway Park show reached an estimated 9 million viewers and raised more than $700,000 for COVID relief. These are very good guys. Don’t forget to join the #1 Murphys Facebook page DropKick Murphys – Fan Page. Run by fans. Run for fans.

Canadians PADDY WAGGIN have got around to releasing on CD their debut album. We reviewed Race To The Bottom pre-Paddys Day and it’s 7 foot stomping original tracks and one Pogues cover. Celtic-Rock at its best. The CD and download is available from Bandcamp.

Finland’s LORETTA PROBLEM have a new singer in Maya and a new song and video too. The band has gone through other changes too and ‘It’s Your Bloody Fault’ reflects that in its sound. Not so Celtic but definitely Punk. New stuff is on its way with a more traditional- Loretta Problem sound. Can’t wait.

Another fantastic band we haven’t heard from in a while is the Dutch Irish Folk Punk band McSCALLYWAG. ‘Coming Home’ is the second single released from their forthcoming new album ‘Songs For The Wicked’ in support of the Bhoys local bars and pubs hit by the corona crisis in their home town of Groningen.

Irish band THE POX MEN have a new tune and video out. A mellow one to calm us all down while bass player Kev Gall has just released a solo album as Cú Ulaid with a load of different instruments not just the bass!

It’s been a very quiet time for new releases this month. Will give us a chance to catch up on things hopefully! Remember if you want a review of your release we have to hear it first!

CU ULAID – Self/Titled LP

THE CLOVES AND THE TOBACCO – Jalan Pulang EP

ALESTORM – Curse of the Crystal Coconut LP

GENTRIFIED FERALS – Droidtown EP

Auld Fart (his words not mine) London Irish Punk Folker ANTO MORRA is at it again and his new single ‘It’s Only A Virus’ came out this month written in May while enjoying a early morning walk. This is the first original song he’s released since 2017 believe it or not!

Big fans of Irish-Americans THE FIGHTING JAMESONS and had a grand auld time watching them live streaming on FB recently. So much so I fell asleep woke up with the worse hangover and back pain I’ve had in months! Amazing production and over 90 minutes long. Outstanding guys!!!

Written by Robin and inspired by a song from the Elvis film ‘Frankie & Johnny’ THE CEILI FAMILY. A slow burning foot tapper and these guys are famous for their Gaelic inspired Folk-Punk. The legend Phil Chevron was a big fan of these guys so that should be inspiration enough.

Catalan Folk-Punkers EBRI KNIGHT are crowd funding for their fifth album. With four studio albums, a live album and a themed EP about the Spanish Civil War behind them everything the band is financed without major backing.

Only just became aware of this great album from Germany. ASH CLOUD hail from Elmshorn and Songs Of Rebellion, Love And Meuterei may have come out in October, 2018 but its still well worth a look. Irish Folk meets acoustic Punk with NO drums or electric guitars but everything else. Bodhrán, fiddle, tin-whistle, low-whistle, banjo, concertina, bagpipes and loads of vocals. Twenty songs for just five Euros adds up to a impressive deal!

We like to end on some local news and while Milton Keynes isn’t exactly local we were delighted to hear about the formation of MILTON KEYNES IRISH FC. The Irish are still here you know! This is not just a Sunday League team and they will play in the Spartan South Midlands League at Step 6 in the non-league pyramid. Plans are being laid for a LCP ‘booze cruise / awayday’ to go see them once the season kicks off. Show the guys some support over on Twitter and Facebook.

On a final note we were delighted that the London Celtic Punks Facebook page hit an amazing 5,000 followers. Love and best wishes to all of them and come and join us if you like!

So you get the idea so all we need to do now is fill it with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP JUNE 2020

We want to move away from just being ‘ReviewReviewReviewReview’ so we have started this monthly feature that comes out on the last day of each month. All news items that we otherwise miss will get a mention but I need YOU to be the eyes and ears if it’s going to work so send over to us any band news, record releases, videos, tours (not individual gigs though yet sadly), live streams, crowd funders etc., to us at londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or through the Contact Us page and it will go in here!

Celtic-Punk major leaguers THE REAL MCKENZIES are back with their eleventh full-length album, Beer And Loathing, set for release on July 3rd on Stomp Records. More epic tales of alcohol soaked debauchery, historic sagas and hard-fought personal battles are promised and it will be coming out we are promised on Seafarer’s green and Beer Piss yellow vinyl and is available for pre-order from several different sites.

With the new album from THE O’REILLYS AND THE PADDYHATS, Dogs On The Leash, just released here’s their first single. Easily one of the most prolific bands in Celtic-Punk it never ceases to amaze me the high quality of their output. As an aside my Mammy is from Mitchelstown and she’s proud as punch to see a song named after her home town.

We’re still plodding our way through reviews from St. Patrick’s week releases but the Celtic-Punk/Folk-Punk world continues to turn and here are all of the most recent ones we aware of

BLACK ANEMONE – Chasing The Sun

KELTIKON – The Black Boar

THE O’REILLYS AND THE PADDYHATS – Dogs On The Leash

FIDDLER’S GREEN – Acoustic Pub Crawl II (Live In Hamburg)

NORTH ALONE – Quarantine Coverage (EP)

DAYS N DAZE – Show Me The Blueprints

THE GO SET – Of Bright Futures

THE GO SET – …And Broken Pasts

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Raise Yer Pints Volume 5 Compilation

(remember if you want a review of your release we have to hear it first!)

