Kilkenny Knights "Brady's Pub Tales" self-released
Release date: 12 April 2014
Running time: 53:56, 14 tracks
Germany is the Celtic punk/rock paradise in Europe. The genre has a huge following and there are a lot of venues, festivals and bands. Fiddler’s Green’s albums arrive regularly on time to the date with their fans, and everybody is waiting for Mr. Irish Bastard’s new album. But new bands are arising from the four corners of the country to give a new lease of life to the German Celtic punk scene. The O’Reillys and The Paddyhats have done a fantastic job with their debut album and a new band from the North of Bavaria is trying to find a place at the Celtic punk/rock Olympus too: Kilkenny Knights.
The Kilkenny Knights consists of Michael Fleischmann (bass), Erik Fredriksen (vocals, accordion), Sabine Götze (tin whistle, flute), Stefan Rebert (drums, cajon), Joahnnes Ress (vocals, electric guitar), Wolfgang Ress (vocals, acoustic guitar, pipes), Philipp Schinkel (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bodhrán) and Phillipp Sollmann (sound guy). “Brady’s Pub Tales” is their self-released debut album after a previous 5 track EP: 14 self-penned songs that define the band’s identity with some echoes of old German Celtic punk bands like Across the Border and Lady Godiva on songs like “Wake Me Sweet Sally”or “Coming Home” (the accordion and the tin whistle) and a folk metal twist on numbers such as “Piperdemon”, “Dance” (the pipes on both songs) and “Final Course” (the martial beat).
The guys and the girl have released a fresh and interesting album showcasing their ability to write great sing-along numbers. The opening track, “Raise Your Pints”, is the real single on the album. It’s a catchy song that you’ll be whistling all day long. “Coming Home” has the best chorus on “Brady’s Pub Tales”: “Irish beer and buskers playin’ / Some old folksongs in the crowded pubs / Smoke around and shoddy Joking / All that made us coming home!”. I guess that “The Devil Rocks With Us” is another song that the band’s fans love to hear at the band’s gigs. And “A Drinker’s Song” is the booze number that every Celtic punk album must include.
Kilkenny Knights have also written a sort of a traditional Irish song: “O’Farrell’s Chest”. This ballad is a proof of the band’s versatility. There is a couple of songs that I’ve enjoyed musically, but I feel that the lyrics are a little bit “Criminal Minds”: “Wake Up Sweet Sally” and “Adam the Hunter”. The former is an unrequited love song of the XXI century. The guy kidnaps the girl and drives far away with her. The latter is a song based on the Breton number “Son ar chistr” whose Rapalje’s cover under the title “Was zullen we drinken” is apparently a well-known song in Germany. However, the lyrics are about an unsocial guy that kills people with his rifle. Finally, I appreciate very much that Kilkenny Knights have not recorded any standard, but they have focused on their own songwriting. I love when a band features a traditional tune inside a song, and they have done it twice. I feel that this works fine on “Adam the Hunter”. However, I wouldn’t have featured “Amazing Grace” and “Auld Lang Syne” on “Not a Friendly Farewell”.
Release date: 12 April 2014
Running time: 53:56, 14 tracks
Germany is the Celtic punk/rock paradise in Europe. The genre has a huge following and there are a lot of venues, festivals and bands. Fiddler’s Green’s albums arrive regularly on time to the date with their fans, and everybody is waiting for Mr. Irish Bastard’s new album. But new bands are arising from the four corners of the country to give a new lease of life to the German Celtic punk scene. The O’Reillys and The Paddyhats have done a fantastic job with their debut album and a new band from the North of Bavaria is trying to find a place at the Celtic punk/rock Olympus too: Kilkenny Knights.
The Kilkenny Knights consists of Michael Fleischmann (bass), Erik Fredriksen (vocals, accordion), Sabine Götze (tin whistle, flute), Stefan Rebert (drums, cajon), Joahnnes Ress (vocals, electric guitar), Wolfgang Ress (vocals, acoustic guitar, pipes), Philipp Schinkel (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bodhrán) and Phillipp Sollmann (sound guy). “Brady’s Pub Tales” is their self-released debut album after a previous 5 track EP: 14 self-penned songs that define the band’s identity with some echoes of old German Celtic punk bands like Across the Border and Lady Godiva on songs like “Wake Me Sweet Sally”or “Coming Home” (the accordion and the tin whistle) and a folk metal twist on numbers such as “Piperdemon”, “Dance” (the pipes on both songs) and “Final Course” (the martial beat).
The guys and the girl have released a fresh and interesting album showcasing their ability to write great sing-along numbers. The opening track, “Raise Your Pints”, is the real single on the album. It’s a catchy song that you’ll be whistling all day long. “Coming Home” has the best chorus on “Brady’s Pub Tales”: “Irish beer and buskers playin’ / Some old folksongs in the crowded pubs / Smoke around and shoddy Joking / All that made us coming home!”. I guess that “The Devil Rocks With Us” is another song that the band’s fans love to hear at the band’s gigs. And “A Drinker’s Song” is the booze number that every Celtic punk album must include.
Kilkenny Knights have also written a sort of a traditional Irish song: “O’Farrell’s Chest”. This ballad is a proof of the band’s versatility. There is a couple of songs that I’ve enjoyed musically, but I feel that the lyrics are a little bit “Criminal Minds”: “Wake Up Sweet Sally” and “Adam the Hunter”. The former is an unrequited love song of the XXI century. The guy kidnaps the girl and drives far away with her. The latter is a song based on the Breton number “Son ar chistr” whose Rapalje’s cover under the title “Was zullen we drinken” is apparently a well-known song in Germany. However, the lyrics are about an unsocial guy that kills people with his rifle. Finally, I appreciate very much that Kilkenny Knights have not recorded any standard, but they have focused on their own songwriting. I love when a band features a traditional tune inside a song, and they have done it twice. I feel that this works fine on “Adam the Hunter”. However, I wouldn’t have featured “Amazing Grace” and “Auld Lang Syne” on “Not a Friendly Farewell”.
I would like to draw the attention once again to the package: a digipack with a 12 page booklet and drawings by flutist Sabine.
“Brady’s Pub Tales” is an enjoyable album and an outstanding starting point to the Kilkenny Knight’s discography.
“Brady’s Pub Tales” is an enjoyable album and an outstanding starting point to the Kilkenny Knight’s discography.
Tracklist:
1. Raise Your Pints 2:58
2. Piperdemon 3:39
3. Rebel 3:56
4. Wake Up Sweet Sally 4:08
5. Adam The Hunter 4:04
6. The Devil Rocks With Us 3:09
7. Dance! 2:42
8. Final Course 5:04
9. Wind In My Sails 3.08
10. Never Rest 3:38
11. Coming Home 5:10
12. A Drinker’s Song 3:00
13. O’Farrell’s Chest 4:54
14. Not A Friendly Farewell 4:21
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Review by Kinksmarkham
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