2018-04-26 ALBUM REVIEW - EAST RIVER RATS "When the Cat's Away" (2018)

East River Rats "When the Cat's Away"

Release date: April 14, 2018

Running time: 32:33, 12 tracks

East River Rats is a 7 piece band from the northern shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The band was founded by Brian MacKenzie in the summer of 2016, but the current line-up was born in the summer of 2017: Brian MacKenzie (lead vocals, guitar, tin whistle, bodhrán, songwriter), Caleb MacIvor (vocals, bass, accordion, songwriter), Cole Yorke (mandolin and backing vocals), Greg Stanley (guitar and backing vocals), Marree MacKenzie (fiddle), Jarvis Hale (banjitar) and Eli Hollett (drums and backing vocals). They released a video for “Let’s Get Drunk” and a couple of demo tracks available for free on Bandcamp prior to their debut album, “When the Cat’s Away”.

The album opener is “Elison’s Reel”, a kick-ass tune written by written by Jarvis Hale. From the very beginning the band makes it clear that their music is intended for dancing and having fun. The next song is about their home, “Pictou County Town”, a fiddle and banjo led number with good backing vocals on the chorus.

The following cut is the first single off the album (the video). “Let’s get Drunk” is a rocking song that becomes addictive with its hey shouts. If that song is a standout number, track no. 4 is another highlight on the album: “Grandfather’s Tartan”. Excellent ballad that reminds me of “All for me Grog”.

The first trad. song on “When the Cat’s Away” is “(The Bonnie Ship) The Diamond”. Several bands have recorded their own version of this song. If you were thinking that nothing new can be added to this song, you’re wrong: East River Rats have really worked on their arrangements and the final result is quite interesting.

Track no. 6 is called “I Came Here to F*ck or Fight”, a fantastic song where tin whistle can be heard together with the 6 string banjo and the fiddle. The level is also high on the next cut, “Pour Me” a The Tossers infused song. “Woman for Me” showcases the band’s quieter end. Caleb sings lead vocals and plays accordion on that track.

But East River Rats is a band with a live attitude and the next number is an upbeat song: “Last One in the Pub”, written by Greg and Caleb. After that original, the boys and the girl deliver an excellent cover of “Woodpile”, an amazing shanty with a The Dreadnoughts spirit.

As you have already noticed, drinking is present on the East River Rats songs. Brian’s “Whiskey Galore” is no exception and its sound makes me think of In for a Penny. The album is over with “Scotian Lullaby”, a fantastic song with a trad. feel, but written by Caleb.


East River Rats are the latest addition to the Celtic rock lineage from the Maritimes. The band is proud of their Scottish heritage and they have been able to establish their own identity as a Celtic rock band rooted on the tradition. Contact the band on Facebook to grab a copy, they ship worldwide!

Track listing:

01 - Elison's Reel 1:36

02 - Pictou County Town 2:48

03 - Let's Get Drunk 2:49

04 - Grandfather's Tartar 2:09

05 - The Diamond 3:36

06 - Came Here to F*ck or Fight 2:17

07 - Pour Me 2:38

08 - The Woman for me 2:23

09 - Last One in the Pub 2:58

10 - Wood Pile 1:42

11 - Whiskey Galore 3:27

12 - Scotian Lullaby 4:04

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Review by Kinksmarkham

2018-04-24 ALBUM REVIEW - ALTERNATIVE ULSTER "Pog Mo Thoin" (2018)

Alternative Ulster "Pog Mo Thoin"
Release date: February 11, 2018
Running time: 32:52, 13 tracks

Alternative Ulster (MK II) is John McGovern aka Johnny Piper on bagpipes, bass and backing vocals, Todd Henry on lead vocals and drums and Jay Andersen on guitars and bass. They released “Pog Mo Thoin” in February and the album has got rave reviews from England, the USA and even from Australia.