Manchester based Derry born Gaelic Hip-Hop maestro DANNY DIATRIBE released At War With The Morning on May Day. A five track EP of modern day Irish immigrant Rap’n’Roll for a fiver!

For those of you who may have missed it the GREENLAND WHALEFISHERS premiered via live stream the professionally recorded live concert Barely Alive On The Inside filmed live at Inside Rock Cafe in their home town of Bergen in Norway on February the 15th 2020. It’s now available to watch on You Tube and is incredibly good!

The fourth album in ten years from JOHNNY KOWALSKI AND THE SEXY WEIRDOS and the first with new fiddle player Katherine McWilliam. Seven original tracks with weird instrumentals rubbing up against references to anti-fascism and conversations with the undead!

We gave it a small mention last month but full details are now available for THE PLACKS upcoming 7″ vinyl single. Limited to only 300 copies and on red vinyl it’s available for pre-order and features the songs ‘Rebellious Son’ and ‘The Bomb, The Bullet And The Gun’. Get it now as the pre-sale has gone fast.

South Yorkshire band SHANGHAI TREASON can do no wrong and their latest video is another masterpiece. Sooooo looking forward to seeing these Bhoys soon as the clampdowns over. ‘The North Shall Rise Again’ is dedicated to the music venues of the North of England and hopefully they’ll be some left to watch them in at the end of all this! Their debut release comes out in the next few days so keep a eye on these pages.

Aussies MEDUSA’S WAKE have some new material out soon and I can tell you now it’s very good and we are very excited to hear more. We will be interviewing their singer and writer the Premier county born Eddie on all things Aussie Irish very shortly.

With no festivals or concerts PADDY ROCK has put together an Online Celtic Fest on 13th June 13th. No tickets, no commitments just eight hours of awesome Celtic music staring among others Bill-1916, Mike- Mickey Rickshaw, Sean- The Lucky Pistols and many more.

Scots born/Catalan based LOUIS RIVE has a excellent new single out called ‘Whitewashing‘ and we will be announcing a London Celtic Punks Live Stream with Louis soon! Just working on a date.

Our man in South Carolina T.C. COSTELLO has had a busy month. Two features on these pages for a single, ‘The Pandemic‘, and his forthcoming album The Bluebird and he released a new video for new song ‘Lord Randall’ as well. On top of that he played a very entertaining Live Stream for London Celtic Punks last week which is still available to view over on the London Celtic Punks Facebook page.

BRYAN McPHERSON spends his life on the road so holed up with his Mam and Dad in his hometown of Boston must be particularly tough on him. I’ve been loving his regular live streams and here’s one of the best ones. You can support Bryan by getting one his special limited edition Quarantine Time t-shirts and he also put out some Ramones themed tee’s too and on top of all that he also has a  new single out, a cover of an old school Rancid song called ‘Olympia WA‘.

London Celtic Punks fave ANTO MORRA has no record to flog (but if you do like what you hear check out his last album Twenty) but he did put out this the other day and I loved it so here it is.

London Irish Punk Folker ANTO is keeping busy though and on Wednesday June 3rd is performing live on Facebook in the third in a short series of Live Streams of artists that we bloody love. Think Christy Moore meets Billy Bragg but more fun and a better singer! Join the FB event for up to date info and on the day see you at the London Celtic Punks FB page at 8pm for an hour of surprises!

This July CLOVER’S REVENGE were set to wing their way over from sunny Florida to play London and we were looking forward to sharing a few beers with them but well you know… Anyway to make up for it they are also performing a full band Live Stream on Tuesday 25th June which will be on the London Celtic Punks Facebook page. Check the FB events page for any further information.

The new album from French band CelKILT, The Next One Down, came out yesterday and will be reviewed here any day soon but in the meantime enjoy this excellent track from the album.

The Irish music scene in Serbia is extremely popular with the biggest being the amazing Irish Stew Of Sindidun and SCORDISCI are the latest to throw their hat into the ring. Celtic-Punk from Belgrade, Serbia formed early in 2014 they have just released a new single – ‘In a Year Or Two’.

Ambitious plans from Holland’s MAGGIE’S FLOCK. A single released on the 23rd of every month during 2020 and then at the end of the year all twelve songs will become the album Party At The Cemetery. Aprils’s song is ‘Drunken Train’ and earlier this year the singles ‘Battle Song‘, ‘Bored Beyond Death‘ and ‘Maggie Of The Moor‘ were also released. Since I wrote this they have already released another song so to to be kept in the loop like them on Facebook.

New ‘clampdown’ video from THE RUMPLED one of the best bands in what seems to be the hottest Celtic-Punk scene around at the moment over there in Italy. They also put out a video with Silvano from UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS last week too.

The clamor for a decent DROPKICK MURPHYS group on Facebook has been getting increasingly louder and its finally arrived so hightail it to the DROPKICK MURPHYS FAN PAGE and join up for all the best news, views and reminiscences on the DKM’s. If you missed their live stream on May 29th then it’s now uploaded to YouTube and is worth multiple views. The Springsteen songs are right at the end.

