St. Doyle and the Last Call Philharmonic |

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 NOVEMBER 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!

We start off November’s Odds’n’Sods with the shocking news that the classic FLOGGING MOLLY album Swagger celebrated its 20th anniversary (yikes!!!!) last month and it is now available remixed and remastered in a limited edition vinyl box set that includes a bonus LP, a never-before-seen DVD documentary plus full live performance, expanded lyric booklet featuring many unseen before photos and much more! Orders for the box set are now available at floggingmolly.com/swagger!

More news from FLOGGING MOLLY was the recent announcement that they will be returning to these shores next Summer for gigs in Manchester, Birmingham and north London. Tickets on sale here.

One of the best and productive scenes in Celtic-Punk is the one in Indonesia and one of the best of a great bunch is THE CLOVES AND THE TOBACCO who play Irish music just as if they were raised on the Emerald Isle itself. There’s not many who play Celtic-Punk and Irish music with this much talent and passion. Enjoy their great new video a bit subdued for them but still outstanding. ‘Denting Gelas Akhir Pekan’ from their new album Jalan Pulang.

The new album from Doyle Duff and his band has landed. Mistakes Were Made by ST. DOYLE AND THE LAST CALL PHILHARMONIC is available for download below.

Dutch Celtic band MAGGIE’S FLOCK continue to release a song a month through 2020. Autumn is upon us! Check out this atmospheric beauty!

BEAVER SECRET HANDSHAKE are from Helskini and have a EP out on YouTube and Spotify.

RUNA have released a cover of Hoagy Carmichaels auld hit ‘Buttermilk Sky’. The video was filmed in the French Quarter of New Orleans and I defy anyone not to enjoy it. Shannon has after all one of the best voices in Irish music.

THE PLACKS one of the brightest new bands in the scene released a new video/single ‘Sail Away’ about the Highland Clearances. Shot in Dunoon and Gourock and filmed in the first week of September. It’s been likened to an ad for Visit Scotland! Available for download for the princely sum of a fifth of a pint of beer here in London or under half a pint in Bonnie Scotland!

There was a time when SMZB were the sole Celtic-Punk band in China but since the arrival of Grass Mud Horse we could even start to claim their is some sort of scene now!! SMZB have a new album out of Punk with Pipes and its bloody great. Try and support this great band.

Speaking of GRASS MUD HORSE they have released a download only version of their debut album Beijing Bikini featuring ten songs never released before. These songs are from the band’s first year and are described as “very eclectic” and is made up of songs written in their first year together before they settled in as one of the best Celtic-Punk bands around.

Not Celtic-Punk but I really enjoyed the debut track from Scots band BRòGEAL. As they say themselves ‘four wise boys on that folk noise fresh outta Falkirk’ and it really is quite superb Celtic music. Send the lads a ‘like’ over at their Facebook Page as they just getting started.

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

THE CUNDEEZ – Teckle An Hide

THE STUBBY SHILLEAGHS – Glass To Mouth (review later this week!)

ST. DOYLE AND THE LAST CALL PHILHARMONIC – Mistakes Were Made

SMZB – Once Upon A Time In The East

THE CLOVES AND THE TOBACCO – Jalan Pulang

STEVE WHITE AND THE PROTEST FAMILY – The Debased Street Music Of The Vulgar

KILMURA – Hybris

Even doing this we still come across stuff we missed from the past that is worth another look. This time it’s something again a bit different… well a lot bloody different! Irish Meet the Blues by ANTONI O’BRESKEY is the first and as far as I know the only album ever recorded on piano where traditional Irish music meets Blues and Jazz. For Antoni “musical cultures are not defined by borders, but by historical roots that reach deeply across all areas of the globe.”

Another interesting band we just came across is ‘The American Irish band’ BEGORRAH. Celtic Punk/Metal band that formed in 2010 in New York City by music veterans Kevin Patrick Corrigan and Shane O’Connor. Begorrah have two albums out Molly B’gee in 2012 and Tough Guy Prayer in 2017 that you can listen to and download on Bandcamp.

Aussie band FOX’n’FIRKIN have a new song out ‘Get On The Boat’ urging us to get behind a fellow Brisbane Punk band they are mates with called Flangipanis. It’s out on Folk Til Ya Punk Records and is available for download here.