Thirteen tracks are delivered in 33 minutes, 2 traditional numbers and 11 self-penned songs. Johnny has written the lyrics to the originals, while the three band members have written the music. The songs blend bits of trad. bagpipes tunes, Jay’s guitars and Todd’s raw vocals. The first number is the title track and the band’s calling card. Fans will be familiar with the pipe tune, as it was also used by Dropkick Murphys in "Wicked Sensitive Crew". “Drunk as Fuck” is a tribute to all the band’s heroes: The Go Set, The Real McKenzies, Dropkick Murphys, Shane McGowan and The Mahones. “Krampus” is a standout number with great lyrics. “Guetto Piper” features the well-known football chant “Olé Olé”. The backing vocals have a drunk monks singing sound on “Irish Wake”.

A bad joke becomes a drunk man’s nightmare on “Free Beer Tomorrow” and “Haggis” is an ode to the national dish of Scotland. It’s followed by “Self-appointed Kilt Inspector”, an amazing song featuring “Gravel Walk” and one of the best lyrics on the CD. “Ladies from Hell” is another highlight featuring “Atholl Highlanders”.

As far as the trad. songs are concerned, I have mixed feelings. “Sgt. McKenzie” is brilliant, but, IMHO, the vocals on “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore” ruin the song.

“Pog Mo Thoin” is a raw album. The sound is rough at the edges; however the pipes shine everywhere. The album can be bought from Bandcamp, where the lyrics to all of the songs are available too. 

Track listing:

01 - Pog mo Thoin 1:45
02 - Drunk as Fuck 1:47
03 - This Shall We Defend 1:24
04 - Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore 2:50
05 - Krampus 2:33
06 - Ghetto Piper 2:52
07 - Irish Wake 2:53
08 - Free Beer Tomorrow 2:00
09 - Haggis 2:04
10 - Self-apointed Kilt Inspector 2:33
11 - Stairway to Reason 2:36
12 - Ladies from Hell 3:31
13 - Sgt. McKenzie 3:58


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Review by Kinksmarkham

2018-04-23 VIDEOS - THE BARLEY HOPS, FIRE NEXT TIME, CELTAS CORTOS

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The Barley Hops - Rhymes from the Pub

Fire Next Time - Collars

Celtas Cortos - Silencio

2018-04-17 ALBUM REVIEW - THE MUCKERS "One More Stout" (2018)

The Muckers "One More Stout" 627209 Records DK
Release date: March 9, 2018
Running time: 46:18, 13 tracks

“One More Stout” is the sophomore album by Atlanta based band The Muckers. Jeff Shaw (vocals, fiddle, mandolin), Brady Truelove (guitars vocals), Randall English (bass, clarinet, vocals), Steve Lingo (drums, vocals) and Dave Long (accordion, vocals) have recorded a well-balanced album of originals and covers.

The album kicks off with “Let’s All Go to the Bar”. This is a song by a band called Deer Tick, but one may think that it’s a self-penned number. The accordion plays the major role and there is a good mandolin passage at the end. The other covers are tracks no. 4, no. 6, no.8 and no. 9. “Black Irish” is an upbeat song by a band called The Devil Makes Three. It begins with the fiddle, and then the other instruments join. “Long Gravel Road” is a fiddle led number by Cutthroat Shamrock. Great Big Sea "Old Black Rum" is played with gusto. “God Save Ireland” is a lively number with amazing accordion à la The Pogues. My fave together with “Let’s All Go to the Bar”.

Jeff has put words to an East European tune on "Limonchiki". Fiddle and accordion do a great job on this number that The Dreadnoughts fans will appreciate. Finally, a trad. tune closes the album: “Castle Kelly”. The Muckers deliver a kick-ass rendition of a tune that is not overexposed.

The originals are mainly a bunch of excellent drinking songs: the catchy “Day Drinking”, the Poguesish “One More Stout”, “Whiskey” (which gets a balladeer treatment) and the cow-punk number “Drunker’n Cooter Brown” featuring accordion and mandolin. Special mention to the second cut, “Hellbound” and its awesome fiddle arrangements.