… and finally it doesn’t seem like it but it’s ten years since THE LAGAN set out on the rocky road. A pity they couldn’t celebrate it in style down at the sweatbox that is The Fighting Cocks but Brendan and Andy got together on Saturday 10th May and rattled off a handful of original Lagan songs and a few covers and it was terrific. If it’s still up get the beers in, settle down and UP THE FUCKING LAGAN!

So you get the idea so all we need to do now is fill it with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

ODDS’N’SODS. CELTIC-PUNK ROUND UP MAY 2020

There has been a huge gap in the Celtic-Punk scene since the sad demise of the Celtic Folk Punk And More web-zine so in an attempt to make ourselves useful and fill it we’re starting a new regular monthly feature here. All news items that we otherwise miss will get a mention but I need YOU to be the eyes and ears if it’s going to work so send over to us any band news, record releases, videos, tours (not individual gigs though yet), live streams, crowd funders etc., to us at londoncelticpunks@hotmail.co.uk or through the Contact Us page and it will go in here!

 

The best Celtic-Punk album I have heard yet in 2020 has been the debut long player from Norway’s OGRAS and they have a new video out featuring Children Of Dust a standout track from their recently reviewed album No Love In The City.

The video to the debut single from new highly rated Edinburgh band THE GALLOWGATE MURDERS Wreck Head Wedding came out to a big fanfare. Filmed and directed by the main geez himself Frankie McLaughlin in Govan and Edinburgh. One of a few new bands in the scene we are expecting to here an awful lot more from once the lockdown ends!

Rose family Irish-American supergroup THE WILD IRISH ROSES album ‘Full Bloom‘ which was reviewed during St. Patrick’s Week is now out on vinyl.

After the hugely positive response to THE PLACKS debut single, My Dearest Friend the band are releasing a second single in May. Official release date will be announced soon but it will again be available for download and this time also on 7″ vinyl.

March was a mental time for releases and far too many came out for us to get round to but we did our best and hopefully we’ll get round to them all but these are the most recent releases we are aware of.

FEROCIOUS DOG – ‘You’

LEXINGTON FIELD – ‘Here’s To You: Ten Years Of Fiddle Rock’

NORTH ALONE -Punk Is Dad’

BLACK WATER COUNTY – ‘Comedies And Tragedies’

THE DEAD RABBITS – ‘The Dead Rabbits’

PADDY MURPHY – ‘Rams Rebels Goats and Girls

PEAT & DIESEL – ‘Light My Byre’

HUGH MORRISON – ‘The Other Side’

Been a good few years since the series of Shite’n’Onions compilation albums came out but luckily MacSLONS IRISH PUB RADIO have taken on the job and Volume 5 of Raise Your Pints is all set for release in early May. The Cloverhearts, The Placks, The Rumpled, Krakin ‘Kellys, The Gallowgate Murders, Ferocious Dog plus loads more. Find out more direct from MacSlons.

New York Irish rockers 1916 have a new album out later in the year and released the first single / video. After a successful St Patrick’s Week where they live streamed several entertaining shows including both full and acoustic band gigs and some solo shows from frontman Billy this is the Celtic-Punk scenes most anticipated album of 2020.

The crowd-funder for the second full-length 6’10 album, ‘Carried in Retrospect’ has ended and so the album is set for release sometime in the next few weeks.

THE DROPKICK MURPHYS after their Paddys Day show on Facebook are now even more bloody popular and celebrated with the release of a new single. The rather laboured ‘Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding’ is backed by the brilliant cover of Black 47’s ‘James Connolly’ and is available everywhere.

German band THE FEELGOOD McLOUDS may not be a band on every bodies lips but they are a bloody good band and have their new album ‘Life On A Ferris Wheel’ out very soon and having heard it can guarantee it will be one to watch for the end of year Best Albums Of 2020.

Swedes BLACK ANEMONE are very active in promoting the Celtic-Punk scene and have made a lot of friends because of that but they are also a cracking band and they have a new album due out any day. Here’s the title track and even with the current condition they still manage to bring out a decent video.

There’s a new Celtic-Punk band on the scene and thanks to SCORDISCI from Serbia for alerting us to the release of their cracking new song and video, a cover of The Pogues ‘I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day’. Watch out for these guys!!!!

Having suffered the lock down longer than the rest of us Chinese band GRASS MUD HORSE have a had a busy couple of months with a fantastic new logo c/o Laurence Crow Illustrations and a massive range of merchandise for you to spend your hard earned on. They also put out the 6-track Quarantine Sessions of Irish covers and also featured on the Beijing Underground music compilation (both available for free) and also have an EP of original material out soon.

The Italian Celtic-Punk scene is on fire so far in 2020 and I’ve had a sneak peak at the new album from UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS ‘The Men Beyond The Glass’ and can confirm it is another brilliant release. They put out ‘Back on Your Feet’ as the first single from the album.

To wrap up our first edition of Odds’n’Sods we have two local bands to us the first being the excellent CALICO STREET RIOTS who were just getting into their stride with a whole pile of gigs lined up before lockdown came along. Their new single was written by bassist Nick about his son Harley and shows the Riots more reflective side.

