Remember the heat-wave couple of weeks ago? Well it’s raining here now! Welcome to a typical English summer. Never mind though 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.
Sadly we start with news of the death of three figures that London Celtic Punks can say were close to us. First our great friend and comrade Scott very sadly passed away last month. To say this was a shock is a massive understatement and all of us here will miss the stand up guy that Scott was. Sometimes you meet folk who are universally loved by everyone they meet. So much that when they share some of their time with you you feel it is a real privilege. An all round good guy was Scott and he will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by all who crossed his path. Our thoughts and prayers to his family and his many friends.
Irish singer Cathal Coughlan, frontman with acclaimed indie bands Fatima Mansions and Microdisney, recently died aged only 61. His family announced the news, saying he “slipped away peacefully in hospital after a long illness”. Born in Cork, Coughlan formed Microdisney in 1980, relocating to London in 1983. Playing smooth jangling indie-pop they were much admired though chart success eluded them. Splitting up in 1988 he formed Fatima Mansions, whose output included everything from intense punk-adjacent rock to Europop and romantic balladry, with Coughlan celebrated for his intense delivery. Their masterpiece was their second album, Viva Dead Ponies, on which you never know if you’re going to get something as hauntingly melodic as ‘The Door-to-Door Inspector’ or something metallic and industrial-influenced like ‘Look What I Stole for Us, Darling’. Here is a link for a free download of this classic album and our thoughts are with Cathal’s family and friends.
Finally Mark Astronaut of the 80’s /90’s /00’s /10’s/ 20’s band THE ASTRONAUTS. Born out of the English Anarcho-Punk scene it was Mark’s lyrics that lifted the band into another world and while the music often flirted between Folk, Punk and Prog-Rock it was his words that made the band. A typically shy English eccentric who seemed to be born into the wrong era sometimes. I had the good fortune to meet him and put on his band numerous times even to the point when he once told me that I was the only promoter who would book him. Beautiful story telling lyrics sung with passion and belief.
The great Yorkshire Celtic-Punks SHANGHAI TREASON played live at Silverstone Woodlands on the weekend of the British Grand Prix last month. Here’s them performing ‘Drowning Heart’.
Our favourite Czech Republican Celtic-Punk band FOGGY DUDE have a new single out ‘Ode To Flying Spaghetti Monster’ accompanied by a fantastic video. Black Metal style beginning continued with a sea shanty and followed by a true Celtic-Punk kick ass symphony, even non-Italians should be delighted.
FORFOCSEIC is the Celtic Punk solo side project of Boston-based singer/songwriter Thom Dunn and he is releasing some absolutely stunning Celtic-Punk with just him and himself playing all the instruments. Check out his latest offering two versions of the great Shane MacGowan penned track ‘Streams Of Whiskey’. We will be reviewing his album Ní Neart Go Cur Le Chéile in the next couple of weeks after we have had a proper listen!
THE KILMAINE SAINTS released a new video of their cover of the House Of Pain classic ‘Jump Around’ recorded live at last months Celtic Fling festival.
I love a bit of Psychobilly me and here’s German band THE DIGGERZ doing a wicked cover of sea-shanty and Celtic-Punk staple ‘Drunken Sailor’.
THE MULLINS are proud to present the first single from their upcoming eponymous album! It’s coming out September 17th and you can pre-order to help the band out.
Indonesian Celtic-Punk is the best and we were taken aback at the great new single from WOLF FROM HOME from Pantura. Guys if you see this send us more information on the band.
The prolific Irish singer-songwriter KEVIN O’DRISCOLL has another album out recently Rebel Blood, Fenian Heart. You can check it out on Spotify.
Last month was news of a new Mahones album and tour and today we can tell you of the release of Time To Burn by the Punk supergroup ULTRABOMB. Made up of Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü. Jamie Oliver of the U.K.Subs and Finny McConnell of The Mahones. These guys are going to be a force worth reckoning. Their recent UK tour was cancelled and no news on it’s re-arrangement yet.
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 and you haven’t given them a fair chance. We love and guarantee you will too. Check them out on You Tube and Facebook and look forward to catching them live 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.
REINA ROJA – Hooligan Folk (review on its way!)