Jeff and the boys keep up the good work that they began with their debut album. They take the spirit of The Clancy Brothers and The Pogues and add their own American influences to the mix. Besides, they stay away from the usual overexposed standards and their choice of the songs to cover is spotless. In other words, The Muckers are a fantastic band to party.

Track listing:

01 - Let's All Go to the Bar 3:48
02 - Hellbound 3:39
03 - Day Drinking 4:21
04 - Black Irish 3:50
05 - One More Stout 3:46
06 - Long Gravel Road 3:41
07 - Limonchiki 3:31
08 - Old Black Rum 2:35
09 - God Save Ireland 2:18
10 - Whiskey 2:58
11 - Drunker'n Cooter Brown 3:20
12 - Molly, Pt. 2 4:20
13 - Castle Kelly 4:10

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Review by Kinksmarkham

2018-04-15 VIDEOS - LEVELLERS, THE KILLIGANS, BASTARDS

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Levellers - Shame



The Killigans - Paducah



Bastards - Live at Resurrection Fest 2017 Full Show






 

2018-04-14 EP REVIEW - THE GRINNING BARRETTS "The St. Padraig's EP" (2018)

The Grinning Barretts "The St. Padraig's EP"
Release date: March 17, 2018
Running time: 24:11, 7 tracks

If Celtic punk was born in London with The Pogues, bagpipes punk was born in British Columbia (Canada) with The Real McKenzies. Amazing Canadian bagpipes punk bands released some kick-ass albums, but they are sadly defunct (The Tartan Hearts from Alberta and Farler’s Fury from Quebec). Fortunately a new band from Ladysmith, British Columbia, arrived in 2016: The Grinning Barretts. They released a fantastic four track demo that reached no. 5 at our Best EPs of 2016.

After some changes, the new line-up is Pat Westmacott (guitar, vocals), Dylan Wickham (guitar, banjo, vocals), Aaron Bergen and Kevin Dougan (bagpipes, whistles), Bern Kinnear (bass) and Jeremy Fiddy (drums). The Grinning Barretts are currently the official house band at Riot Brewing Co. in Chemainus, the best brewery on Vancouver Island, and they released a 7 track CD last St-Patrick’s Day. The title, “The St. Padraig’s EP”.

The Grinnning Barretts “The St. Padraig’s EP” is a brilliant EP (or even mini-album). The first song on the EP is “Plutocrass”, a shot at the rich bastards who own news outlets, and pay them to lie so they can get richer. This excellent number was already on the demos and has the band’s trademark: pipes, guitars and  oi! singalong chorus.

Track no. 2 is called "W&B". Bagpipes open and then the full band joins. If you like the Dropkick Murphys early stuff, this is a song for you. I’d daresay that they give DKM a run for their money if we take into account the Murphys last album.

“Kudatah” kicks off with bass, electric guitar and drums before the pipes are added. The sound is raw, with in yer face pipes, gang vocals and an electric guitar part before the end of the song.

The first traditional number on “The St. Padraig’s EP” is a Scottish song, “Wild Mountain Thyme” aka “Will Ye Go Lassie, Go”. This song was covered by The Real McKenzies on their second album “Clash of the Tartans”. Curiously, The RMCK rendition has no pipes. The Grinning Barretts deliver a badass cover full of pipes and guitars. The song finishes up a cappella.

The second traditional song on the EP is “Black Velvet Band”. The name of some places have been changed (Nelson in BC instead of Belfast) and the song reminds of the Dropkick Murphys cover with its gang vocals. However The Grinning Barretts rendition is full of pipes and they have added a traditional pipes tune too. Better? Worse? Different. I’d say better, but I admit that the Grinning Barretts cover wouldn’t exist without the Murphys previous version.

“UFS” is oi! at its best.  The chorus is so infectious that I can’t help but sing along.

The last song on the album is another celtic oi! gem, the fast-paced “To Your Name”. When one thinks that the song is over, there is a brilliant pipes solo.