London Irish alternative trad folk rockers and one of my favourite bands CROCK OF BONES released the video for the beautiful ‘Ferry’ and as all the videos here is well worth a look.

Finally (tomorrow May 1st) streaming site Bandcamp are doing away with revenue fees for the day so all money will go direct to the bands so check out your favourite bands BC sites and send rest assured that for one day at least these vultures won’t be pocketing a decent sized share of your money for doing absolutely nothing.

So you get the idea so all we need to do now is fill it with news and remember if you are new to the London Celtic Punks blog it is easy to subscribe / follow and never miss a post. Also if anyone is interested in helping out on the reviews front then let us know via the Contact Us page.

OíCHE SHAMNA SHONA DAOIBH! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween, aka Samhain, was first celebrated in Ireland, around a thousand years ago. It was regarded as ‘The Celtic New Year’ coming from the name of a month in the ancient Celtic calendar with the festival marking the end of the summer season and the end of the harvest. The Gaelic festival became associated with the Catholic All Souls’ Day, and has influenced the secular customs now connected with Halloween.

To find the origin of Halloween, you have to look to the festival of Samhain in Ireland’s Celtic past. Samhain had three distinct elements. Firstly, it was an important fire festival, celebrated over the evening of 31 October and throughout the following day. The flames of old fires had to be extinguished and ceremonially re-lit by druids. It was also a festival not unlike the modern New Year’s Day in that it carried the notion of casting out the old and moving into the new. To our pagan ancestors it marked the end of the pastoral cycle – a time when all the crops would have been gathered and placed in storage for the long winter ahead and when livestock would be brought in from the fields and selected for slaughter or breeding. But it was also, as the last day of the year, the time when the souls of the departed would return to their former homes and when potentially malevolent spirits were released from the Otherworld and were visible to mankind.

‘Halloween’ taken from the recent Greenland Whalefishers album ‘Based On A True Story’.

SAMHAIN AND ITS PLACE IN THE CELTIC CALENDAR

The Celts celebrated four major festivals each year. None of them was connected in anyway to the sun’s cycle. The origin of Halloween lies in the Celt’s Autumn festival which was held on the first day of the 11th month, the month known as November in English but as Samhain in Irish.

The original Celtic year 

Imbolc: 1st February, Beltaine: 1st May, Lughnasa: 1st August, Samhain: 1st November

The festivals are known by other names in other Celtic countries but there is usually some similarity, if only in the translation. In Scottish Gaelic, the autumn festival is called Samhuinn. In Manx it is Sauin. The root of the word – sam – means summer, while fuin means end. And this signals the idea of a seasonal change rather than a notion of worship or ritual. The other group of Celtic languages (known as Q-Celtic) have very different words but a similar intention. In Welsh, the day is Calan Gaeaf, which means the first day of winter. In Brittany, the day is Kala Goanv, which means the beginning of November. The Celts believed that the passage of a day began with darkness and progressed into the light. The same notion explains why Winter – the season of long, dark nights – marked the beginning of the year and progressed into the lighter days of Spring, Summer and Autumn. So the 1st of November, Samhain, was the Celtic New Year, and the celebrations began at sunset of the day before its Eve.

THE ORIGIN OF HALLOWEEN’S SPOOKINESS

For Celts, Samhain was a spiritual time, but with a lot of confusion thrown into the mix. Being ‘between years’ or ‘in transition’, the usually fairly stable boundaries between the Otherworld and the human world became less secure so that puka, banshees, fairies and other spirits could come and go quite freely. There were also ‘shape shifters’ at large. This is where the dark side of Halloween originated.

Apples

Samhain marked the end of the final harvest of the summer, and all apples had to have been picked by the time the day’s feasting began. It was believed that on Samhain, the puca – Irish evil fairies (see right hand column) – spat on any unharvested apples to make them inedible.

To ward off the evil let loose at Samhain, huge bonfires were lit and people wore ugly masks and disguises to confuse the spirits and stop the dead identifying individuals who they had disliked during their own lifetime. They also deliberately made a lot of noise to unsettle the spirits and drive them away from their homes. The timid, however, would leave out food in their homes, or at the nearest hawthorn or whitethorn bush (where fairies were known to live), hoping that their generosity would appease the spirits. For some, the tradition of leaving food (and a spoon to eat it!) in the home – usually a plate of champ or Colcannon – was more about offering hospitality to their own ancestors. Just as spells and incantations of witches were especially powerful at Samhain, so the night was believed to be full of portents of the future.

The Dropkick Murphys performing a cover of The Misfits ‘Halloween’ live at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on 20th October 2011.

DOWNLOAD A FREE BOOK ON HALLOWEEN

The National Folklore Collection, which is managed at University College Dublin, has published a free booklet for Halloween. It explains the origins of Halloween and explores old Irish tales, legends and customs. You can download it (pdf 950Kb) here: Dúchas – Halloween.

EP REVIEW: THE FIGHTING 69th- ‘FAMOUS FOR NOTHING. TRIBUTE TO THE DROPKICK MURPHYS. VOLUME 2 (2019)

Back again for more it’s Celtic-Punk’s most prolific artist the Buffalo, New York based ‘One Man Band’ The Fighting 69th release their second tribute to Celtic-Punk’s #1 band this year. Five more songs given an affectionate twist and again available as a free download.

