Almost inevitably SMOKEY BASTARD will be branded the U.K.’s answer to Flogging Molly on the back of ‘Tales from the Wasteland’. Yes, it’s easy to see the comparison – this album is punctuated by the Celtic folk punk stylings of the Los Angeles outfit – but to merely bestow such a comparison on this Reading band is, in many ways, missing the point.
The follow-up to 2010’s ‘Propping Up the Floor’ picks up where its predecessor left off (raucous punk tinged with an undertow of folk) and ramps-up the ‘folk’ element. Really ramps it up. There are moments on the album that sound as though they’ve been lifted from either a medieval banquet (‘My Son Jon’) or a Benedictine monastery (‘Boatepitaph’). Think plenty of mandolins and banjos applied to overblown vocals.
Not all of the ‘folk-iness’ is over-the-top. A lot of this record lies closer to the realms of today’s acoustic punk scene than it does Geoffrey Chaucer. Whilst too many listeners will get hooked-up on those Flogging Molly resemblances, you’re actually as likely to hear the likes of PJ and Gaby, and Apologies, I Have None (on the conveniently titled ‘Aspirations, I Have Some’), or even, dare we say it, Frank Turner. You’d not be mistaken if you found a touch of The Dead Pets here either.
There’s also a fierce battle being fought out on this recording. With silly song titles (‘Yuppie Dracula’, ‘Token Folkin’) and comedic lyrics (the aforementioned ‘Aspirations…’ is a gem) you’d be forgiven for thinking this is merely a lark in the park, but at the same time, there’s some tight musicianship and a few more sombre moments that contradict the initial impression.
‘Tales from the Wasteland’ certainly has its moments, but also has a few instances of muddled confusion, as well as suffering at times from being a little too over-the-top. Ultimately, it’s a fun record though, and one that just happens to work on several levels, including drunken revelry. Here’s guessing that Smokey Bastard are well worth catching in a live setting.
ALEX HAMBLETON