“The St. Padraig’s EP” can be bought from Bandcamp, where the lyrics to all of the songs are available too. If you like bagpipes punk and oi! bands such as Harrington Saints or Bishops Green, this is the EP that you should add to your collection. A bagpipes punk must have.

Track listing:

1. Plutocrass 03:28   
2. W&B 02:18   
3. Kudatah 03:38   
4. Wild Mountain Thyme 02:17   
5. Black Velvet Band 03:46   
6. UFS 03:35   
7. To Your Name 04:54

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Review by Kinksmarkham

2018-04-12 VIDEOS - BLACK RAWK DOG, FLOGGING MOLLY

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Black Rawk Dog - Shine & Fun (lyric video)

 

Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies - Live at KROQ

Flogging Molly - Life is Good - Live at KROQ





 

2018-04-11 ALBUM REVIEW - KINGS & BOOZERS "Still Got the Booze" (2018)

Kings & Boozers "Still got the Booze" Slainte Records
Release date: March 9, 2018
Running time: 48:13, 13 tracks

When The Pogues disbanded in the 90’s, some German bands kept the Celtic punk flame burning. Lady Godiva was one of those bands, together with Fiddler’s Green, In Search of a Rose and Across the Border. Lady Godiva released 4 albums between 1994 and 2006, apart from some singles and a DVD: “Whisky You’re the Devil” (1996), “Tales of Kings and Boozers” (1998), “Red Letter Day” (2001) and “Zooperation" (2003). The band called it a day in January 2006.

Two new bands were born from the ashes of Lady Godiva: Muirsheen Durkin & Friends and Kings & Boozers. Kings & Boozers are Thomas Rünker (lead vocals, also member of Muirsheen Durkin & Friends), Jan Beckman (electric guitars, vocals), Christian Eickel (accordion) and Thorsten Donner (drums), together with Thomas Landsknecht “Lanze” (mandolin, banjo, also member of Muirsheen Durkin & Friends), Christian Kaufhold (tin whistle, vocals) and Lucas Müller (bass, vocals). Chris “Kentop” was the manager of Lady Godiva and he’s the manager of Kings & Boozers too (apart from the drummer and the manager of Muirsheen Durkin & Friends).

Which are the differences between Kings & Boozers and Muirsheen Durkin & Friends? There are no girls in Kings & Boozers, so all the lyrics are sung by Thomas Rünker. Moreover, there are no pipers. And no instrumental can be found on “Still Got the Booze”. Curiously, Kings & Boozers released their debut album 7 days before Muirsheen Durkin & Friends have issued their second album. And both CDs include covers of “One Whisky”, one of Lady Godiva’s hits.

“Still got the Booze” kicks off with a spoken intro and then the lads deliver the title track, a kick-ass number to sing along. The song tells the tale of the band: maybe some people thought that they were going to fail, but they were wrong. “Seven Paddies in Berlin” is an upbeat tempo with rawer vocals. Kings & Boozers prove that they master the tin whistle-accordion-banjo sound and the backing vocals. The third original is track no. 6, “Queen of Hearts”. This number features the “Royal Lattina Orchestra of Bologna”. The musicians in Kings & Boozers have been a long time in the business and they know when they can take a risk. And it has paid off, since this song is a true gem.

Three Lady Godiva’s songs have been revisited. “One Whisky”, from the first album, is a killer song. “In God We Trust” was originally on their fourth album and I was not familiar with that song (I have only the other 3 albums in my CD collection). However, I have been surprised by this excellent number. “Remember the Time”, from their third album, is a nostalgic song but it fits perfectly into the album. Sadly, there are no songs from the second album, for instance “Mary” or “King of My Mad Brain” (my faves).

Mike Rivkees (Mickey Rickshaw) is a guest on the Irish song “Bold Fenian Men” aka “Down by the Glenside”. This is not an overexposed standard and the arrangements are class, particularly the electric guitar. On the other hand, “Wild Rover” is really an overexposed standard. Nevertheless, Kings & Boozers perform a magic trick to give it a new lease of life, and it works: the lyrics are the real ones, but the music is that of Stan Jones “Ghost Riders in the Sky”.