Was only in September we reviewed Volume 1 of the Fighting 69th tribute EP to the Dropkick Murphys and already hot on its heels lands Volume 2! Again the songs chosen are a mix of the more famous and perhaps some lesser known songs as well and give Raymond ample opportunity to show off his amazing musicianship for he plays every instrument here including piano, bagpipes, tin whistle, drums, bass guitar, electric guitar… all played by the man himself including vocals too!

We went into how the band first formed back in 2007 in our review of Volume one here and even a bit of history of who the original Fighting 69th were and where the band took their name from. So rather than repeat ourselves head over there and read up on some proud Irish-American history and also grab yourself the first Volume of this series for free. The EP starts with ‘Paying My Way’ from the rather cooly received last album 11 Short Stories Of Pain And Glory. On reflection the album has grown on me and ‘Paying My Way’ has gone onto become a staple of their live shows, as well as ‘Blood’, so perhaps it’s worthy of another listen. Next up is ‘Ten Years Of Service’ from the Murphs second studio album The Gang’s All Here (this is also the album that featured the Bhoys version of The Fighting 69th). It was Al Barr’s first album with the group and ‘Ten Years Of Service’ was the first big exposure of him as the new lead singer. I think Ray tries a bit too much punk rock snarl here on his version but there you go.

“Who’s gonna save us from this lonely picket line,
10 years of service but I’m still not worth your time.
And I’ve seen men give their lives,
and heard the stories that they tell of how they labored
for this company which sold it’s soul to hell”

Not strictly a Murphys song but they did record ‘The Green Fields Of France’ on their best selling album The Warriors Code from 2005. Graced by just about every Irish artist worth their salt it was actually written in 1976 by Scottish folk singer-songwriter Eric Bogle, reflecting on the grave of a young Irishman who had died fighting in the First World War. A sad song and suitably played here. Now to perhaps the fans most favourite Murphys song ‘Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced’. Played at every gig since they wrote it it’s usually the start of their encore and the beginning of bringing the curtain down on a sweaty night of Celtic-Punk rocking! Featuring on Blackout the fourth studio album released in 2003. The EP comes to an end with another song from their last album and its another live favourite in ‘Blood’ and it’s a pretty decent cover of the original with plenty of piping! The Fighting 69th show that none of the Murphys songs are beyond them and end on the EP on a glorious high!

(You can listen to Famous For Nothing below on the Bandcamp. It’s available as a  free download but chuck a price of the ‘Black Stuff’ over if you can afford it. Now get downloading!) 

Download the EP FromTheBand  Contact The Fighting 69th  Bandcamp  YouTube  Instagram

EP REVIEW: GYPSY VANNER- ‘Five Distilled Celtic Punks’ (2019)

The brilliant debut six track EP release from Argentinian Celtic-Punk band Gypsy Vanner. A band dedicated to the fusion of traditional Irish music and rock, with the aim of converting traditional songs to rock and vice versa.

The last couple of years have seen quite a decent Celtic-Punk scene kicking off in Argentina. At the forefront of the scene have been Raise My Kilt with a couple of extremely well received releases behind them as well as newer bands like Aires Bastards who have not long released their debut album and the band we are featuring today Gypsy Vanner. All three bands are located in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires and, as is typical in the Celtic-Punk scene, they often play and work together to make the scene a welcoming place. As we often say- #OneBigCelticPunkFamily.

Their are many historical links between the Celtic nations and South America but for the Irish it is often Argentina that is held closest to our hearts. It was the place that most Irish settled during the 19th and 20th centuries in a non-English speaking majority country. Added to this the vast amount of Welsh farmers who flocked to the country in the 1860’s. Encouraged by the Argentinian government up to 5,000 people arrived to populate the part of the country on the Southern tip now known as Patagonia. In the early 1800’s, heavy industry, coal, slate, iron and steel, were beginning to take over the Welsh heart lands and rural communities began to disappear. Many Welsh patriots believed Wales was being absorbed into England so many turned to the ‘New World’ in an attempt to preserve Welsh language, culture and traditions. At first these communities struggled to survive in conditions markedly different to those back home but soon the resilience of this remarkable Celtic nation within a nation began to succeed to such a point that the Argentinian authorities felt threatened enough to end the teaching of Welsh within their school system though it always remained, as at home in Wales, the language of the home therefore ensuring its survival. Even now

“Each year in late July and early August, flights arrive at London airports carrying folk from South America. Many of these visitors experience difficulty in understanding the English spoken to them at passport control, however once they have travelled along the M4 motorway and crossed the border into Wales, destined for wherever the National Eisteddfod is being held that particular year, they find that they can communicate fluently with the locals.

The visitors in question have travelled 8,000 miles from the Welsh speaking outpost of Patagonia, on the southern tip of Argentina. The fascinating history of how these visitors from an essentially Spanish speaking country, also come to speak the ‘language of heaven’ dates back to the first half of the 19th century.”

