2018-06-07 VIDEOS - LES HUMEURS CÉRÉBRALES, LEVELLERS AND UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS

 

 

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Les Humeurs Cérébrales - Dear Molly (feat. The Crook and the Dylans)



Levellers - Chaos Theory Live 2006 - Full Concert



Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards - Anger

 

 

2018-01-27 VIDEOS - FINNEGAN'S HELL, PIRATES OF THE PUBS, UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS

These are the latest videos that have been added to our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Then you'll be able to watch all the new videos before they are posted here.

Finnegan's Hell - Coal Mine
 


Pirates of the Pub -Budweis Pirates Clan



Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards - Lads from the Countryside

 

2017-03-22 ALBUM REVIEW - UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Handmade!" (2017)

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards "Handmade!"
Release date: February 9,  2017
Running time: 62:19, 16 Tracks

After having recently posted the review of the brand new Tossers album, now I’m publishing a write-up of a band with a similar attitude, the mighty Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards. The Italian band have released 3 albums and 1 EP in 10 years and nowadays they are one of the most interesting Celtic punk/rock bands from this side of the pond. In fact, they’re clearly one of the European celtic punk bands that really know the traditional repertoire, together with Firkin and probably Fiddler’s Green.  And when I say traditional I don’t mean only the balladeers (The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones, Pete St. John …) but also the likes of The Bothy Band, Lúnasa or Flook.

Among all the amazing tracks on “Handmade”, I’d pick up a couple of standout numbers because of their lyrics. “The Streets of Dublin” is Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards’ answer to Pete St. John’s “The Rare Auld Times”. Lorenzo Testa knew Dublin in the heyday of the Celtic tiger and has been a witness of the city changes because of the financial crisis. “Plastic Paddy's Day” was originally released in 2015 (video HERE). St. Patrick’s Day is gone, but maybe you should listen to this song and think about it. Apart from the lyrics, it’s a well written number, with a spoken intro, a flute and banjo driven attack, a banjo bridge and another spoken passage.

There are a couple of instrumentals, a set of tunes and a Lorenzo’s composition. The set of tunes consists of “The Donegal Lass”, a tune by Flook’s flutist Brian Finnegan, “Butler of Glen Avenue” by Tony Sullivan and Luca Crespi’s “Tell Me About You”. If you love the traditional stuff played with gusto and a rock twist, you’ll enjoy this brilliant set of tunes. The second instrumental is “The Clarenfridge Fair” and it was written by Lorenzo Testa when he went to Clarenbridge to say hello to Fintan and Tom Cussen at their workshop. Even if it’s not an upbeat tune, the atmosphere and the musicianship are top-notch.

Some songs are also covered on “Handmade!”. “The Ferryman” is another classic song by Pete St. John and it has given a bluegrass-y treatment by Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards. It reminds me of some The Waterboys / Sharon Shannon's stuff . The closing number is a poignant rendition of Phil Coulter’s “The Town that I loved so Well”. Luca Rapazzini guests on fiddle and Denis Jelly from The Moorings shares vocals duties.

Regarding the other self-penned songs, I have enjoyed Silvano’s songs “Gipsy Geezers”, featuring banjo and uileann pipes and a tune written by Lorenzo Testa (video HERE ), the upbeat banjo and tin whistle led “Stay Untamed” that includes a Luca’s tune, and “A Flat above my Pub”, another lively number featuring the well-known Denis Murphy’s polka. Other amazing numbers written by Lorenzo would be “Lads from the Countryside” (I guess that Irish band O’Hanlons Horsebox will love this number too) “The Man Who Spoke to the Earth”  (where three tunes are played, one by Lorenzo, another by Séamus Egan and the traditional Coleraine’s Jig), “Too Old to Stop Now” (I’m sure that The Logues would love this one too) and  Guido’s “Anger, the Void that stops the Wind”, a song with an Oysterband twist and kick-ass uilleann pipes by Luca.

As Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards have said, “Handmade!” is a real labour of love. Once again the packaging is spotless: a four panel digipack with a 20 page booklet. Top quality pics are provided, together with comprehensive liner notes and credits.

After releasing a full Irish standards album, Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards showed with their EP that they were able to write top-notch original songs. The Italians reached the stardom with “Get the Folk Out!” and with “Handmade!” they have not gone down from that place. A must have for any Irish music lover.

