Post by 1788 Dens of Sin on Apr 19, 2006 6:19:59 GMT -5
So it all began back in 1977 before Shane had even started erecting his nipples, when 5 Hand Reel (early Scottish Paddy Punkers) released their “For a’ That” album, and more importantly for me, my parents came home drunk from a New Years party and decided to “just risk it”. Anyhow, it was the year I was born, and the year I first heard the brilliance that is a jig or a reel played fast, with a good strong rhythm that gets your toes tapping, your blood pumping and your eyes peeling for a pint of the ol’ dark brown.
Fast forward through a childhood of irrelevance to this post bar a soundtrack of celtic-influenced music (e.g. Steeleye Span, The Chieftains etc.) and typical teenage years of half-assed rebellion and a soundtrack of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. And then you reach my university years during which I first heard The Pogues. Shane was already gone by this point, but I knew this music was something special. It had a rawness and an energy I hadn’t heard since those early years of 5 Hand Reel. I quickly bought the back catalogue and it was not long after that I was found trading in an electric guitar, 2 pedals and an amp for my first mandolin – ah the looks I got, but it was all worth it… ;D
So nearly a decade after that, and I find myself listening to a band in the local pub pumping out traditionals and Pogues songs, and I just thought “This is so fucking good – why isn’t there more of this?”. So I started a search mission on the web to see what was out there. I bought a few CDs of varying levels of mediocrity and some quite good ones, and then on a whim I ordered Swagger by Flogging Molly. I remember it so vividly when I first played it. It was late 2003, I put this CD on, and out flooded The Kesh Jig at full tilt, and I thought this was pretty cool, and then it hit me: the biggest, dirtiest, kick-ass distorted rhythm concotion I had ever heard over the top of one of my favourite jigs – ah I was in heaven. Perfection had been obtained – this band was it.
And now it would appear that again a turning point has been reached – Flogging Molly are gracing this part of the world with their presence, and touring Australia. Well I always promised myself I would get there if they came, and so I have tickets purchased, and flights booked from little ol’ New Zealand to be there when they rock Melbourne. Less than a month to go now….and I am stoked! So stoked in fact that I decided to write this crap down and share it with the SnO fraternity….although it has taken a few days to have my access approved. Never met a message board I had to wait a week to join before – I assume they were doing background security checks or something – I guess I must have passed.
So any advice on how to properly appreciate the mighty Flogging Molly? Best up the front moshing? Or standing back to appreciate? Should I be 1-2 beers in? 5-6 buzzing? 10-12 starting to swagger? It’s a big venue I believe – 7000 odd I think it holds which is a shame, would have loved to see them in a pub or something, but I guess that’s what happens when you get popular. Still….it’ll be fan-fuckin-tastic I’m sure….can’t wait.
Slainte!
P.S. – Should mention one other point, after discovering the virtues of Flogging Molly I have since moved to incorporate many of the other great Paddy Punk bands into my CD collection – many of which I would not have heard of were it not for the helpful folks at SnO and Paddy Rock Radio. Otherwise I might never have blessed my aural senses with The Mahones, Real MacKenzies, Dropkick Murphys, The Go Set, Siobhan, Peelers, Leperkhanz, Tears for Beers, Blood or Whiskey, Neck, Blaggards, Tossers, well anyone Paddy Punk-ish readily available to someone with an Internet connection and a credit card!
Fast forward through a childhood of irrelevance to this post bar a soundtrack of celtic-influenced music (e.g. Steeleye Span, The Chieftains etc.) and typical teenage years of half-assed rebellion and a soundtrack of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. And then you reach my university years during which I first heard The Pogues. Shane was already gone by this point, but I knew this music was something special. It had a rawness and an energy I hadn’t heard since those early years of 5 Hand Reel. I quickly bought the back catalogue and it was not long after that I was found trading in an electric guitar, 2 pedals and an amp for my first mandolin – ah the looks I got, but it was all worth it… ;D
So nearly a decade after that, and I find myself listening to a band in the local pub pumping out traditionals and Pogues songs, and I just thought “This is so fucking good – why isn’t there more of this?”. So I started a search mission on the web to see what was out there. I bought a few CDs of varying levels of mediocrity and some quite good ones, and then on a whim I ordered Swagger by Flogging Molly. I remember it so vividly when I first played it. It was late 2003, I put this CD on, and out flooded The Kesh Jig at full tilt, and I thought this was pretty cool, and then it hit me: the biggest, dirtiest, kick-ass distorted rhythm concotion I had ever heard over the top of one of my favourite jigs – ah I was in heaven. Perfection had been obtained – this band was it.
And now it would appear that again a turning point has been reached – Flogging Molly are gracing this part of the world with their presence, and touring Australia. Well I always promised myself I would get there if they came, and so I have tickets purchased, and flights booked from little ol’ New Zealand to be there when they rock Melbourne. Less than a month to go now….and I am stoked! So stoked in fact that I decided to write this crap down and share it with the SnO fraternity….although it has taken a few days to have my access approved. Never met a message board I had to wait a week to join before – I assume they were doing background security checks or something – I guess I must have passed.
So any advice on how to properly appreciate the mighty Flogging Molly? Best up the front moshing? Or standing back to appreciate? Should I be 1-2 beers in? 5-6 buzzing? 10-12 starting to swagger? It’s a big venue I believe – 7000 odd I think it holds which is a shame, would have loved to see them in a pub or something, but I guess that’s what happens when you get popular. Still….it’ll be fan-fuckin-tastic I’m sure….can’t wait.
Slainte!
P.S. – Should mention one other point, after discovering the virtues of Flogging Molly I have since moved to incorporate many of the other great Paddy Punk bands into my CD collection – many of which I would not have heard of were it not for the helpful folks at SnO and Paddy Rock Radio. Otherwise I might never have blessed my aural senses with The Mahones, Real MacKenzies, Dropkick Murphys, The Go Set, Siobhan, Peelers, Leperkhanz, Tears for Beers, Blood or Whiskey, Neck, Blaggards, Tossers, well anyone Paddy Punk-ish readily available to someone with an Internet connection and a credit card!