Kings & Boozers have also covered a couple of comedy numbers, Mike Cross “Drunken Scotsman” and Pat McCurdy “Sex & Beer”. Both of them get the Celtic punk treatment.

Finally, Kings & Boozers have recorded a couple of songs written by their folk punk heroes, The Pogues and The Whisky Priests. “Everyman is a King” is a B-Side written by Terry Woods and Ron Kavana and can also be found on the “Peace & Love” remastered and expanded re-issue from 2004. One again, the lads have chosen a great song and have recorded a respectful cover. “The Raven” is a song from The Whisky Priests “Timeless Street” album from 1992. The Kings & Boozers rendition is more than a cover: Gary Miller and Mick Tyas are guests on this track and the final result is bloody good!

There was neither musical differences, nor disputes between old friends when Lady Godiva called it quits. Some of the members wished to keep on playing and they chose a new name, Kings & Boozers. It would have been easier if they had released the CD as Lady Godiva. But Kings & Boozers are not a reformation, but a new band. And they have dealt with love and respect the Lady Godiva’s legacy and have issued an enjoyable album. Hats-off!

Track listing:

01 - Intro 0:40
02 - Still Got The Booze 3:29
03 - One Whisky 2:42
04 - Bold Fenian Men (feat. Mike Rivkees "Mickey Rickshaw") 4:11
05 - Seven Paddies in Berlin 3:29
06 - Queen of Hearts 5:23
07 - Drunken Scotsman 4:06
08 - In God We Trust 3:44
09 - The Raven (feat. Gary Miller & Mick Tyas "The Whisky Priests") 4:17
10 - Wild Rover 3:50
11 - Sex and Beer 3:31
12 - Remember the Time 4:30
13 - Everyman is a King 3:45

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Review by Kinksmarkham

2018-04-09 ALBUM REVIEW - MUIRSHEEN DURKIN & FRIENDS "11 Pints & 3 Shots" (2018)

Muirsheen Durkin & Friends "13 Pints & 3 Shots"
Release date: March 16, 2018
Running time: 45:36, 14 tracks

“11 Pints & 3 Shots” is the third offering by German band Muirsheen Durkin & Friends after their debut album “Last Order” (2012) and the “Drink with the Irish” EP (2014). Currently they are MacRuenker (lead vocals, tin whistle), Lanze (guitars, banjo, mandolin, bckg. vocals), Sonja (acoustic guitar, vocals), Kentop (drums), Lothar (bass, bckg. vocals), Mine (accordion, vocals), Michi (electric guitar, Irish bouzouki, guitar-banjo, vocals), Andre (pipes) and Simon (pipes), while the friends are Thorsten Donner (drums, Kings & Boozers), Christian “Kiki” Eickel (accordion, Kings & Boozers) and Thomas “Püddl” Pütter (electric guitar).

The album kicks off with “Another Drunken Night”, a catchy song and one of the best numbers on the CD.  Another self-penned song is track no. 8, “Land of the 1.000 Mountains”, an interesting song . Muirsheen Durkin & Friends have re-recorded “Drink with the Irish”, the addictive song from their previous EP. Together with these top quality songs, the 6 boys and the 2 girls deliver a couple of amazing instrumentals: “Peggy the Waitress” has a The Pogues touch thanks to the accordion, the tin whistle and the banjo, while “McRuenkers Junk” blends a tune by McRuenker and Lanze with a well-known polka. “One Whiskey” is not exactly a self-penned song, but a fantastic classic song by Lady Godiva written by McRüenker. Now they have added the “E” to whiskey (the original song is titled “One Whisky”) and changed some words.

