Drunken Lullabies
It’s been a few years since I last caught up with Flogging Molly but it’s clear that their popularity hasn’t waned in that time as the Lock Up Stage is absolutely rammed for their early evening slot.
There’s nothing particularly original about Flogging Molly, they play punked up traditional celtic music that draws heavily on the influence of The Dubliners & The Pogues but nobody does it quite like they do. Front man Dave King is nothing if not passionate and this runs through the whole performance, couple it with a seven piece band and some fast, rousing songs and you’re onto a winner. The crowd are just brilliant today and the band seem to feed off it, especially bassist Nathan Maxwell who constantly gestures to the crowd throughout the set. King has plenty to say and dedicates songs to people as diverse as his father and Frank Carter’s (Gallows) mum!
It‘s hard to put into words just how good Flogging Molly are today, they play like their lives depend on it and it‘s completely infectious. ‘Requiem for a Dying Song’, the title track of the new album ‘Float’ and ‘Tobacco Island’ keep both the set and the crowd moving along at pace. It’s all over far too quickly when they finish off with the brilliant ‘Lightning Storm’.
Whilst The Pogues continue to become increasingly irrelevant in this day and age (& part of the problem that they set out to cure), Flogging Molly continue to deliver raw and passionate music that you just can’t say no to. Fast, furious and quite brilliant, probably the set of the weekend!