Punktastic

Fuelling The Fire Tour: Flogging Molly & The Bronx @ O2 Academy, Sheffield

Romy Gregory — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:07:23 +0000

New Flogging Molly video for ‘Reptiles (We Woke Up)’

Aaron Lohan — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 21:15:57 +0000

Flogging Molly have unveiled an animated video for ‘Reptiles (We Woke Up)’.

The song is taken from their sixth album ‘Life Is Good’ which released in June via Vanguard.

photo: Richie Smyth

Flogging Molly – ‘Life Is Good’

Leo Troy — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 06:44:37 +0000

Step into a modern pub and archetypes are likely to await you: the boozed-up Fred Perry fanboy fiddling with the pinball machine, the off-duty policewoman slumped by the pool table and the motley gang of withered regulars perched at the bar. Amongst the latter is usually a slender old man with an iron liver and questionable facial hair, a past bastion of good times lost in successive pints of real ale and futile political debates with the uninterested bartender. With their first album in six years ‘Life Is Good,’ Celtic punks Flogging Molly have become the musical equivalent of that guy. Time has thrown them into a world on the brink of VR, where war stories induce yawns next to Netflix shows and fidget spinners and once beloved musical quirks are drowned out by the inoffensive whir of a million Josh Franceschi tribute acts. Despite the occasional flash of brilliance, ‘Life Is Good’ shows some of this passive sub-Radio 2 nonsense has rubbed off on them, a fact that no amount of fiery political weight can disguise.

Case in point: opener ‘There’s Nothing Left Pt. 1’ declares that “the devil has spoke and he’s not very bright,” a scathing reference to America’s Calippo-in-chief that seems impossibly tame set to what is basically a diddly-diddly cover of the Game Of Thrones theme. Elsewhere the vague yet rousing call to arms of banjo-led single ‘Reptiles (We Woke Up)’ is hampered by instrumentation not unlike a discount Corrs. For the most part the band have scrapped their lairy charm and dove headfirst into no-nonsense Irish folk. Newfound maturity may be the reason, but there’s a conflict between the songwriting and its presentation that often doesn’t work, along with a lack of the loveable darkness that made the band so vital in the first place. Occasionally they get it right: ‘Hope’ is an undisputed pint-swinging anthem that ranks among the band’s best ever songs, while ‘Until We Meet Again’ is a heartfelt sign-off reminiscent of Steve Earle, but most of ‘Life Is Good’ wouldn’t sound out of place at a sandal-footed weekend retreat for investment bankers. It’s a docile version of a truly brilliant band that only works when its having fun.

Regardless, the fun arrives with a right hook. Roaring ode to unstoppable boxing legend ‘The Hand Of John L. Sullivan’ sounds like a bar fight, only letting up pace for a waltzing middle eight that begs for shots of Jameson’s and a pub-wide singalong, while ‘Crushed (Hostile Nations)’ reprises the theatrics of frontman Dave King’s stint as vocalist of ’80s metallers Fastway, stomping and kicking like a hellish episode of Riverdance. The vocal flow of penultimate track ‘The Bride Wore Black’ even echoes Davey Havock from AFI, pulsing like an ‘Art Of Drowning’ classic played by the community folk club of a small village. Essentially ‘Life Is Good’ works best when the band are enjoying themselves, a quality that strangely coincides with less political lyrics.

Still, Flogging Molly are a rare band. They only have one or two genre peers at their level, which means they’re important. If you want to hear Celtic punk, the odds are one in three that they’ll be your introduction. Perhaps ’Life Is Good’ could work for people coming in through the folkier side: those with too many tweed jackets and a comprehensive Joan Baez Spotify playlist. Maybe anyone into punk should opt for earlier releases like ‘Drunken Lullabies’ or even 2011’s ‘Speed Of Darkness.’ Then again, despite a tamer approach there’s clearly some balls on display. Maybe – just maybe – this is simply a detour and that withered old drunk with an iron liver and questionable facial hair still has a fire in his belly. Only time will tell.

LEO TROY

Flogging Molly share new song, ‘Welcome to Adamstown’

Aaron Lohan — Tue, 09 May 2017 12:07:26 +0000

Flogging Molly recently premiered their new song, ‘Welcome to Adamstown’, at Brooklyn Vegan.

It is taken from their upcoming sixth album, ‘Life Is Good’, which will be released on the 2nd June via Vanguard.

The celtic punks will also be playing the following UK shows this June.

JUNE
27 MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
28 BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute
29 LONDON O2 Forum

photo: Richie Smyth

Flogging Molly announce new album, ‘Life Is Good’

Aaron Lohan — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 20:21:55 +0000

LA Celtic punks Flogging Molly have announced the release of their upcoming sixth album, ‘Life Is Good’.

Following up 2011’s ‘Speed of Darkness’, the record is set for release on the 2nd June via Vanguard Records. We’ll have more info soon.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvx82giL-UA

Flogging Molly at Reading Festival 2011

Maryam Hassan — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 17:49:00 +0000

Flogging Molly got everyone dancing on the Sunday Lock Up Stage at Reading Festival 2011

Flogging Molly

Maryam Hassan — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:16:41 +0000

Punktastic headed down to check out Flogging Molly at the Highbury Garage on 01/07/11. Here are some snaps!