So Celtic traditions and music are not unheard of in Argentina and the Celtic-Punk scene is a vibrant and exciting part of that, especially in the capital. Here on their debut release Five Distilled Celtic Punks the band play a variety of well known Irish classics both old and new alongside a classic of Punk Rock! The EP kicks off with the much maligned, these days, ‘Galway Girl’. Written by alternative Country star Steve Earle in 2000 and tells of meeting a beautiful black-haired blue-eyed girl in Galway. In the intervening years the song has gone stratospheric and has become a regular fixture for every single bloody busker and singer-songwriter in Ireland and beyond! Of course despite being butchered by untold artists it is Steve Earle’s version that is the songs high point and I am glad to say that Gypsy Vanner’s version belongs with the latter  in the Celtic-Punk hall of fame. It’s given a real Punk-Rock boost but still manages to keep its Celtic roots intact. Silvio’s vocals are raspy and hoarse and the perfect foil for the music. He also plays the uillean pipes and as anyone into Celtic-Punk will know that always makes for a special kind of music. They follow this song up with a lesser known one ‘True Love Knows No Season’ about an Irish gunman inKansas City in the days of the old west. A beautiful ballad best known for Planxty’s recording but here Gypsy Vanner give it the Dropkick’s treatment and turn into a full blown Celtic-Punk classic. Absolutely brilliant!!! They give it a Country twist for ‘Colours’ with some excellent banjo from Guyon accompanying a pure full on thigh slapper!

We back in familiar territory next with a couple of Celtic-Punk classics beginning with ‘South Australia’ and as you can imagine form my review so far it is putty in their hands and they chuck us out a fantastic version that leads us nicely into ‘The Irish Rover’ and the Bhoys go for it as only this song deserves with the whole band having a good go at the vocals! A sure fire dance floor filler everywhere you go I am sure it’s no different in Argentina either.

Five Distilled Celtic Punks comes to an end with a song from one of my favourite bands, Social Distortion’s ‘Prison Bound’. SD have literally just finished an extensive tour in the States with Flogging Molly and their ‘Country-Punk’ sound has always been popular in the scene. Here Gypsy Vanner save the best for last and turn the song into another full blown Celtic-Punk classic. A utterly brilliant ending and played at much the same speed as the original it has plenty of Gypsy Vanner stamped on it to make it their own.

So there’s my thoughts and I am only gutted to have come across the EP so late considering it was released back in March on St. Patrick’s eve. The production here is absolutely exemplary across the whole EP though no information on who was responsible but I tip my hat! There is at the moment some quite incredible music coming out of the continent of South America and beyond the bands from Argentina we mentioned earlier we are eagerly awaiting the new album from Mexican Celtic punkers Batallón De San Patricio and absolutely anything that Brazil’s The McMiners or Lugh put out so be sure to stay tuned and check them all out soon.

(You can listen to Five Distilled Celtic Punks on Bandcamp before you hopefully buy it!)

Buy Five Distilled Celtic Punks  FromTheBand  CDbaby  Amazon

Contact Gypsy Vanner  Facebook  YouTube  Spotify  Instagram  Bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: THE WALKER ROADERS- ‘The Walker Roaders’ (2019)

The origins of Celtic-Punk go back to a handful of bands but without a doubt it was the seminal London-Irish band The Pogues that the whole genre owes most to. Here Graveyard Johnnys Callum Houston runs the rule over the most long awaited album in the scene of recent years. Pogues accordionist James Fearnley teams up with members of the only other two Celtic-Punk bands that have come close to The Pogues in both popularity and influence, Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys, to form The Walker Roaders. The pre-album release campaign was masterful but can the album live up to all the hype…

To anyone who is not aware of The Walker Roaders they are a new super group fronted by James Fearnley (accordionist of The Pogues) with Ted Hutt (founding member of Flogging Molly, producer for Gaslight Anthem, Tiger Army, Bouncing Souls etc etc), Marc Orrell (founding member of Dropkick Murphys) and additional musicians Kieran Mulroney (Low and Sweet Orchestra), Brad Wood (producer of Smashing Pumpkins) and Bryan Head (Dick Dale). It’s going to be hard to talk about The Walker Roaders without mentioning The Pogues.

The Walker Roaders were a street gang when James Fearnley was a kid growing up in Manchester who would slit your thumb with a knife if they came across you and felt like it.

The influence is clearly strong yet it is very much welcomed. It just goes to show how much of a contribution James’ playing had on The Pogues sound The album kicks off with “Lord Randalls Bastard Son”. This track is sure to win anyone over on the first listen. The pace is fast, the melodies strong and the words potent. James’ voice is sturdy, bold and northern as they come. He sings with strength and clarity giving every word importance and making sure not one is to be missed.

In the background I can hear what sounds to be the return of the beer tray, a subtle nod back to the early Pogues years. The second track “Seo Yun” is another fast paced number. The minor melody of the old Irish classic “The Foggy Dew” is tastefully borrowed for the verse but not before it jumps into a resolving singalong major chorus. The underlying Polka beat keeps the track turning and it’s heart pulsing. Following that is the first single from the album “Will You Go Lassie Go”. When I first saw the title I thought instantly it was going to be a cover of the traditional Scottish tune of the same name. It is however an original but has all the ingredients of a timeless ballad in it’s own right. The drums are huge, I can hear them echoing for miles through valleys with only the surging chorus of strumming guitars washing over them. This is a perfect festival song.

