Record Exchange Boise

Reviews:

Ya might wonder what a traditional Irish folk/rock band playing (mostly) acousticinstruments is doing on a hardcore punk label like Side One Dummy, but whenthe title track comes roaring out of the speakers like an amphetamine crazedbanshee, all doubts are resolved. The band plays with the fierce attack of theRamones, the snot-nosed attitude of the Pogues and the good natured Irish prideof the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, but their sound—a bracing blastof melody and noise—is all their own.

Singer/songwriter/acoustic guitarist and ringleader Dave King is from Dublin,Ireland, so the band can claim an "authentic" Irish connection, ifthat matters. His high tenor combines a painful working class yelp with a forceful,in-yer-face punk snarl, highlighted by the sentimental barroom compassion that'sthe hallmark of most great traditional Irish music. King borrows liberally fromthe Irish songbook, but transforms the melodies into airs that sound both achinglyfamiliar and brand new. And while King's incendiary vocals are certainlythe focal point, the rest of the band stays busy throwing gasoline on the fire.George Schwindt's drumming transforms the Irish two-step tempo into a dancefloor splintering stomp, while Dennis Casey's electric lead guitar suppliesenough thrash metal mayhem to satisfy any die hard headbanger. Bridget Regan'swork on fiddle and penny whistle is also outstanding; her fiddling combinesvirtuosity and restraint, and she's undoubtedly the first punk rock pennywhistler.