THE DEAD IRISH – Lost In The City EP
RAISE MY KILT – Raise My Glass
ULTRABOMB – Time To Burn
NICK HART – Nick Hart Sings Ten English Folk Songs
Remember we cannot review it if we don’t hear it first!
REINA ROJA from Madrid have a new album out this month. Having already heard it I can tell you now it is bloomin’ brilliant and I’m looking forward to reviewing it. Hopefully they’ll have some decent live videos out by then but here’s a vid that’s a couple of years old and shows them off.
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. Formed in 2005 LAD CUIG were a Catalonian Celtic-Punk band that changed styles around 2013 and released their second album album Poemes de Destrucció in 2016 and it’s available as a ‘name your price’ download. Lád Cúig are still going strong and released the album From Within at the end of last year.
SINFUL MAGGIE have a new album, Psychos And Sycophants, out soon and the album launch will be 1st October down sarf where they live. Dublin Metal style acoustic Folkies THE SCRATCH are touring in December and playing Camden Underworld on December 15th. Expect to see a few of us at that one. NEW MODEL ARMY play 3 Christmas dates ending at the Roundhouse on the 10th. FLOGGING MOLLY tour in August with support from good folk FEROCIOUS DOG (see above for dates) and DROPKICK MURPHYS play the London Arena in January. You’re welcome to post in any gig or tour info and looking forward to including some news from The Working Class Symphony soon!
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!
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There is quite a strong and vibrant celtic-punk scene happening in France at the moment and by France I mean France and not Brittany which as you should know is a completely different country! One of these bands are Korrigan’s Celtic Rock who were formed in 2007 in Franche-Comté in eastern France and released their debut EP, Tournée Générale!, earlier this year. They take their name from the mythical creatures who were opposed to Christianity when the Apostles came to convert Brittany. The EP kicks off with a rocking start with tin whistle that AC/DC would be proud of. Next up is ‘Hypocrisie’ with more of a ska beat and the bombarde is introduced. I love the sound of this instrument and will be familiar to fans of the Breton legends Les Ramoneurs De Menhirs. They add bagpipes too into ‘Putain De…’ and this is my favourite track of the EP. The title track ends the EP and is straight up celtic-punk rock. A quarter of a hour well spent. These guys cover all the angles and we are destined to hear much more from them in 2017.
Mick Flannery comes from county Cork in the south of Ireland and funnily enough the artist he reminds me of the most is also from Cork, Cathal Coughlan of the excellent Microdisney/Fatima Mansions. This is Mick’s fifth album and the first I’ve heard properly. There may not be much here for the traditional celtic-punk fan except that if you love good music then you will also love this. From what I have read this album is much darker than his previous releases and the excellent Tom Wait-esque title track is based on the idea of class inequality and told as a poor man breaking into a rich man’s house. Dark and foreboding and downright bloody brilliant!
Formed in 2004 in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta Tenholes are a working class Oi! band with celtic music influences. Loyalty is their second album and their best yet. ten songs and thirty-five minutes of punk rock’n’roll from the streets that reminds me of those first couple of Flatfoot 56 albums for energy. An absolute stunner of an album. Great production and comes bursting out the speakers at you from Track One. We have featured Indonesian bands several times before when we reviewed Dirty Glass (
The third release from Fremantle seven-piece King of the Travellers. Blending elements of folk, punk, ska and gypsy music to create a hoe-down of epic proportions! With instruments as diverse as the French horn and
And our final review of 2016 is also one of the best we reviewed and no surprises that it’s another Australian release! Just released earlier this month this is the first new record from The Ramshackle Army since the beginning of 2014 but they have certainly been busy if not recording then touring right across the globe! The band began in the pubs and bars of their home town Melbourne but The Ramshackle Army have gone on to become one of the leading lights in the Australian celtic-punk scene and in a scene that is chock-a-block with great bands then that ought to be recommendation enough. Hampered by line up changes they have now got a settled team so lets hope it leads to a new album soon. Here we get six songs and just under twenty minutes of high tempo, catchy as feck traditional celtic-punk. The standout track gotta be the single ‘Foreign Soil’ but it could easily have been any of them such is the quality of this fine EP.
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