Dropkick Murphys.

slipss

If you have seen the film The Departed and you are anything like me the first thing you probably did was google the music from it to find out the name of the song that runs throughout it, "I'm a sailor peg, and I've lost my leg. Climbing up the top sails, I lost my leg", you know the one. So after a quick search google told me that the song was, I'm shipping up to Boston by the Dropkick Murphys. I had never heard of them before but aparently they already had 5 albums under thier belts.

So I was straight on to limewi....eh I mean a fully licensed legal online music store to check out some more of thier stuff and i have to say i couldn't be more impressed. Thier type of music is described as Celtic Punk, i'm sure alot of you with broader musical tastes than my own have probably come across similar stuff before but to me it was all new and exciting. They have just released thier 6th album The Meanest of Times to pretty much exclusively impecable reviews by the critics in the States. It was released 18th September over there I'm not sure when its due out over here. I was just wondering if thier were any other fans of them on here and if yoyu had a chance to hear any of thier new stuff yet, what did ya think? Heres a excert from an online review I came across for thier new album.

@There is no shortage of Celtic pride on the Dropkick Murphys’ latest release The Meanest Of Times, which calls upon the band’s usual blend of bagpipes, guitars, and elaborate storytelling with a punk twist. The bulk of the material is more than just your usual punk rock and often leans toward the Celtic influence more than anything. So when they add guest appearances by other Irish music veterans as The Pogues and The Dubliners, you pretty much crave St. Patrick’s Day.

The Meanest Of Times marks the band’s first independent release on Born & Bred Records, and the change seems to have sat well with them. On the 15-track CD, there is rarely a dull one in the bunch. At times they might veer toward a more traditional punk sound in songs like “Surrender,” and while that’s not a bad thing, the band is at it's creative peak when the bagpipes or mandolin come to the forefront. Luckily, you get plenty of the Celtic touch on the record, both musically and lyrically. “(F)lannigan’s Ball” is the most memorable track for many, in that it sounds like it could be sung at any Irish pub by a group of crusty, yet loveable individuals. One of the first voices you hear is Spider Stacy of The Pogues, who truly seems like he’s from another time and place. The grittiness in his voice starts out the tune perfectly, while the bagpipes (played perfectly by Scruffy Wallace) and guitar add that extra something to the mood. You even hear what sounds like a banjo midway through, and that earthy instrumentation adds the perfect touch to the tale being told in “(F)lannigan’s Ball.”

BaZmO*

Yeah great band, they're around years. A couple of mates are big into their Punk and actually go over to Boston every year to see them play in their home town. Went with them a few years and and have seen them in the Ambassador a couple of times since. They're fantastic live and I love their intro when they play The Foggy Dew by The Chieftans and Sinead O'Connor.

They play over here quite a bit and supported The Pogues in The Point for their Christmas gig a couple of years ago.

Tbh though I'm actually not a huge Punk fan but I do really like the DKMs and another Celtic Punk band Flogging Molly, although they actually have an proper Irish connection in that their lead singer is Irish.

Went to see Flogging Molloy in Germany a couple of years ago and they absolutely rocked the place. Ze Germans are REALLY into their Celtic Punk for some reason. Went drinking with them afterwards as my friends are good mates with the guitarist.

But anyway, DKM's great band!!