Muirsheen Durkin & Friends also cover a The Pogues song. Fortunately, the band from Arnsberg have not made an easy choice and they have selected a song from The Pogues box set “Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say: Pogue Mahone!” written by Jem Finer: “The Last of McGee”. The final result is quite impressive. There is also a shanty, but this time a song that has been covered a lot of times after The Dreadnoughts recorded their rendition, “Old Maui”. It gets a full band treatment and has top-notch tune towards the end of the song.

Finally, there are 5/6 standards that are sung by the girls or feature the pipers. “Botany Bay” has two versions, the Celtic punk one and the reggae one that closes the album. “Donald Where Your Troosers”, a song written by Andy Stewart, is the other number sung by the girls and, IMHO, it sounds better. Following with the Scottish side of the album, there is a selection of traditional and modern pipes tunes. “Wild Mountain Thyme” is covered with gusto: electric guitar, pipes, accordion, percussion and female backing vocals. “Itchy Fingers” is a hornpipe written by Pipe Major Rab Pinkman of the “King’s Own Scottish Borderers” in the 20th century. I think that the first Celtic punk band to record this tune was The Gentlemen (“War Time in North London” from their debut album “Stick to Your Guns”, 2009). Muirsheen Durkin & Friends rendition is spotless with hey and yeah shouts and great percussion. The last Scottish number is “When the Pipers Play”. The song is originally titled “The Water is Wide”, but Scottish folk singer Isla St. Clair changed the lyrics to the song and renamed it as “When the Pipers Play”.  Pipes & Pints recorded “When the Pipers Play” for their debut album “Until We Die” in 2009, while Black Tartan Clan included “The Water is Wide” in their third album “Don’t Walk Alone” in 2012.  Muirsheen Durkin & Friends have blended both covers, as the first half of their song is reminiscent of The Black Tartan Clan, while the second half would be inspired by the Pipes & Pints cover. Anyway, they have not chosen the Isla St. Clair lyrics, but written new lyrics to the song and there are awesome female backing vocals.

“11 Pints & 3 Shots" comes in an excellent 6 panel digipack, together with a 20 page booklet including the lyrics to all of the songs and a lot of pictures.  As usual, the final result is excellent, but I’m still waiting for an album by Muirsheen Durkin & Friends where there are more self-penned songs and less covers. Come on guys, you can do it!

Track listing:

01 - Another Drunken Night 3:39
02 - One Whiskey 2.53
03 - Itchy Fingers 2:07
04 - Donald where's your Troosers 2:54
05 - Wild Mountain Thyme 3:23
06 - Old Maui 4:37
07 - Peggy the Waitress 3:11
08 - Land of 1000 Mountains 3:15
09 - Botany Bay 3:19
10 - MacRuenkers Junk 2:19
11 - Drink with the Irish 3:36
12 - Last of McGee 3:01
13 - When the Pipers play 4:25
14 - Botany Bay Reggae 2:52

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Review by Kinksmarkham

2018-04-06 NAME YOUR PRICE DOWNLOAD - SKINNY LISTER "Folkadelphia Suitcase Session, March 24, 2013"

Folkadelphia Sessions are completely free, just enter $0 when prompted. That being said, any donation you give here on our Bandcamp site will be used to help us bring you more exciting projects & developments from Folkadelphia!

Recorded on-site at Philadelphia's North Star Bar in the upstairs Victorian Dining Room after Skinny Lister's soundcheck. We used a single 40's era RCA ribbon microphone to capture the band performing live in the room.

Skinny Lister:

Lorna Thomas
Dan Heptinstall
Max Thomas
Sam Brace
Dan Gray

Engineered & Mixed by: James Clark Conner & Eric Sanderson

Location: North Star Bar - Victorian Dining Room

Thank yous:

Skinny Lister
Jamie Coletta and SideOneDummy Records
Eva Alexiou-Reo and Fata Booking
Gordon Mays and Bonfire/Electric Factory
Sloan and the North Star Bar

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2018-04-05 ALBUM REVIEW - THE PIKEYS "The Sons of War & Whisky" (2018)