Before going any further I just want to state that the lyrical content, musical arrangement and production of this album is of an extremely high quality on each track, considering the members involved I would expect nothing less. “The Story” is a prime example of all those components. The accordion takes prominence and the song flows just as it’s title suggests. At “A Meteor at a Time” we reach the middle of the album and by now we are easing into mid tempo. I feel the momentum gets slightly lost here, although it is yet another great song I imagine it maybe more of a slow burner for some people. On my first few plays of the album “Old Tar Road to Sligo” was my first ear worm. It’s lively introduction and 6/8 swing takes me right back to the “If I Should Fall from Grace with God” glory days. The song structure meanders in some interesting directions but it is never far from returning to it’s source. I have to amid I did do a quick search on the price of Winnebago camper vans. “The Blackbird Only Knows One Song” stays in 6/8 timing which is proving to work very well. Here the vocals and lyrics take the helm held a float on waves of heavily reverbed banjo, accordion, guitar and crashing drums. “Here Comes The Ice” has to be my personal favourite. It bears a strong nostalgic feel with wit that will have you smiling and honesty that could almost bring you to tears. The song is joint together nicely with a repetitive catchy guitar riff.

To finish the album off on form we have “Turned out Nice Again”. Kicking straight in with a powerful melody played by the tightly combined accordion and whistle combination once again echoing back to that classic Pogues sound. Could there possibly be the additional of a special guest musician on this track? As a huge Pogues fan I have seen many similar bands pop up over the years but I have rarely been satisfied, there has always been something lacking. This album offers some kind of closure to that void. I really hope that this is just the beginning for The Walker Roaders, I would love to see the band take to the road. The album has been well worth the wait, the sound is timeless and the lyrics read like a novel. I’m sure lots of people will be looking for a hard copy of the album, I too want to keep this forever.

”Walker Roaders came together totally organically, A bit of fun really. The result of James, Marc and myself getting together to hang out and write songs. Then it became a mission to take Celtic music to another level!”- Ted Hutt on how the Walker Roaders came to be

Buy The Walker Riders  Stream or Download

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Thanks to Callum Houston for the great review and who better to review a banjo heavy album than someone who knows his way round a banjo! Callum’s fantastic debut EP Gravities was released just last month and was reviewed on these pages here. As part of the wonderful Psycho/ R’n’R Welsh trio the Graveyard Johnnys he has played just about every corner of Europe and now resides in Brittany but will be over visiting in December anday d will be doing a select series of shows including a special London Celtic Punks date that you should definitely keep your ears open for!! December tour dates  Thursday 5th- The Anchor, Wingham * Friday 6th- Frosty’s Bar, Kenton, Harrow * Saturday 7th- Seamus O’Donnell’s Bristol * Sunday 8th The Star – Fishponds. Check Callum out on Facebook  Bandcamp  YouTube

EP REVIEW: THE FIGHTING 69th- ‘Barroom Heroes. Tribute To The Dropkick Murphys’ (2019)

Buffalo, New York’s ‘One Man Band’ The Fighting 69th release their tribute to Celtic-Punk’s #1 band. Six songs given an affectionate twist and available as a free download.

We have to go back to 2007 to the origins of The Fighting 69th. Three seventeen year old mates in a friends basement were sick to death of playing pop punk covers and decided to go back to their collective Irish roots and try something radically different. Over the course of the next several years band members would come and go at regular interval, numerous shows were played and even one or two festivals.

(The first album from The Fighting 69th from October 2008 Dublin Calling. Re-released for its 10th anniversary. Eat, Drink, and listen to The Fighting 69th)

The Fighting 69th would eventually throw in the towel and call it a day in 2011. The boys taking a break from the music scene until original band member, and principle songwriter, Raymond Ball decided he missed all the fuss and decided to pick up the flag and carry on from where it fell. Since the bands resurrection Raymond has single handedly carried the band on numerous releases over the last few years including six (!) this year alone. All are available from The Fighting 69th Bandcamp page as Free Download/Pay What You Like donation. This means you can download them all for nothing but if you can afford it then do the decent thing and leave enough for a couple of pints. Among this years releases are tributed to The Pogues and to recently deceased Irish-American musician Joe Dady as well as this one to the Murphys. Six songs that avoid the Murphys greatest hits and see Raymond playing every instrument as he bashes and brawls his way through better known songs such as the title song and ‘Finnegans Wake’ as well as lesser known ones as ‘The Burden’ from 2005’s The Warrior’s Code and ‘Cruel’ from 2011’s Going Out In Style. The other songs are sort of inbetween with ‘Rose Tattoo’ and the Christmas themed ‘The Season’s Upon Us’. It’s all done in an affectionate way and it shines through that Raymond is an enormous fan. The music is definitely from the punky side of things and that will I am sure please DKM’s fans with several instruments on display showcasing Raymonds talent. Bagpipes, tin whistle, drums, bass guitar, electric guitar… and more all played by the man himself including vocals too!

THE FIGHTING 69th

The name The 69th Infantry Regiment, or the ‘Fighting 69th’  embodies the melding of Irish-American Culture, the precious preservation of heritage, the limitless abilities of immigrants and the preservation of a long and distinguished connection between Ireland and the United States. The name The Fighting 69th was bestowed on the Regiment by Confederate General Robert E Lee and embodies epic and legendary actions of the most famed military Regiment to grace the pages of our history books. Honouring the ideals of loyalty, honour and freedom.