Flogging Molly – Highbury Garage, London

Tom Aylott — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:38:35 +0000

Image by James Perou

Punktastic rarely, if ever, get the pleasure of watching FLOGGING MOLLY take on a club show, and tonight’s no support headline slot seems like a perfect opportunity to indulge in some intimacy with the American-Irish punk troupe.

Tonight’s setlist is practically perfect in every way, covering both new and old in impeccable style, and whilst the band are usually correctly regarded as a force to be reckoned with live, the smaller stage is like a magnifying glass on just how brilliant and well orchestrated their songs are, and musicianship is.

Vocalist/Guitarist Dave King has an absolute mastery of the crowd this evening, and his goodwilled beratement of both clothing and hairstyle of the front row shows just how much the band enjoy being so close to their fans.

The room’s heaving from start to finish, and when the classics are wheeled out, the Garage feels very reminiscent of the last time we dared watch Hatebreed adorn the crammed stage.

Tonight is an absolute masterclass in live performance, and the band more than get away with having no support acts. It feels like a truly special gig for both the crowd and the band, and one any Flogging Molly (and music) fan should feel rather sad to have missed if they weren’t here.

To see our photo gallery from the show, head to our Photos section

Flogging Molly

Maryam Hassan — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:42:42 +0000

Flogging Molly performing at Groezrock 2011.

Flogging Molly – Leeds Josephs Well

paul — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 19:52:53 +0000

Josephs Well is a strange little venue. Based in the centre of Leeds, it is essentially a pub with a basement – with this smallish room, catering for around 200 punters max – acting as the gigging area. With a small stage, everything about the venue is intimate, if that indeed is the right choice of word. So it’s a surprise really that so many bands actually come through Leeds and make Joes Well a stop-off. In the last few months the likes of Midtown, Consumed and The Pietasters have played here, and of course the Punktastic Tour has also been involved in a little Well action. Tonight it will play home to those Irish-American Guinness swilling drunkards, Flogging Molly, and their unique brand of….Irish music.

But first up we have two sets of local bands, who couldn’t be any more different from each other if they tried. Opening a Sunday night’s entertianment are NO BIG DEAL, a band close to us here at Punktastic as he host their website. It’s my first proper listen to the band and all I can say at the minute is that they seem to be a band suffering an identity crisis. Not really fitting into any specific genre, tonight the NBD sound comes across muddy and confusing – infact at times bassist Sie looks at his fellow band members to ask what is going on. With a hardcore and loyal support, NBD are clearly doing something right, but tonight they don’t do themselves justice. Four good musicians, as a band something doesn’t quite knit right and it’s only a ramshackle cover of the Ronan Keating ‘classic’ ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ that really hits the spot. It’s a fantastic hammering of the original, punked up with snotty, leering vocals that really suit the band. But when it comes to their original material there’s nothing that stands out, aside from one track sung by bassist Sie. (Sorry guys, I don’t know the name!) One final annoying feature is that the band seem to forget that a crowd is watching them, hardly ever appearing to look past the front row where their friends stand, and in losing eye contact with everyone else it could be quite easy to lose interest. Still, enough to warrant their slot, No Big Deal need to work hard at establishing their own sound and polish up their live performance and they may be on to something. (5)

MR SHIRAZ are worlds apart from their fellow Yorkshire support act. Bringing a crazy brand of ska to the evening, the Leeds boys (and gal) serve up a skanking treat with a set that is more exciteable than a kid with ADD at a theme park. There’s not one second to draw breath and there’s always something going on. Having heard lots about the band from Milk2Sugars, but having never seen Mr Shiraz in action, I really didn’t know what to expect. But their set has left me gagging for more. It’s hard to describe what they are all about, other than to say it’s a show that you really should not dare to miss. Showmanship, entertainment and fun are just three words and there are some decent songs in there too, with some mad trumpet playing offering a brass boost. If there is a slight moan their set seemed a little long, but that was maybe because the venue had become so damn hot. Either way, Mr Shiraz are a band that you have to see – for the entertainment value if nothing else. (8)

When I saw FLOGGING MOLLY at Deconstruction way back in the summer I wasn’t overly impressed by their punked up Pogues style. But after an hour with them in Leeds I’m converted. Again it’s all about fun, but the hard hitting unique style they have doesn’t do them any harm at all. Featuring most of the songs from their latest ‘Drunken Lullabies’ opus, the ‘Molly rock harder tonight than many of the bands I’ve seen this year. ‘Foolish Man’ sets the tone for the evening with an accordion and various other types of Irish instrumentation found littering the stage, but it’s the odd can of Guinness found near the foot of each member that adds to the authenticity. For me it’s the set opener of ‘Drunken Lullabies’ which sums up everything that is good about the band this evening and the kids go off for them all night. There’s interaction and various bouts of crowd participation, and there are more than a handful of hardcore fans in the house tonight who sing along with every word like it’s their last night on the planet. And the band buzz and feed off of the energy the fans create. With each member the wrong side of 30 (and quite possibly 40 too) they bound about the stage as if they’ve had a night on the Red Bull and this all-action performance does them no harm whatsoever. (9)

A throroughly enjoyable evening’s punk rock, if only Joes Well could somehow find some kind of ventilation system we’d be cooking on gas. This was Flogging Molly‘s frst visit to Leeds and they were given a typical Yorkshire welcome. I doubt it will be their last. As for the other two bands, gigs out of Leeds are needed – and for Mr Shiraz in particular, should easily be forthcoming.

Paul.