You can check out what other people have written about this album on Viva la XV! (in Spanish) and on London Celtic Punks (in English)

Track listing:

01 - Handmade 1:54
02 - Gipsy Geezers 4:21
03 - Too Old To Stop Now 3:40
04 - Stay Untamed 3:42
05 - The Man Who Spoke To The Earth 4:33
06 - The Donegal Lass / Butler of Glen Avenue / Tell me About You 3:25
07 - The Ferryman 3:04
08 - Anger (The Void That Stops The Wind) 4:44
09 - The Clarenbridge Fair 2:25
10 - The Streets Of Dublin 4:34
11 - Lads From The Countryside 3:49
12 - The Luck Of The Irish 3:12
13 - Plastic Paddy’s Day 4:59
14 - Rust 4:55
15 - The Flat Above My Pub 3:24
16 - The Town I Loved So Well 5:37

Website
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Click to buy:

Band's Store
Amazon

Review by Kinksmarkham

2017-03-17 VIDEOS - St. PATRICK'S DAY PLAYLIST

Celtic Folk Punk and More's video playlist for St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy!

2017-02-01 VIDEOS - DANGEROUS FOLK, THE PEELERS, UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS

Three new videos added to our YouTube channel :

The Dangerous Folk single (a new Aussie band from Brisbane), a song off the new The Peelers album and a lyrics video off the Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards sophomore album.

The Dangerous Folk - Sum of All My Fears

 

The Peelers - Going Down Swingin'

 

Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards - Gypsy Geezers

VIDEO - UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Plastic Paddy's Day"

One of our favourite bands has just released a Paddy's Day video: Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards "Plastic Paddy's Day"

Uncle Bard and the Dirty Bastards - Plastic Paddy's Day

VIDEO - UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARD "The Road"

Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards' new video: "The Road". A song based on their true and authentic busking experience through the years, and it really represents a part of themselves.

Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards - The Road

VIDEO - UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Green Shamrock Shore"

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards have just released a new live acoustic video.

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards - Green SHamrock Shore



 

VIDEO - UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Black Sheep"

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards have just released a video for their song "Black Sheep".

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards - Black Sheep

VIDEO - UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS "

Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards video for "Rambling Bhoys"


Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards - "Rambling Bhoys"

REVIEW - UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Get the Folk Out!" (2014)

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards "Get the Folk Out!"
Release date: March 10,2014
Running time: 57:49, 15 tracks

When  a new Celtic punk band is established, one can trace their musical lineage to The Dubliners-The Pogues, The Dubliners-Flogging Molly or to The Clancy Brothers-Dropkick Murphys. But from time to time bands with different musical lineages arise. For instance, the Italian band Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards, whose musical lineage could be The Chieftains-Four Men and a Dog-The Tossers. Most of the bands out there play tribute to the balladeers and to the biggest Celtic Punk heroes. But  Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards are different. Lots of Italians migrated to Ireland during the last two decades, because of the good career opportunities in the Emerald Isle.  The band members saved their money to visit their friends in Ireland and they got in contact with Irish music. They fell in love  with the tunes and the culture behind them. Then, they began to play in Italy and the band was born. Later, in 2012, some of the band members did a busking tour around Ireland, England and Wales. They met a lot of musicians and they played a lot of pub sessions.  Taking into account this background, their Celtic punk/rock music should be different.

After their  “Up the Bastards!” EP, the six guys from Busto Arsizio have recorded a 15 track album based mainly on their self-penned songs. The approach has not changed. The sound is based on Luca Crespi’s tin whistle, Irish flute or Uileann pipes, Lorenzo Testa’s banjo and Guido Domingo’s lead vocals, who are perfectly backed by Silvano Ancellotti on electric guitar, Rob Orlando on bass and Francesco Fabris on drums and percussions. The songs always include an Irish traditional tune or a tune written by  Luca  and the lyrics to their songs are mainly auto-biographical or about experiences that the band members have lived. The main songwriter is Lorenzo (6 songs), but most of the members have written some stuff too: Silvano (2 songs), Guido (1 song), Rob (1 song) and Luca (the instrumental  “Blue Velvet Glove" and several tunes for different songs).

It’s not easy to pick up only some songs, since there is a bunch of amazing compositions. The catchiest song might be “I Only Got One Pint”, the booze number on the disc, a sort of an Italian answer to The Mahones "Down the Boozer". A couple of songs with a Tossers twist would be “Skedaddle” and “Black Sheep”. The powerful ballads  are “The Rambling Bhoys of Pleasure” and the cover of “When the Boys Come Rolling Home”, which has been improved with the addition of “The Rambling Pitchfork” tune. There are two top-notch autobiographical songs about their busking tour, “The Road”, and Rob’s difficult days in Ireland when the crisis arrived, “Green Shamrock Shore”.

Regarding the tunes, Luca’s “Blue Velvet Glove” featuring Uileann pipes and keyboards has a slight Davy Spillane twist. On the other hand, the traditional set of tunes “1.21 Jig-O-Reel Set” is perfect: the march “Stananivy” has an Alias Ron Kavana sound; the next tune, the jig “The Girl of the House” is an electric Chieftains number; and, finally, the reel “The Guns of the Magnificent Seven” is a Wolfstone meets The Bothy Band number.