The Pikeys "The Sons of War & Whisky"
Release date: March 16, 2018
Running time: 33:17, 12 tracks

The Pikeys were formed in Sacramento in 2010 by Ben Mentze (lead vocals, lagerphone) and Mike Dalton (lead guitar, vocals). They have released some singles that were included in our Sampler Vol. VII from 2013 and can be downloaded from Reverbnation, two amazing videos ("Pissed Again" and "Banshee's Torment") and a live album ("Balls out Bootlegs", 2017). "The Sons of War & Whisky" is their first studio album. Apart from Ben and Mike, the current line-up is Buji (banjo, vocals, artwork), Glenn Newport (bass, vocals) and Patrick Hennessy (drums). Former / part time members Trevor Miller (woodwinds) and Carl Ogren (mandolin, vocals) have also recorded "The Sons of War & Whisky", together with guests Cameron Carbrey (piano), Sinjin Fraser (fiddle, from fellow band One Eyed Reilly), Matthew Holland (accordion), Noah Nelson (guitars), Jonah Mentze (trombone) and Keith Roberts (from the Young Dubliners).

"The Sons of War & Whisky" is a concept album that tells the tale of Pat Kelly, known to his mates as Pikey. The tale can be found on the band's website. If you open the link on a new window, you'll be able to check out the tale and the songs review. BTW, the lyrics to all of the songs can be found on the band's website too.

"Drunk in Cardiff" is the perfect opener for this celtic punk album. Upbeat number showcasing tin whistle and electric guitar that remids me of Swedish band Finnegan's Hell. The next track, "A.R.A.", is a brilliant fast-paced song featuring banjo and tin whistle.

The first standard on "The Sons of War and Whisky" is "Botany Bay". This time The Pikeys take a balladeer approach closer to The Dubliners or The Wolfe Tones, but with electric guitar.

Track no. 4 is titled "Last Guinness". It's an amazing parody of the Misfits' "Last Caress" with trombone and electric guitar. The Pikeys follow the drinking song path with "The Public House". Keith Roberts from The Young Dubliners guests on this accordion driven number with a catchy chorus.

The Pikeys go mental on "Waxie's Dargle",  the second traditional song on the album. "Battle" is a standout track with great fiddle arrangements and an addictive chorus. "The Ballad of Sean Kellie" is another highlight: lively song to sing along, with woahs, electric guitar and a chorus that reminds me of SIR REG (even if The Pikeys sound harder than them).

"Sons of War"  is a slower ballad that proves that The Pikeys are comfortable on any territory. "The Briar & The Sword" starts with acoustic guitar but soon evolves into an interesting hard rock song . And "Requiem for Josh" is a poignant number where piano and fiddle take the relay.

The album is over with the band's rendition of "Black & Tans". Once again, The Pikeys move to the balladeer end.

The Pikeys have finally released their debut album almost 8 years after the band was formed. But the wait was worth it, since "The Sons of War & Whisky" is a brilliant album. Why should you buy the CD instead of the mp3 album? Because the artwork by Buji is rad and the digital version has only  11 tracks instead of 12.

Track listing:

01 - Drunk in Cardiff 2:03
02 - A R A 3:00
03 - Botany Bay 2:53
04 - One Last Guinness
05 - The Public House (feat. Keith Roberts) 2:32
06 - Waxies' Dargle 1:38
07 - Battle 3:50
08 - The Ballad of Sean Kellie 2:27
09 - Sons of War 3:11
10 - The Briar and the Sword 4:09
11 - Requiem for Josh 1:53
12 - Black and Tans 3:42


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Review by Kinksmarkham

2018-04-04 VIDEOS - PUNCHING NAMARD, LEVELLERS, TIR NA NOG, BODH'AKTAN AND ILUSTRES PATILLUDOS

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Punching Namard - Never Again



Levellers - Liberty Song



Tir na Nog - Bastard Reel



Bodh'aktan - Get Loud



Ilustres Patilludos - Borracho, jodido y tatuado