The history and world famous achievements of The Fighting 69th illuminates the pages of Irish American history.

 

Initially an Irish Heritage Unit, comprised of Irish immigrants, who had escaped from an Ireland of vicious hunger, disease, injustices and failed rebellions. People who had lived under the Penal Laws which denied them their rights to freedom in their homeland. They set about a new life in The United States, a land of promise and freedom. These brave men set about supporting the ideals of freedom, a sense of passion for a cause defending the rights of others, an experience they were familiar with defending those who could not defend themselves. The Fighting 69th embodies a greatness of spirit and faith in each other that has forever insured their rightful place as one of the most historic military Regiments in US, and modern world, history. Their proud history is interwoven with that of Ireland, The Fighting 69th embodies its Irish Heritage but also the heritage of all immigrants. They have preserved some of the most wonderful Irish traditions, preserving the eternal bond that is forever enduring and unbreakable between Ireland and The United States. The Fighting 69th are at the tip of the spear of preserving Irish Heritage in the United States, the majority of their traditions and emblems holding a deep rooted connection to Ireland.

(you can listen to Barroom Heroes below on the Bandcamp player but don’t forget it’s a free download so get downloading!) 

Buy the EP FromTheBand  Contact The Fighting 69th  Bandcamp  YouTube

SINGLE REVIEW: CAPTAIN JACK’S ARMY- ‘Dance Together’ (2019)

Swedish band Captain Jack’s Army take in influences from Celtic-Rock, Swedish and American Folk, Ska, Reggae and just about every other genre that is guaranteed to put a smile on peoples faces. ‘Dance Together’ is the first of four singles coming our way this year so expect energetic, foot stomping anthems where smiling is contagious.

When the time Is right and you starting to grow
It’s time for you to step In to the zone
When your life has turn and you not feeling old
No time for you to sitting alone
Cause when the day turns to night and your life Is going, and
you trying to get over what you lost
It’s time to let go and reach for the sky

(chorus)
We Better dance together

Drink It up it’s time, time for the show
No turning back, let’s hit the floor
Bring It back and start moving your feet
The night Is yours just follow the beat
Cause when the day turns to night and your life Is going, and
you trying to get over what you lost
It’s time to let go and reach for the sky

Formed in 2011 in Linköping in Sweden five close friends came together with an idea to start a new band they could have fun with. All were involved in local punk and metal bands and the idea was to try something different from what they were used to playing. Having realised they were all big fans of the Dropkick Murphy’s and Flogging Molly it became obvious the direction they wanted to take. So it was that Captain Jack’s Army came into existence as a tribute band playing songs from the Murphy’s and the Molly’s. They band played their first gig in March of 2011 in Norrköping and having gone down an absolute storm they knew their next step must be to change focus from being a covers band to being their own band and go all in with Captain Jack’s Army. The following couple of years saw them build up both a decent following and also a solid reputation for their exciting live gigs. Having played the tribute circuit for a couple of years they finally got their first release under their belts with the One For All single which was soon followed by the Royal Arms EP which led to successful tours of Germany and the Czech Republic.

In 2015 the band mirrored that of their idols the Dropkick Murphys when they were approached to write and produce a song for the Linköping Ice-Hockey Club that would be used in the arena at every home game. The song ‘Drömmar gror vid Stångebro’ is still strongly associated to the city of Linköping and has racked up more than half a million streams on Spotify. Band members have come and gone, as they tend to do with Celtic-Punk bands, but the core of the group has remained and stayed true to the ideals that they had in the first place. In 2017 a couple more releases followed, including a Christmas song in Swedish called ‘Julen’ where four members alternated singing the verses for the first time. At home they have supported internationally known fellow Swedish Celtic-Punk band Sir Reg many times as well as other scene giants like The Rumjacks and Street Dogs. Which brings us up to 2019 and after successful returns to Czech Republic and Germany, to play the Hörnerfest Festival in Hamburg, the band decided to put out another EP with the novel approach of releasing one song at a time. After ‘Dance Together’ will be the original Captain Jack’s Army compositions ‘Insane’, ‘Say My Name’ and ‘Sail Away (With Me)’ songs that gather in many diverse influences but still keep the essence of Captain Jack’s Army. Today’s release ‘Dance Together’ is a happy-go-lucky tune which really does fulfil all the promises they make about getting you up on your feet and smiling. With seven members of the band backed up here on trumpet (which always accompanies Celtic-Punk really well I always think) the sound is full and the combination of Celtic and Ska is a real winner. Pär’s vocals are clear and just the right side of raspy and pure Rock’n’Roll while the band chime in and help with the ‘Whoa Oh Ohs’ during the chorus. Keep an eye on us or Captain Jack’s Army for the future releases. The four songs that will make up the EP promise, and will deliver I am sure, songs to make your arses move and dance to the groove.

That’s what Captain Jack’s Army is all about. Let’s just Dance Together.

Contact Captain Jack’s Army WebSite  Facebook  Spotify  YoutTube  Instagram