Uncle Bard and Dirty Bastards have chosen a couple of well-known songs, “Raggle Taggle Gypsy” and Johnny Cash classic “Ring of Fire”. The former has got the band’s treatment. Instead of playing “Tabhair dom do laimh” (the “Give Me Your Hand” tune) like Planxty, they have added “Tarbolton”, the tune that opens The Chieftains “7” album. The latter is also rounded by adding “The Galway Rambler” tune.

Finally, I’d like to draw your attention to the lyrics to “Off in the Jacks”, about the dangers of the social networks: “Ring-diddle-daddle-oh / Ring-diddle-daddle-oh / When did we unlearn to listen / When did we unlearn to talk? / I guess the time it happened / I was off in the jacks”. It was already said by Dropkick Murphys back in 1999: “Get off your computer and get a life!”. Now it’s a little bit different: “Get off your smart phone and your tablet and get a life!”

To finish up, some words about the packaging. Fantastic digipak with a 16 page booklet: all the lyrics to the songs, pics of every band member and the full band and the best credits and liner notes that I’ve seen in a while. A small introduction to every single song and all the titles of the tunes that are featured on them are clearly mentioned. Hats-off!

A lot of bands from the mainland have been haunted by Irish music with a punk twist. Some of them have “pretended” to be Irish. Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards don’t pretend to be Irish. As they state on the liner notes, they are showing “huge gratitude and all the due respect to Irish music and culture”. They are really Ireland’s adopted sons and have brought a new breeze to the European Celtic punk/rock scene. I wish them all the best, since they deserve it.

Tracklist:

01 - The Road 3:29
02 - Black Sheep 3:34
03 - The Rambling Bhoys 3:48
04 - Green Shamrock Shore 4:52
05 - The Dark Side of the Leaf 3:56
06 - We Ruled the Seaside 3:39
07 - Blue Velvet Glove 2:31
08 - Skedaddle 3:10
09 - When the Boys Come Rolling Home 3:33
10 - 1.21 Jig-O-Reel Set 4:00
11 - Raggle Taggle Gipsy 3:41
12 - I Only Got One Pint 3:14
13 - Off in the Jacks 4:40
14 - Ring of Fire 3:25    
15 - Be 5:34    

Website 

Facebook
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Click to buy:

Amazon 

iTunes 

Or email the band to purcahse a hard copy

info@dirtybastards.it
 

Review by Kinksmarkham

VIDEO - UNCLE BARD AND THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Fly the Flag"

Originally by Stiff Little Fingers "Fly The Flag" is Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards  contribution to "PGA - Stay Together For The Kids" Compilation. Rude Records 2013.

https://itunes.apple.com/it/album/pga-stay-together-for-the-kids/id765823231

Recorded and mixed by Lorenzo Testa and Guido Domingo @ Studio Decibel (Busto Arsizio (VA, Italy).
Mastered by Tancredi Barbuscia @ Greenriver Studio (Cavaria - Italy).

Video filmed and edited by Lorenzo Testa, Guido Domingo and Silvano Ancellotti for Studio Decibel, Busto Arsizio (VA, Italy)

Uncle Bard & the Dirty Bastards "Fly The Flag"

THE BEST CELTIC PUNK-ROCK EPs/SINGLES LIST OF 2013

This is the list of the best Celtic punk-rock EPs/singles of 2013.

Some remarks:

1) Even if this post is titled as “the best of”, this is not  a competition, but a sort of a game. I prefer to say that, IMHO,  this is the list of the most enjoyable EPs/singles of 2013.

2) Please remember that it’s a list of EPs/singles, not a list of bands.
 

3) It’s been a little bit difficult to rate every recording, since some of them have only two songs and other recordings have 3, 4, 5 or more songs. Therefore, I’ve tried to give priority to those having more self-penned songs. Then, some singles can be in a lower position only because they have two songs and one of them is a cover. Anyway, they’re kick-ass singles.
 

4) I have rated only the EPs/singles that have been received for review purposes and/or that have been shared for free by the bands.

So, this is the final list: 20 EPs/singles from all over the world:

9 from Europe (2 from The Netherlands, 2 from Italy, 2 from the UK, 1 from France, 1 from Hungary and 1 from Ukraine)
6 from North America (5 from the USA and 1 from Canada) 
3 from Australasia (Australia)

1 from Africa (South Africa)
1 from Asia (Thailand)

Thanks to all the bands  for sending their music to Celtic Folk Punk and More

1 - Vagrant Nation "One for the Gallows" Review
2 - Brick Top Blaggers "Plastic Paddy" Review
3 - The Royal Spuds "Start Your Engines" Review
4 - The Sunday Punchers "Sea Monsters"
5 - Black Water County "Welcome to the Black Water County" Review
6 - O'Hamsters "Celtic Crew" Free Download
7 - Craic "Hold the Penny" Review
8 - Error 99 "EP" Review
9 - Fox'n'Firkin "Roppongi" Review
10 - Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards "Up the Bastards!" Review
11 - The Ramshackle Army "Anchors Aweigh"
12 - The Black Shamrocks "EP" Free Download
13 - The Scally Cap Brats "Don't Look Back" Review
14 - The Maggie Whackers "Naoned Whisky" Free Download
15 - Tullamore "Eire-Celtic Punk" Review
16 - Pirate Copy "The Shape of Piracy to Come" Free Download
17 - Fox'n'Firkin "To Hell and Back" Free Download
18 - The Scarlet "Demo" Review
19 - LQR "Boxpok" Free Download
20 - The Toilet Cats "Shamrockin' Irish Tunes" Free Download

Enjoy!

REVIEW - UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Up the Bastards!" (2013)

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards "Up the Bastards" Self-released (2013)
Release date: 5 February 2013
Running time: 12:41, 4 tracks

Uncle Bard and The Dirty Bastards, a seven piece band hailing from the North of Italy, released in 2010 a standards album titled “Drinking not Thinking”. During the following years the band members did a busking tour in Great Britain and Ireland, shared the stage with Dropkick Murphys and  began to write their own material.

“Up the Bastards!” is the next step in their evolution: only one song is an Irish standard, “Come Out Ye Black and Tans”, the other three tracks are self-penned songs.

The opener “Up the Bastards!” is the most festive track on the EP. It’s a song about themselves and an ode to the life in the pubs (booze and musicians). The song features a couple of traditional tunes.

The next two songs deal with similar topics, but the rhythm is different. “Part of Me” is  the most rocking song and  can be filed together with songs such as “(Dublin in) the Rare Auld Times” or The Men They Couldn’t Hang “Company Town”. Our towns grow and they become something we don’t like. But we keep on loving them. Musically, the song is a Tossers infused number featuring amazing banjo, tin whistle and fiddle.

“I Did Not Belong to This World” is the real lament on the EP, both lyrically and musically. It’s a slow number and it features awesome Uileann pipes played by Luca Crespi. It also has some Tossers influences blended with a Mahones touch.

Finally, “Come Out Ye Black and Tans” is an energetically rendition played with gusto.

“Up the Bastards!” was released in February 2013, but July 2013 seems to be the band’s month: they have released a video for the song “Up the Bastards!”, they have played the big festival Rock im Ring in Ritten and they have been chosen as Band of the Month at our Spanish e-zine Celtic Punk Rock. Don’t be a lazy sod and get this EP as soon as possible. Maybe the band’s name is too obvious, but they are a blast!

Tracklist:

1. Up the Bastards! 3:35
2. Part of me  2:16
3. I Did Not Belong to This World 3:46
4. Come Out Ye Black and Tans 2:56

http://www.dirtybastards.it
https://www.facebook.com/UBDirtyBastards
http://www.reverbnation.com/UBDirtyBastards
https://soundcloud.com/ubdirtybastards
https://myspace.com/unclebardthedirtybastards
https://twitter.com/UBDirtyBastards

Contact the band to buy the CD:

info@dirtybastards.it

Click to buy a digital copy:

https://itunes.apple.com/sg/album/up-the-bastards!-ep/id601400834
 

http://www.amazon.com/Up-the-Bastards/dp/B00BJ6BJ3G/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372349106&sr=301-1

Review by Kinksmarkham

VIDEO - UNCLE BARD & THE DIRTY BASTARDS "Up the Bastards!"

Uncle Bard & The Dirty Bastards hail from Italy. They have released an EP in February 2013 and this is the video for the song "Up the Bastards!".

http://www.dirtybastards.it
https://www.facebook.com/UBDirtyBastards
http://www.reverbnation.com/UBDirtyBastards
https://soundcloud.com/ubdirtybastards
https://myspace.com/unclebardthedirtybastards
https://twitter.com/UBDirtyBastards


Discography:

"Drinking Not Thinking" (2009)
"Up the Bastards!" (4 track EP, 2013) 

The EP will be reviewed soon. Stay tuned!

Line-up:

Guido "Weedo" Domingo: vocals, acoustic guitars, bodhran and girls' courting
Lorenzo "Larry" Testa: tenor banjo, mandolin, vocals, harmonica and every instrument no one else want to play
Silvano "Piz" Ancellotti: electric guitar, acoustic guitar and coarse vocals
Luca Crespi: tin whistle, Irish flute, uilleann pipes and car horn
Robert the Bard: bass guitar and lamentations
Michela Paganini: fiddle, vocals
Francesco Fabris: drums, cajon, percussion, cymbals

Uncle Bard & the Dirty Bastards - "Up the Bastards!"